A/N Here you are. Chapter 4.

Chapter 4: ONE WINTER'S NIGHT

The first things that Chihiro saw where colorful lights that were coming from the distant restaurants. They were lightening the midnight sky full of twinkling stars and falling snowflakes. It looked just like magic. And maybe it was because the snowy ground and the midnight sky and the white dragon beside her belonged to the magic world. Looking the red, yellow, purple and green color dancing on the steady surface of the big lake a few miles ahead of her, she felt like that magic is greeting her for coming here again. It wanted to touch her but it couldn't because she was standing in gates' darkness.

The gates were a magical being itself. They were dragging in themselves everything, light, wind, and snow, everything except smell. The fragrances of the deep fried food from the restaurant triggered unpleasant memories and made her hungry at the same time... but she had to resist it. After all, that food was for the spirits only and you don't want to offend them as the consequences are deathly.

Unfortunately, Chihiro's parents didn't know that and they had eaten it to fill their empty stomachs. A witch named Yubaba, the owner of the bathhouse nearby, has transformed them into pigs as punishment. She would have slaughter them and turn them into pork if Chihiro has not saved them. And now, she was once again here. But now it wasn't hot summer day but cold winter night and her parents were now a world away from her and she was alone, well not quite alone…

One certain dragon was standing beside her. She could not see him but she was able to feel his hand on hers. It was warm unlike the cold snowflakes that were falling on her face. Funny, the snowflakes were exactly the same like the ones in her world – cold at first but, melting, they become warm like a summer rain. And that summer rain cascaded down from her face touching her slowly separated lips. Chihiro went still. They tasted like salt…

After few moments Chihiro saw that if she moves few steps forward, she would step away from the gates' darkness and she could finally see the man who brought her here. It seemed that Chihiro wasn't the only one thinking about that; she felt slight movement on her right where he was standing. The hand that was tangled with hers moved forward forcing Chihiro to do the same as the voice spoke:"Come. Let me see you." And she did just that.

Chihiro didn't even have time to comprehend that she was moving when she suddenly saw him. She didn't see the boy whom she once knew. Chihiro saw the man whom she never met before - even in her dreams. She has always dreamed of a very tall, slim man with the same hair style that he had when he was a boy. That man who was standing in front of her didn't look like that. He was slightly taller than her with a very strong body. His alabaster skin perfectly matched with his dark raven hair. It was longer than it was before, but still not touching his broad shoulders. It wasn't that neat combed than it was before. Now, the black tresses were falling as they like but it still looked perfect. He wore a silk black shirt and simple black pants. Chihiro thought of asking him isn't he cold but when she looked into his eyes that thought simply popped out of her mind.

His green eyes were the only thing that has not changed on him, the only thing that her dreams' imagination caught right. Well, she has seen them before in the woods but it was too dark there to clearly see that little shining sparks that made them to look like the liquid emeralds. They were big and wide from the surprise. He let go of her hand and spoke so quietly that Chihiro nearly didn't hear him: "You look different." Chihiro saw him frowning slightly as he whispered the words. She said: "Humans age. Didn't you know that?"

Haku answered looking slightly ashamed: "I did. I just didn't expect you to look so..." He didn't know the right word to describe her looking. Beautiful was not even close enough...

"Well, you are older, too", said Chihiro unaware of Haku's thoughts. He managed to remove that surprising look of his face. "Yeah, I guess we are even then." He said with a grin. Chihiro smiled too and meeting his glance she quickly looked away, but why she did not know.

The snow on the ground was visible through her leather boots so she concluded that she is vanishing, again. Pointing to her feet, Haku took her hand in front of his face and saw her frightened brown eyes through it. Chihiro cried when her hand fell through his hand and he was unable to hold her anymore. He said to her that she will be all right as he reached for his pocket on his pants and took out one red berry which he put into her mouth. That would be rather embarrassing but know when that single berry was saving her from disappearing, Chihiro really didn't care that Haku is literally feeding her because she couldn't do it herself.

When she swallowed it Haku raised his palm before her and Chihiro knew what to do, after all she has done it before. She slowly reached for it and felt relief when she felt his warm hand pressed to hers. Haku smiled. "See? You're fine. Now, shall we go to the bathhouse? Lin will be ecstatic to see you." said Haku slowly removing his hand. Chihiro nodded and he turned around and started marching towards the big lake. Chihiro followed him and stepped to the very edge of the shore and ask while scanning the big black lake: "How will we cross the lake?"

It was New Years' eve, winter, and it was very cold but the lake has not been frozen. Chihiro thought that that has something to do with the fact that that lake was appearing only by night, by daylight it vanishes and reveals the big green plains. Now, it was shimmering on the cold winter breeze. Here and there occasional churning could be heard that gave Chihiro the creeps. She really didn't want to know what kind of underwater creatures were responsible for it. She didn't feel like coming near that lake, let alone crossing it. Deep in her dark thought, Chihiro felt the strange sensation coming behind her where Haku was standing and she saw that something flat and narrow is connecting two shores like a bridge. It was in the water level, but water didn't spill over it. Then she saw that with silent pop little street kerosene lamps were arranging at every 20 to 30 meters. They were glowing with bright light illuminating the choppy lake.

"What is that? And why are street lamps there?" said Chihiro curiously.

"That is the path that we must cross to go to the other shore. I put the street lamps there because of the Rose. That is her lake and she lives in it. She doesn't eat meat but she is rather angry when someone crosses her lake. She hates light so I think that we would be fine." said Haku. Ohh, he really didn't need to say that. He obviously didn't know that human women were afraid of anything big, scary, slimy or hairy and "Rose" in Chihiro's head looked just like that. Convincing her to cross the lake before mentioning that some nasty creature named "Rose" resides in it wouldn't be very easy, but now it would be far from that.

Chihiro quickly stepped away from the shore. She didn't like the sound of churning that was surely coming from the certain creature and that line "I think we will be fine" wasn't very reassuring, either. She cried: "I'm not crossing that lake!" Haku sighed heavily and then the argument began.

The argument contained a lot of "I don't want to be some thing's midnight snack" and "Rose is a vegetarian" but Haku won in the end. He reassured her that there was no other way.

"Well you could fly on me and be frozen to death if that is what you want! Or you could wait 5 or 6 hours for daylight!" Haku almost yelled in annoyance at the stubborn woman standing beside him.

"Fine!" Chihiro grumbled and started marching towards the lake not even bothering to look at him. She placed one foot at the bridge and sighed with relief when it didn't move from her weight at all. She slowly started to walk on it when she heard a mocking voice:

"Are all humans that stubborn?" Chihiro turned around to look at him and while seeing that mocking grin on his features she couldn't keep her face straighten.

"Yes!" she answered with all the effort to her voice to sound angry but that little amusement note gave her away, or it was her slightly curved eyes or that small smile on her face. Haku laughed and stepped onto bridge. He passed her while saying: "Good to know", and keep walking forward not even turning around. Chihiro realized that she would probably be teased for her stubbornness in not-so-distant future but she really didn't really care.

At one moment Chihiro could swear that she has seen something dark green just below the lake's surface but when she was about to show it to Haku who was walking before her, it vanished into lake's depths.

Every few meters they were stepping on a bright light of the small kerosene lamps. They would hear the loud buzzing of some small like-mosquitoes insects that were gathered around the kerosene lamps. Chihiro was pretty sure they weren't mosquitoes because it was winter time and they were purple.

Soon, they stepped onto dry land. Flashing colorful lights from the many lanterns were illuminating dark silhouettes of the spirits. Here and there a spirit with actual form would appear but mostly they were just dark masses.

"I'll cast a spell on you so you won't be seen. Yubaba can punish you for being here. You will be safe in the bathhouse, but if anyone sees you and tells Yubaba, I won't be able to help you." Haku whispered to Chihiro as they were climbing a rock stairs that connected the lake and the restaurants' area.

"Do I need to hold my breath again? 'Cuz I'm not good at it." asked Chihiro while remembering that the last time she has not managed to hold her breath when they were crossing the bridge thanks to some frog.

Haku grinned obviously remembering the same thing. "You don't need to that this time. Just follow my lead and try not to stand on some one's toes. That might look a little suspicious." Chihiro felt the heat coming from him and then she felt like she was on fire but it didn't burn her. The fire spread from her head to toe and Chihiro realized that that was Haku's magic.

Haku leaded her through the loud crowd of the hungry spirits. Chihiro had to pay attention that she doesn't bump into somebody. She was surprised when she saw that the white snowflakes were falling through that black spirits without actual form. She memoed herself in her head to ask Haku how are they feeding themselves when they obviously can't grab onto anything.

As Haku was passing along the restaurants, restaurants' chefs were shouting their regards to him. Mostly it was "Good night, master Haku" or "Pleasant evening, master Kohaku" but he didn't respond back, he just nodded. Chihiro saw that all of the spirits beside them were frowning their noses but they didn't dare say anything about that obviously awful smell that was coming from her because they obviously thought it was coming from Haku and he was, well...a dragon and it is wise not to tell a dragon that he stinks.

Only one restaurant's chef on the very end of the restaurants' street shouted to Haku: "Ohh Haku, you stink! Take a bath!" Chihiro couldn't see what he looked like because of many spirits that were gathered around his restaurant but she concluded from his voice that he was young. Haku, surprisingly, answered him coolly:"Good night to you too, Kai." But it didn't seem that he was offended, actually Chihiro could have sworn that she saw that corners of his mouth curved op slightly.

They passed the restaurants and started climbing the stairs in front of the big clock tower. It was old and wasted but it was still working properly - it showed that it was almost 1'o clock. One yunna from the bathhouse was passing beside them so she greeted Haku - as usually, she greeted him with "master Haku".

It suddenly hit Chihiro. "Why are they calling you"master Haku"? Do you still work in bathhouse?" she asked very quietly. Haku was frowning as he stopped in the middle of the stairs and faced her not so precisely because she was still invisible. His emerald eyes shoved Chihiro that he is afraid how she would react. He sighted and said: "Well, I..." but he didn't have a chance to finish his sentence. He was cut off by a very loud cry: "Master Haku! Oh, good that you are here!"

Haku swore under his breath and turned around to face the bathhouse foreman. He was panting and in desperate need to tell Haku the problem but the foreman still remembered his manners and bowed low to his superior before continuing: "One of our guests is complaining about our special herbal mixture. He said that he is "allergic" to vanilla but we don't know what that means! He has requested to speak to you. Come!" Foreman started pulling Haku's arm. Haku wanted to say something but the persistent foreman interrupted him raising an eyebrow at him. "With my entire respect master, did you know that you smell bad? I suggest you to take a bath before facing our lovely guest." Chihiro didn't hear what Haku answered because foreman started pulling his arm towards the big bridge.

That was the time when Chihiro first noticed the bathhouse. She stooped in the middle of the street, fascinated with the huge building in front of her. It looked actually the same as she remembered. The bathhouse was built in the middle age Japanese style and painted with red just like the big bridge that lead to it. At the big front door stood couple of yunnas that were welcoming all kinds of spirits who came to the bathhouse to enjoy themselves in the bathing in the Kamayi's well mixed herbs or check into special made suits.

The bathhouse was full of such a magic that Chihiro broke away her glaring only when someone bumped into invisible her. Spirits that were passing beside her were frowning their noses because of her smell, well those who had noses. Haku was gone and there was she could go to the bathhouse without rising at attention on her smell. She could only go to the only one person who was all alone and who will help her to become visible again. Kamayi.

Chihiro carefully opened the small back wooden door so that nobody would see that the door was opening by themselves. She came to the long stairway and murmured: "I hate this!" The climbing down the numberless stairs came out pretty well except the fact that she bumped into a wall again. The sound of her head hitting the firm wall and her shouted swore after that echoed all the way up to pigpens. She wrapped her hand around her aching head and with other hand opened the back door of a boiler room.

Chihiro slowly entered the hot room but there was no sign of Kamayi on his work place or from little soot balls. She jumped a little hearing a well known raspy voice that yelled: "Who are you and why did you come to my boiler room at this time of the night? Don't even try to lie to me! I'm old but I'm not a fool and I got my personal guards here to protect me!" If Kamayi has not said that in such a threatening and serious voice Chihiro would have laughed.

She said as calmly as she could not turning around to the direction from where the Kamayi's old voice came: "It's me, Chihiro! Haku put a spell on me so spirits can't see me but then he needed to go to the bathhouse and I didn't know where to go."

"Sen?" came sudden reply. The voice seemed to lighten up a bit but only for a second. "How do you know about her? She left eleven years ago to go to the human world and as far as I know she is still there! I don't believe you!" Chihiro turned at the voice direction but she didn't see him. She cried: "Well, I am Sen! Ask me something that only I know!" She couldn't think of anything else. It works in movies, than it must work here, too.

"Well, let's see..." came Kamayi's reply. "What did I say to Lin when she asked me who are you? Only real Sen would know that." Chihiro smiled and sighed. That is easy she thought. She answered: "You said that I'm your granddaughter."

Chihiro didn't have any live grandfathers so Kamayi was a good replacement. She patiently waited for his response. Suddenly she heard the loud sound of something hitting the floor. She turned her head at that direction and saw Kamayi hidden behind a big boiler. He dropped the broom he took for a self defense although he held her with all of his six arms. He wore something like gray pajamas with the white stripes on it. He even had a night cap in the same color. Chihiro saw the surprised look on his old, wrinkled face. "Sen? Are you really here?" he asked uncertainly. "Yes." answered Chihiro.

Kamayi rushed towards her almost missing her and hugged her tightly with his six arms. "Your voice is different. I wish I could see you all grown up. Wait, I think i have something for that." Kamayi quickly released her and rushed to his shelves full of herbs. He opened one shelf and took one red something-like-stem. He crushed it and blew it to Chihiro. She coughed and asked hopefully: "Can you see me?" Kamayi answered sadly: "No. I'm afraid that my Harebell is no match for Haku's spell. I always underestimate him. But it is all good. We will just wait for him to find you and make you visible again. Now sit over there while I make us some rosehip tea."

He reached for a tea pot under his work desk while Chihiro was making herself comfortable on the floor before the empty soot balls' area. "Ohh Kamayi, what did you mean when you said that you have your personal guards around here?" asked Chihiro curiously.

Kamayi roamed around the tea cups. "I forgot about them." said Kamayi picking the tea cups and adding flavor to the tea that was boiling on the something like stove. "Come out, it's Sen!" he yelled not so gently.

Chihiro heard silent commotion and soon her legs were full of black soot balls who cheerfully tickled her feet. "Well, I lied about that. They wouldn't protect me, they are cowards." said Kamayi sipping the hot tea into two red tea cups and offering one to Chihiro. "Don't get me wrong, but I think that you didn't show some courage either. What did you want to do with that broom? Hit me or sweep me?" chuckled Chihiro. "I was just doing my pre-bed-time cleaning after those little rascals when I heard a loud bump and someone shouting two incredibly rude words and all I had were a broom and a dustpan. I wisely chose the broom."

Chihiro flushed at the fact that her almost-grandfather heard her swear and drank the hot tea that made her look even more scarlet. "I thought that you were some sort of an invisible demon but your smell gave a little away but at that time I wasn't thinking with my wrinkled nose." said Kamayi with small grin on his black face. "I don't stink! Why everybody keeps saying that?" cried Chihiro. "I guess we aren't used to humans. But don't worry. In a few days your smell will go away." said Kamayi gently but then turning seriously: "You plan on staying here for a little while, don't you?" Chihiro was caught out guard. She didn't think about that. "I don't know." she said honestly "I didn't think about that when Haku came for me. All that I was thinking at that moment was that I want to get away somewhere." sighed Chihiro.

"Haku came for you? He went to your world?" gasped Kamayi. Chihiro confirmed and started telling him her little New Years' eve adventure. "I was at the New Years' eve party when I found out...something and then I went home. When I got close to the forest where the gates once where, I felt something that told me that I need to go there so I went. It was very dark but I wasn't afraid because I went there occasionally when I was younger. It took me little while to find a path but then I saw him. Well, I didn't know for sure that that was really him but his eyes gave him away..."

Kamayi was patiently listening her story while sipping his rosehip tea. When Chihiro finished Kamayi was asking her about human world. Chihiro also found out that spirits don't celebrate New Year because years mean a little to immortals. She was just explaining him what "allergic" means when they heard a loud bump and some hissed unusual swear. Chihiro felt afraid but Kamayi just said: "Haku."

"How do you know that?" asked Chihiro suddenly curious. "I can feel his aura. And also he has a unique type of swearing." Kamayi chuckled.

They heard the cracking of the back door and the panting Haku came in. He had one hand covering his head and he looked angry. "You really should blow up that evil wall, Kamayi!" he hissed glaring at the old boiler man who was sitting on the floor next to the floating red tea cup.

"There you are, Chihiro. I looked everywhere for you. I even went to the lake again and Rose wasn't very pleased when I woke her up." said Haku. Chihiro asked him:

"Can you take this spell of me, please?" Haku nodded and the she felt that sensation again, like the fire has been moving from her head to toe. She didn't feel any different but she realized that she is visible again when Kamayi suddenly dropped his tea cup and got on his feet urging Chihiro to do the same. He gasped:

"Oh my, you have grown up into a beautiful young lady! At some way I still expected to see that little girl with red cheeks and a pony tail." He was grinning from ear to ear and took Chihiro by her hands. "Look Haku how eleven years' period can make such a difference on a human!" But Haku wasn't looking at Chihiro. He was looking down like he was listening to something. Suddenly, he faced Chihiro and asked:

"Did someone follow you through the gates?"

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