Suzume insisted that they head straight to the shrine to thank Kami for bringing them home safely, despite protests from Shika that he'd had nothing to do with it. So up the mountain they went – five humans and two disinterested young spirits – with all of their belongings. Once there, Haku and Shika refused to enter, and insisted that Chihiro wait with them for the Shinkonos to finish their prayers. She was quite happy to stand outside. Even a peek inside the shrine made the loud buzzing start again. As they walked back down the mountain to the village, Chihiro wondered aloud about the neglected, smaller shrine on the side. Shika grimaced.

"It's Shika's. We built it for him when he was born," Suzume explained. "It's traditional."

"But Shika would rather run around the mountain and befriend the children of the village than be worshipped in a shrine like a 'proper' spirit" Risuni explained, half teasing.

"It makes me feel old," Shika said, readjusting the position of the sleeping boy he was piggy-backing. "It's much more interesting to do Tenryu's dirty work." Tenryu, Chihiro thought, feeling a slight twinge of now familiar pain. I have to try to remember.

"We know, Shika, we know," Suzume said.

Chihiro was more interested in something else. "Spirits are born?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Born, created, come into being. It's complicated. You humans come together, you mate, have babies. Simple," Shika said. Risuni rolled her eyes at this simplification. "It can take any number of spirits to create a mountain, a forest, or a river, and there's never any guarantee that a spirit will be born. No one knows what will work until - poof - a new spirit."

"In other words, we have no idea," Haku said drily. "No one has bothered to figure it out, because it hadn't been a problem until the last few hundred years. Before that, spirits were born all the time, and then mostly left to their own devices."

"So do spirits have family? Parents?"

"Technically, yes," Haku said. "But seeing as most spirits never really "parent," families are more of a...political construct than anything."

"Spirit children are rare these days, and no one knows why," Shika said, "so everyone looks up to those who become parents. Children have become status symbols. Spirits put less work into their children that humans do and expect a lot more. Having a powerful child, like Tenryu, is a mark of high status, whereas having a child like me is a...well..."

"Disappointment?" Haku suggested, remembering all the times Shika's parents had complained about him at court.

"To put it mildly," Shika said. "Being worshipped is power. Being befriended is a disgrace."

"Being killed," Haku said, "is also a disgrace. To put it mildly."

That night, Chihiro lay awake for a long time thinking about everything that had happened that day. Since that morning, she had been separated from her parents (Akio had called to say that Yuuki was doing well,) traveled halfway across Japan in fifteen minutes, and watched a deer turn into a man. Her best friend had implied that she was part spirit. She had found out that Haku was a prince, and though he had never explicitly said so, she was pretty sure he was a dragon. She had friends, (friends!) in the spirit world who knew her, even though she didn't remember them. Yesterday seemed forever ago, but she was strangely unshaken. She felt as if she had prepared for this her entire life, reading and collecting folk tales.

She thought about her dreams, and how Haku had said that her memories had been banished there, and vowed to try harder to remember them. She slept a dreamless sleep for the first time in weeks.

The next evening, Haku sat outside under the open sky. Light shone warmly from inside the house, but the starlight dancing across Haku's skin through the gaps in the leaves was far sweeter.

"You need to tell her soon," Shika said from beside him. "She deserves to know, and you don't have much time. She'll need time to think about it."

Haku ignored him and stared at the silhouette of the two laughing girls on the brightly lit window-paper. He had watched all day as the mountain village welcomed Chihiro warmly and without question. He had watched how Risuni and Chihiro had cared for the younger children and were fed to stuffing by every family they met. They cooked and cleaned and brought water to those working the fields. They climbed all over the mountains fetching firewood. The good villagers were impressed by Chihiro. "Where did a city girl learn to work the Japanese way?" they asked good-naturedly. "Haven't you all westernized by now?" She didn't know the answer – the gate had banished her memories of her first "job," scrubbing the floors of the bathhouse as a child and gaining an appreciation for hard work – but that didn't stop their praise from making its way into her veins and to her heart. In the mountain village, the air was sweet and the people were kind. Time flowed seamlessly, hour into hour, undivided by mechanical ticking. The sun had flown across the sky, and as it had, Haku had grown quiet and distant.

What she deserves, Haku thought, is to live a life filled with meaningful interactions with good people, rather than the high stress life of the city where the important things are drowned in the noise of a great many urgent things. She may deserve a choice, but she does not deserve to have the hopes of two peoples pinned on her.

I'd expected Fuji to last longer than that. I wanted more time, but at least the eruption got her away from the concrete jungle, if only for a short time.

The door slid open, throwing light and long shadows across the grass. Haku blinked and shielded his eyes from the glare. Through the spaces between his fingers, he saw the dark shapes of the girls step down off the raised floor of the house. A wind sprite whirled around the corner of the house and playfully tugged on their clothes and hair. Though they were tired, it seemed that all their cares had fallen away. Chihiro stood straighter. The tension had come out of her shoulders. How could I take that away from her?

"Little sister wind," Shika whispered. "How are you?"

The breeze spun around Shika affectionately and kissed him gently on the cheek. It brushed Haku's sleeve softly, timidly.

Even the spirits are happier here, Haku thought. "It's okay," he mouthed, holding out a hand. "I won't hurt you, little sister." The wind rested on his palm for a brief moment, then flew off again - a lively wind never stopped for long - and then Chihiro was in front of him, her clothes softly billowing in the breeze. She sat down and the breeze wafted her scent toward him. He felt her settle down next to him – she gave off heat like a small star - but he couldn't look at her. She was too vulnerable, too fragile, too happy for him to ruin it now. Instead, he stared out to where the Milky Way was splayed across the sky, trying to ignore their proximity.

She smelled of rain. Why did she smell of rain?

Rain. Wet earth.

Rain pattering overhead on the surface, on his scales, splashing - the most beautiful music he had ever heard. And the little fish, how they danced, jumping above the surface to snatch at the insects.

A soft nudge from Shika brought him back. He hadn't realized that he'd closed his eyes to take in the memory.

He looked around. Shika sat leaning against the tree and had an arm around Risuni, who rested against his side comfortably, telling him about the families she'd visited that day. Chihiro sat listening just an arm's length away, but she seemed separated from him by miles.

Then something touched his arm, startling him.

"What's the matter?" Chihiro asked. Her fingers had brushed his sleeve. She was so close.

"Nothing." He looked away. He could feel Shika's eyes boring into his skin. She's still so kind. And she shows it to everyone, even people that others would never think...like No-Face. Who else would have done that?

Is this what Zeniiba and Kamaji keep referring to? Is love just this kindness?

"I'm thinking about the war," Haku said carefully. "The Gate is what's keeping your memories locked away. I wonder if there's a way to get them back, other than destroying the barrier."

"Do you think it should be destroyed?" Chihiro asked.

"Don't you want to get those memories back?" Shika asked in surprise.

"Don't you think spirits ought to be protected from humans?" Chihiro replied.

"Think about the people you met today," Shika argued. "They've lived in harmony with kami for thousands of years. Is it fair to take that away from them?"

"But not all humans are like that. In fact, most aren't, and you can't deny that we've been responsible for a huge amount of destruction on this planet."

The door opened again. "Chihiro!" Suzume called. "Your parents are on the phone."

Chihiro jumped up.

"Wait a second," Shika said. "Haku. If you don't tell her now, I will." Haku glared at him.

"What is it?" Chihiro said.

"She needs to know," Shika said.

Haku tried to say something angry to Shika. His mouth moved but nothing came out. He tried again. The moment stretched. When he finally could talk his voice was low and rough. "They say… they say you can end the war." Haku's eyes were closed and his hands were shaking. Chihiro stared at him.

"The spirit world needs you, Chihiro," Shika said. "You can bring down the barrier. You can end Amaterasu's Sorrow."

"Chihiro!" Suzume called again.

Chihiro startled and ran to the house, leaving Haku alone with Shika and Risuni.

"Shika," Risuni said. "You can't be serious. Chihiro can't possibly-"

"Zeniiba believes she can," Shika said quietly. "We need her."

"But-"

"I know it sounds incredible. But once you hear her story, you realize that she is incredible."

"She is still only a girl, Shika."

Chihiro's voice cut through the air, interrupting Risuni's protest.

"Dad! How's Mom?" There was a pause. "That's great!" Pause. "What? Tokyo?" Pause. "As soon as possible?"

By now, the three sitting outside were staring at the house, frozen, straining to catch her words.

"Dad, I can't," Chihiro said. "I've gotta do something here first." A long pause. "I have to help a friend out. No, it's okay. Really." There was the sound of muttering.

Suzume's voice took over. "Akio," she said soothingly. "I have a suggestion. Listen. How about you and Yuuki come and join Chihiro here when Yuuki is feeling up to it? It's no trouble to us here, and it'll save you from paying for hotel space."

"Yes, of course." Pause. "It really is no trouble at all." Pause. "Yes, and there's a local high school here that the girls can attend temporarily until everything is sorted out."

"It's settled then?" The eavesdroppers breathed three identical sighs of relief. "Next week? Great. We'll get everything ready for you here." Pause. "It's no problem, Akio. Don't worry about it. Do you want to talk to Chihiro again?" The talking paused as the phone changed hands.

"I'm sure, Dad. I'll be fine. This is really important to me..."

"Her parents are going to be here next week," Shika said in a low voice. "What are they going to say if she's not here? You can't put this off anymore, Haku."

"I know," Haku said. His voice was still hoarse.

Shika mumbled something back, but shook his head when Risuni shot him a questioning look.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Chihiro?"

"A chance to end this war? We've seen the destruction. We've been a part of it. How could I not take the chance?"

"But it could be dangerous!" Risuni protested.

"I know."

"Couldn't someone else do it?"

"No," Chihiro said. "You saw how conflicted Haku was. He knows it's dangerous, and he doesn't want me to do it. If there was another option, he wouldn't have told me about it at all. He almost didn't say anything. And," she added," I would never forgive myself if I could have, and didn't. I trust him. It's strange. I don't consciously know him very well, but I can feel that he knows me and cares about me, and I don't know why. What could I possibly have done that makes him care like this, and why can't he tell me?"

They both knew there was no answer to this, and Chihiro expected no answer, but still she needed Risuni to know of these thoughts. There were no answers to be offered, only comfort.

They had talked late into the night. Risuni would not go, to her parents' relief. Chihiro would have two guides - Haku and Shika – to take her to the palace. Another human, even one with spirit blood, would only attract attention, and attention, Haku insisted, they could not afford. They had already attracted enough attention to the family and the village, evacuating through the spirit world the way they had. If only they could do what they had to do without anyone realizing until it was done - that would be best. Neither Haku nor Shika would specify what this was, for fear the wind would carry the words away.

The hope of this happening was not high, but it was all they had.

When Chihiro finally slept, it was fitful.

"I'm sorry, Haku. I shouldn't have pushed you into this."

"Don't worry; you haven't been the only one."

"I know. That makes it worse, though."

The mist billowed around them, but revealed nothing. There was only more mist behind the mist. The world had disappeared.

"I could lose her. What would you do, Shika, if it was Risuni on the line?"

"I did lose Risuni. At least, I had. It's only because of this stupid war that she's back at all. But we lose them all in the end. They grow up so fast and their lives are so short. Even more so, now. Most of the young people move to the city to find work. They are all still children in my mind. Even the ones that are gone."

"How can you bear it?"

"You've lived much longer than I. I should be asking you."

"I hid away when the humans stopped caring. I stopped caring. If she hadn't fallen into my river, I would never have noticed her. It's been eons since I've been so close to a human. I'd forgotten what it was like…"

A muffled and rhythmic creaking crept into the air around them. The opaque white mist faded and they emerged into the night at Swamp Bottom. A one-legged lamp bounced out of the trees towards them and bowed, inviting them to follow it into the forest. Silently, they did.

At the door, Shika bowed and bid them good-bye. The mist enveloped him as he walked away. Haku spoke to Zeniiba for a few moments, and then walked to the back of the house and through a paneled sliding door much like the one he had watched the girls walk through, not long ago. The moon shone onto the swamp. Its reflection in the spring mocked Haku. You can't protect her. You might've been a dragon once, but now you're just a weakling. Practically a human.

Haku stared into the water. "Please," he said. "I need to be myself again." And then he stepped into the spring.

Haku sat cross-legged on the shining surface of a pool; his palms lay face-down on the water at his sides. He closed his eyes and reached within himself with his mind, pulling out a thin silver strand. As he gathered it with his mind, liquid light spread from each palm and settled onto the surface of the spring around him like the reflection of a great moon. The light spread in ripples, with him at its center. Gradually, the water rose around him to surround him with a smooth wall, glistening and crystalline in the moonlight.

The spring filled Haku's consciousness. He saw the rocky bottom and the tiny creatures that lived in the cracks there. He tasted the minerals that were dissolved in the water, felt the bubbles from below the earth disturbing the spring at the fissures. He felt the moon's pull that caused the slight ebb of the tide.

And then his mind was filled with different images - not of the spring - but of his memories. Grasses the color of his hair lined the bottom of this water, and small fish swam among them. Crabs and the occasional turtle lived under the rocks. Leaves covered the surface, and then ice. It laughed as it skipped along and tripped down small waterfalls like a child, and it was so comfortable, so right.

The weight of loss pressed on him as he tried to raise the wall higher, but now his mind rejected his magical handling of the water. It was too like and too different from his river, the amber river which he had lost.

The water fought his control. It refused to obey. He tried again to force the water higher with his mind and to block out the memories, but he was tired, and grief swept over him and took away his willpower. Without it, he had no strength. The wall of water collapsed back into the pool with a splash, and the silver light dissipated. Haku opened his eyes to stand up again, and stumbled when his feet touched the bottom of the pool. The liquid no longer supported him. The water left his clothes as he went; it preferred to stay in the pool rather than to cling to this scornful master. He dragged himself back to a house and staggered through paneled doors to a darkened room. He lay on the bed, trembling with fatigue and remembering.

Thus Chihiro dreamt. Then dawn came, but unlike the other dreams, this dream did not fade.