CHAPTER 10

I FINALLY FOUND YOU

Chihiro continued running through the dead forest driven by 1 thought. Haku was in this forest somewhere and he was still alive, it was like there was something pulling her forward, she couldnt explain it but she just knew that the way she was running was leading her to Haku.

It was like Haku was calling out to her heart just showing her the way towards him. She kept on running, tripping and stumbling along the ground; her clothes kept on getting snagged by the dead trees and branches, she also got scratched on the dead plantlife but still she kept running. She knew that Haku was here and she knew that she was going to find him even if it killed her.

She kept on running until the pain in her side was so bad that she tripped and fell on the ground and just layed there gasping for breath. She couldn't move from that spot, her legs felt like lead, and she felt as though her lungs had popped. The night was pushing in all around her as though it was clothing her in darkness. The dark was almost sufficating to her.

She finally was able to push herself up on her knees and look around her; not much to see, she could hardly see her hand in front of her face. There was no way that a normal person could possibly know where to go in this dead forest, but Chihiro just knew which way that Haku was. She got to her feet and continued running ahead of her, left... then right... then left again.

It made no sense but it was as if she had taken this road hundreds of times before. She kept on going when the full moon came out from behind a cloud and everything was bathed in moonlight. She could see much better compared and in the this creepy light she kept on running until finally she saw a clearing up ahead.

She made her way to the clearing and looked around; she'd seen this clearing before in that terrible nightmare. She looked ahead and there bound to the tree... was Haku.

"Haku," she whispered and then she yelled out "HAKU!" She then ran as though she never ran before and her arms were wrapped around his neck. "Kohaku River," she said as tears were running down her her face.

Haku stirred and opened his eyes at the sound of his real name. He raised his head and looked at the person right next to him, hugging him tightly and crying.

"Chihiro?" he whispered in a weak voice.

Chihiro stopped crying and leaned her head back to look into Haku's face. He eyes, his beautiful green eyes, were looking straight back at her.

"Haku, you're alive," she said as more tears fell from her own eyes. She almost couldn't believe it and for a sec she thought that this was another dream; but as she looked at Haku's face she knew that it wasn't just a dream. For a moment they just stared at each other's faces and didn't say a thing, until finally Chihiro came back to her senses and started to pull on the vines that were holding Haku here.

"Haku," she said. "Why are you here in a place like this?" as she pulled.

"Chihiro I dont have time to explain," he said weakly. "Listen you have to get out of here."

Chihiro stopped pulling on the vines and looked at him. "After all the trouble of getting here?" she asked.

"Listen you will be in danger if you remain here."

"Well I'm not leaving you here. I'm not going unless you're with me. You need help you're in bad shape just look at these injuries."

"Chihiro listen I need to tell you..." but as he said that he started coughing up blood.

"Haku, you listen, I'm not leaving without you. I'll get you out of here and then you can talk later." But the vines weren't moving. She might have been trying to break chains for all the good it was doing. She looked on the ground trying to find something that could cut the vines with... and she spotted a shape rock a few feet away.

She snatched it and began cutting away at the thick vines; and after a few minutes she was able to cut through one. She looked at Haku and saw that he must have passed out, she gritted her teeth and started hacking away at the other vines. She must have been working for a least half an hour and she only cut away a few of them away. At this rate it might take the rest of the night.

But still she kept working, she was not going to leave Haku in this forest for one more day, she didn't know how long he was going to last here. Finally when the sun began to rise she cut the last vine and Haku fell right into her arms, she layed his head in her lap.

"Haku," she said as she held him. He didn't say a word, he was still out of it. Chihiro continued to hold him for a minute before she looked around her trying to figure out what to do now. She got Haku... but now what? How was she going to get him out of here? She didn't know the way anymore, and the way he was in it didn't look like he should move around much.

She came all this way to save him but didn't know what to do to help him. She had to stay calm though. Maybe when he wakes up he could tell her what to do.

"Kohaku River," she whispered into his ear. And once again he opened his eyes and looked up at her in surprise.

"You really are here," he said quietly. "It wasn't a dream."

"Yes, I'm really here," she replied as she smiled through her tears. "Haku, I got those vines off you. But now what do I do? How do I get you out of here?"

"Chihiro forget about me and leave."

Chihiro felt as though her heart was just squeezed. "Haku, I dont understand whats happening."

"Chihiro if you stay here you could die... he'll kill you too."

"He? Who's he? And why does he want to kill you? or me?"

"His name... is... Doku," but as he said that he once again blacked out.

"Haku! Haku please wake up! Who's Doku?"

But at that very moment she heard a terrible noise behind her. The very noise she heard in the nightmare.

"I'm Doku," said a voice behind her.

Chihiro turned her head slowly to that terrible voice and saw... her nightmare made real.