Hello! Well, this is Chapter 12, and I think you will really like it. I hope. This will bring a whole new conflict. Sorry about that, but I watch soap operas, and they ALWAYS continue their stories forever and ever and ever... So yeah. Enjoy!

Chapter 12: Chihiro's Catch-22

Haku's POV

"Chihiro, wait!" I heard a woman's voice. I turned a corner and got a closer look, and I saw Yuuko, Chihiro's mother. She was panicking. I didn't see Chihiro with them, which was odd because she was the one who was supposed to be saving them.

"Yuuko! It's no use, she's gone. Let's just give her some time to think." That was her father. He placed a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her. Something did not seem right. I stopped them in the hallway, and I received an uncouth look from her father. He was mad. At me.

"Oh, so you're Haku!" He screamed in an angry tone, "You think that just because my daughter comes back here that you-" Yuuko stopped him. All I could think about what I did to piss him off. I hadn't done anything wrong to him. But he said Chihiro...

"We are just worried about Chihiro, that's all. Did you see where she went?" I was still dumbfounded to see them back. I thought Yubaba turned them into pigs.

"I-I thought she was saving you two from Yubaba." I replied. Akio still looked like he wanted to murder me. I didn't even know what I did wrong. Unless Chihiro told them...

"She did, but when we told her our plan to escape and return home, she ran off and…" The rest of her words were unknown to me. They wanted to leave? Why? And Chihiro ran away? That was why they running and calling for her. It was not turning out to be a good day.

Chihiro's POV

I ran. I would not stop until I was out of their sight. They wanted me to leave the one place I called home. How could they have done that to me? I told them I loved Haku and they still said no. Who were they to tell me what I could and could do? I was nineteen years old. They did not own me. I made it to the bridge outside. That place had so many memories. It was where I first met Haku. He took me in and saved me. I saved my parents on this bridge. No matter how much I hated them at that moment, I will never regret that. I just wished they understood me more. Even my mother didn't.

"Looks like someone is having a rough night." I turned around in shock. I thought I was the only one here. Instead, a black dragon, at least twenty feet tall, with glowing red eyes stood behind me. Her scales were all distinctive, every one of them. Her ears were larger than my body. Who was that?

"Um, who...who are you?" I asked, trying hard not to show fear. But looking at that beast? It was hard not to.

"Do not worry, Chihiro," The dragon said. It knows my name? "I am Kawazoe, a dragon spirit." She transformed into a beautiful woman, just about my age, maybe a little older. But she had raven black hair, the color of her dragon form.

"Well, if by 'rough day' you mean cleaning an oil-filled spirit, saving my parents from an evil sorcerer, and then having them try to control your life, then you are right about that." I sighed and stared at the train arriving at the station. If only Lin and I could take that train and leave, just like she said she would. I could live with Zeniba and No-Face. Surely they would take me in. And Haku? I woudl freely see him whenever I pleased.

"What if told you I know how to change everything? I could change your parents' mind, and you could be free to stay here." That got my attention.

"How? You would have to be the most powerful spirit in the Spirit World." I asked.

"Back where I came from," Kawazoe began, "there is a powerful spirit named Master Kazuma. He can do anything. He can grant any wish form anyone, even a human." I did not know what to do. Go with Kawazoe to see Kazuma and be with Haku forever, or stay and let my parents run my life for eternity.

Haku's POV

"Maybe she is outside on the bridge!" I yelled. Yuki, Akio, Yuuko, and I were running through the bathhouse to find Chihiro. If anything happened to her, I would never forgive myself. And if I let her down, Akio would surely make me regret it for the rest of my existence.

"What makes you so sure?" Akio asked. I was still on his bad side, and I wasn't entirely sure why. I was beginning to think Chihiro told them about the kiss. That would piss off any dad, especially since they didn't even know me.

"She loves the bridge. When she was here before, Chihiro would always go there." I said, "And it's where we first met." Akio looked at me with stern eyes. Chihiro had a very protective father.
"Well, for her sake, I hope you're right." He said. Oh, if Chihiro and I were together, we would get an earful from Akio. If only the Spirit World would allow such a thing. I knew if it wasn't a problem, the worlds would be out of balance. A spirit cannot be in the Human World for longer than a certain amount of time, depending on their power. And a human...if Chihiro and her parents were in the Spirit World longer than a couple weeks, things would change between them. They would begin to forget things, and they would become sick, something small like the common cold or a fever. Then, after a month, the Spirit World would reject them altogether. I did not want to see that happen to my Chihiro.

Which was another reason why we could not be together. The other was a little more complicated; if Chihiro ever spoke the words that meant she was in love with a spirit, she would suffer. The Spirit World had ways of making things stay in balance. I was not going to let that happen. And me kissing her was no help to that cause. We finally made it to the bridge. No one was in sight. I ran to the center of bridge. There was a small, black scale on the ground. The slimy coat had an odd familiar feel to me. I knew who it belonged to.

"Haku, look!" I turned around to see what Yuki was looking at. In the air was a dragon, the exact color of the scale. and on its back was her. My Chihiro.

"Is Chihiro on that?" Akio asked. I nodded.

"I know that dragon. It's Kawazoe, the demon spirit." I said. Yuki gasped. She knew what a demon spirit was. Yuuko and Akio didn't, but they knew what a demon was. My mind was racing. What had made Chihiro go off with a stranger. She had only been in the Spirit for one day, and was already leaving the safe haven of the bathhouse. Chihiro had only ever been to the bathhouse, the train, and Zeniba's. She had never gone anywhere that she knew she shouldn't have.

"Why would my little girl go with a demon spirit? From what I see, it looks like she is enjoying herself!"

"Kawazoe is one of the Dark Spirits. I feared Kage was one at first, until I realized who he was. Kawazoe is a master at tricking people. I feared the Dark Spirits would come after Chihiro."

"How would you have known?" Yuki asked.

"Because they know how important she is to us. They want something, and leverage is how they will get it. Yuki, get on!" I transformed into my dragon form, my light blue scales covering the flesh of my human form. Yuki climbed onto my back, holding tightly to my ivory horns. As I was about to start my flight, Yuuko stopped me.

"Please, bring my daughter back safely." She whispered. Yuki nodded for me and we set off. That was my intention, after all.

Chihiro's POV

Kawazoe was so kind. She was like Lin and Emi. She took me under her wing so I could get what I wanted. My parents were wrong. They didn't know what I wanted, what I knew was best for me. I could stay in the Spirit World. No one could me what I could and couldn't do. I made my own decisions, and I followed my own path.

"So who is this spirit? What is he like?" I asked, lying down on the dragon's back. The sky was lighting up. The sun was just coming up over the moutains, giving off its rays of life. They made me feel safe. I felt safe knowing Kawazoe and her master were with me, knowing they understood my feelings.

"Master Kazuma is one powerful spirit. He is very brave. Kazuma can do anything with his magic." She paused for a moment. "I do not know what he will say about me bringing you to him. He does not know you are coming, and dislikes uninvited guests, especially a human." I crossed my arms at the sound of that. Spirits always have hated humans, but I never saw the reason to. Not every human had a cold heart. I was, in fact, more like a spirit than a human.

"Someone is very judgmental," I replied, "who cares if I am human." I stared into the sky. It was so beautiful. The rays shone brightly, showing off around in the sky. They gave life to the worlds, and humans were too preoccupied with their daily life to notice the beauty of the earth. It seemed so strange that both worlds saw the stars, the moon, and the sun. Humans take advantage of these gifts. The spirits cared for nature a hundred times more than humans. They had a special connection with nature. I loved nature just as much as they did.

It was so hard to believe that even though we shared so much with the Spirit World, not many believed of its existence. It was so hard to believe Haku and I never saw each other for nine years. However, there was that one time at the river. When I was fifteen, my parents took me on a hiking trip. My mother was a fast climber, but it took my dad some time. As we set a campfire, I found a small river. It was so clean and pure. I felt there was something about it I was just in love with. I knew the river belonged to someone. A spirit. Haku. I had returned to the Kohaku River. For some reason, the river flowed out from there to under the apartments.

"Haku?" I whispered. I felt his presence. He was close to me. I could feel the river like it was own. I was connected to Haku in ways no one could understand. Not even parents understood. They had told me before spirits didn't exist, but I only played along. I knew the Spirit World was mine and mine only.

"Chihiro?" I heard a soft voice whisper my name. A teardrop appeared from my eyes and fell into his river. I looked everywhere for him, but he was only there through the river. My feet were being tangled by the water. He was trying to find me. Haku tried to tell me something, but nothing came out. He was inaudible, or I was unable to hear his voice, his beautifully safe voice. I would have stayed longer, but my mother called me, saying I would drown in that river like before. I never knew what he wanted to say.

"Kawazoe," I said, "will Master Kazuma…like me?"

"Trust me, Chihiro; he will enjoy your presence."

Yuki's POV

Haku was flying fast. He would not give up on Chihiro. He was fighting with his feelings, wondering whether to take his chances or play it safe. He did not want to lose her. Just like how Kage never wanted to lose me. I never thought how our problems where similar. The damsel in distress is missing, and the knight in shining armor comes to the rescue. If only I had not left, then I would have been with Kage for the rest of my life. He had a big heart, bigger than anyone I had ever known. He must look different now. When I first met Kage, he was at least half a foot taller than me. When I saw him at Aunt Yubaba's bathhouse, he was even shorter than Chihiro.

I remembered the last few days perfectly. Kage was away on a mission, and he allowed me to stay in the fortress. I had only met him a few months before that, and we were already changing our relationship. I walking into the town he lived near. Everyone knew who he was, and thye praised him for guarding them whenever demon spirits came. He was their savior.

I wanted to surprise him with a romantic candlelight dinner for when he returned home from traveling, and I needed the fresh air. I was entering the library because I had finished my shopping and was in need of a new book to read. That was when I heard them, talking about me. Two girls walking passed the library. Kage didn't show me around the town, so they didn't know who I was. They only saw me the first I arrived.

"Have you seen that girl that Kage took in?" One said.

"Yes, she looks like a peasant girl to me. No one knows where she's even from."

"I heard that Kage is even in love with her, that when he returns he is going to marry her! It just seems so wrong. He should marry someone who has potential and can live up to his expectations." I was staggered. Did the spirits actually believe that? I was an embarrassment, I thought. I was embarrassed for him. I was never able to live up to my mother's status, so I ran away from home. Finding Kage had been the greatest thing that had ever happened to me. But that moment, I felt like it was all a big mistake.

I ran back to his fortress. Kage was away and would not return home for days. I had to leave, return home and ask my mother to take me back in. I thought he only loved me because he felt sorry for me. I grabbed an ink pen and paper and wrote:

Dear Kage,

I cannot stay. You have been so generous and kind to me, and I thank you for that. But I do not belong here. You are a powerful river spirit and I am nothing compared to you. You deserve someone better than me, someone with potential. I will always love you, but we were not meant to be together.

Love, Yuki

It was the hardest thing I ever had to do. But I did not have to. I was forced to by my deranged mind, believing in what others think of me. That was the moment I regretted most. I never wanted to leave. It was those stupid girls. It was them that made me leave.

"Haku," I said, "You lied to Chihiro's parents. I know you did. Ever spirit knows what the Dark Spirits are after. You know they are just using her to get to you? They want you to be the one to…kill her."

CRAZY ENDING! If anything is confusing, just ask me. But now we know the story behind Yuki and Kage! How will they come together? How will Haku and Chihiro come together? What do the Dark Spirits want with Chihiro, and why do they want her dead? Please review

Anabelle ;)