Okay, this went far from my original plan, but I guess it works. Something I've been trying to include has decided to write itself in, at least.

I wasn't sure what was going on. Why hadn't I asked Haku about what Kamajii had told me? I hadn't been able to stop thinking about it, then as soon as I saw him, it had faded from my memory. Why was it only coming back now? I shifted uncomfortably, unaware of how much noise I was making until he put his hand on my head, a light laugh in his voice.

"What's wrong with you tonight?"

I shook my head, trying to keep the story from slipping away again. I gulped, deciding to just blurt it out. I also thought it'd be best to keep Kamajii out of it.

"Lin told me about a worker you frightened," I almost added, 'and probably slept with', but decided it'd be best to hear that part from him.

"You're talking about Airisu," he sighed again. "I don't know what happened. One minute, she was pouring me tea, the next, I was waking up in the infirmary with ripped-up clothes and she'd disappeared."

I thought about what Lin had told me, about how Haku had been moody and short-tempered after I left. Could what had happened with Airisu also be connected?

"I do remember one thing, though," he continued. "I wasn't in the best mood when she showed up."

"A few people told me you were pretty unstable for a while after I left," I waited for his reaction. He bit his lip, looking nervous.

"I don't remember much," he admitted. "But you're right, I wasn't myself."

I knew he was lying, or at least not telling the whole story. I realized his hand hadn't left my head, and that his fingers had started to slip through my hair. Lin had been braiding it for me every day lately, saying it would help. Help what, though, I had no clue. I felt his hand stop at the hair tie, stroke it briefly like he was thinking about something.

"I've never felt like this before," his voice was low, like he didn't want me hearing. "Why'd it have to be now, of all times…"

It didn't take me long to realize what he was talking about. After my first trip to the spirit world, I'd read everything I could get my hands on about spirits; how many kinds there were, famous ones, which ones to steer clear of. Not surprisingly, my favorite subject had been dragons. They were elementals, spirits of nature. Water dragons were silver and teal like Haku. Air was light purple and white, earth was green and brown and fire was orange and red. They all had the power to fly and shift into a human form, though most of them preferred to stay dragons. Also like Haku, their human forms were incredibly beautiful. (Don't tell him I said that.)

Another thing I'd learned about was their mating seasons. Air had fall, fire had spring, earth had summer. Water, of course, had winter. I'd heard somewhere it was more related to temperature than the season itself. Rarely, two different elements would mate, and their children were usually more powerful than their pure counterparts. Winter was getting closer, which I thought helped explain Haku's behavior. Normally, dragons are calm, peaceful creatures, but it's a different story for some of them once their season rolls around. If they've never mated, or the one they chose isn't around for some reason, they get short-tempered and volatile, especially when they're mixed.

Haku grabbed my braid, tugging my head back. He had the same look in his eyes that he did every time we'd been alone lately; needy, impatient, almost mindless with lust. My body heated at the thought of his lust being directed at me, though the rational part of my brain was terrified. I mean, technically, I'd already slept with him, since Khan had been part of him, but the thought of having sex with Haku himself? I don't know why, but it scared me.

"Chihiro?"

I blinked. Haku had been staring at me this whole time, bent over in his chair with his face barely an inch from mine. I swallowed, my insides clenching at the thought of what he could do to me. I bit my lip, hoping he wouldn't take my hesitation as rejection.

"I'm new to this, too," he whispered. He leaned closer, brushing his lips against mine. "There's no need to be scared."

"I'm not," I said. "It's just…"

"Just what?" he licked my ear, then nipped it. I squirmed, not because it was uncomfortable, but because I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Sure, mating seasons might have explained part of Haku's problem, but that didn't explain the rest of the year. I gulped, backing away so I could clear my head.

"Something happened to you after I left," I said simply. "I want to know what."

He looked desperately at me, his eyes clouding over like he was in some kind of trance. He started breathing faster, his hands trembling.

"P-Please, Chihiro," he swallowed. His voice had gotten deeper, and a little raspy. "Please just come back here. I-I can't…"

His words were swallowed by a growl. The next thing I knew, he'd shifted to his dragon form, staring at me like he'd just found his next meal. I covered my mouth with my hands, holding back the scream clawing at my throat. I risked a glance behind me; if I could distract him somehow, I'd probably be able to make a break for it. He flew in front of me, baring his teeth. They gleamed wickedly in the firelight, sharper than knives. Escaping to the hallway wouldn't be an option. Then, just as quickly as he'd transformed, he'd changed back, watching me with that lustful, terrified stare.

"Don't go," he was begging. Sweat dripped down his face, his teeth and nails still inhumanly sharp. I couldn't tell what I was more afraid of; the fact he was acting crazy, or the fact neither of us seemed to know why he was acting crazy. I gulped, taking a deep breath before approaching him. He seemed to calm down the closer I got, though he still looked like he was stuck in mid-transformation. His hair was longer, shaggy, his eyes wide and lizard-like. He was unusually cold when I touched his cheek, his hand going up to cover mine.

"I'm sorry I scared you," his voice was back to normal. He leaned forward to kiss me, carefully since his teeth were still razors. "I never mean to."

I took his shoulders, making him look at me. I put on my coldest mask, which must've been pretty good. He actually wilted under my stare.

"Haku, unless you want me to leave and never come back, I suggest you tell me what's going on with you, and I mean now."

For a long moment, he held my gaze, then abruptly looked away. When he looked back, he was glaring at me.

"You think I haven't spent the last eight years trying to figure that out?" he asked angrily. "That it might be half the reason I 'm going insane in the first place?"

It was my turn to wilt when I realized how unfair I was being, Of course he would've spent all this time trying to find an answer, or at least some way to stop it. I took my hands off his shoulders, stepping back.

"You're right, I'm sorry, Haku," I said lowly. "It wasn't my place to speak out."

"No, I understand how frustrating this is, never knowing when I might fly off the handle…"

He ran a hand through my hair. When had he loosened it? He tilted my head back, again pinning me with that lustful stare.

"Let's forget about it," he whispered. "At least for tonight."

Any protests I might have had died the second he kissed me. His teeth and nails still had the slightest edge, but the faint scratching on my skin only helped to increase the feelings. I put my hands on his shoulders again, massaging gently while pushing his sleeves out of the way. He was a little cooler than normal, but his touch still heated me to my very core.

"Oh, Haku…"

I gasped lightly when my back hit the desk, his gorgeous face looming over me. Even with his back to the fire, his eyes were burning, almost glowing. He leaned down again, burying his face in my neck, licking up slowly from my collarbone to my ear.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to do this," he whispered, nipping my ear lobe. I shuddered, unable to tell if it was passion or fear. His voice was different again, not gravelly, but definitely deeper.

"Haku, please," I put my hands on his chest. It was like pushing a brick wall. He kept going, licking, biting and kissing every inch of me he could reach. "P-Please stop…"

His hands tightened on my arms, his nails digging in. He lifted his head from my neck, the lightest layer of blood on his lips.

"You asked for this," he growled at me. He kissed me again, his tongue forcing its way past my lips. But this wasn't the hot, loving caress from before. It felt more like he was dominating me, claiming me as his property. This thought solidified itself when he grabbed my breast, his claws tearing through the cloth of my dress. "You don't have any right to make me stop."

It still amazed me how strong he was, I might as well have been a sheet of rice paper. It shouldn't have, though, since male dragons are known for their strength. He threw me at the curtain that led to Boh's room, the cloth tearing and sending me sprawling. Boh was awake by this point, clutching his stuffed toy in a death grip.

"Chihiro," he cried. He jumped from bed, cowering behind me. "What's wrong with Haku?"

I wrapped my arms around him, holding him tightly as Haku approached us, looking like he'd just found the man who had killed his mother. His hair and clothes were billowing from an invisible wind, a column of fire staring to swirl around him. His eyes were once more a dragon's, his teeth and claws gleaming knives. He kept coming closer, growling furiously.

"I said stop!"

I threw out my hand, as if I could stop him. The moment I did, a blinding flash of light escaped, slamming into him and throwing him back. He crashed on top of the desk, smashing it to pieces. Boh and I sat there, panting and staring at my hand. My palm was smoking, the skin as white as it always was. Boh stared at me, the terror never leaving his eyes.

"Chihiro…what did you do?"

I wish I knew.

I realized something while working on this chapter. I've written several stories for each of my other fandoms, whether I finished them or not. Spirited Away was pretty much my first fandom, yet I've still only written this one story for it. Weird. :/

Also, and this is probably because I've been watching Marvel anime all night, but I got an idea for a story that follows Haku and Chihiro's kids or grandkids meeting up in the human world with Blade and Wolverine. What would you guys think of that?