Author's Note: Here's chapter 6 for those of you who have made it this far!
~~~
Haku could feel the bonds that held him being removed by the visitor. The blood began to flow steadily back into his arms and his legs, which had previously been restricted by the tight straps. It was an interesting sensation. While he was relieved to feel as though his mind and body were fully connected again, he also felt paralyzed by the fresh new wave of pain that overcame him as some of the comforting numbness that had been caused by the bonds faded. He cringed and tried to stand up, but fell back to his knees. He still hadn't opened his eyes.
"Come along, Mistress Yubaba doesn't have all day. She's a busy woman; you should know that. After all, you were essentially her right-hand man, her servant really, for years and years, weren't you?" drawled the voice of his visitor lazily.
At this, Haku's eyes flew open. He did his best to ignore the white-hot sting that tore across his head when the light greeted his tired eyes. He looked at his surroundings and noticed fleetingly that somehow, he was back at the bathhouse, even though he had been in the Dream World only three days before. He thought to himself that Yubaba's magic must have grown even stronger, since somehow she and her minions had made the long, difficult journey in only a matter of days.
"I was not her servant," he managed to spit out through clenched teeth after his moment of observation.
The visitor scoffed at this. "Oh, of course you weren't, how silly of me to assume…" he trailed off with a sarcastic sneer. Now that Haku's eyes were open, he could see that the person standing before him was a young man, perhaps two years older than he, with unruly light brown hair and cold blue eyes. The two young men had similar builds; both were tall, lean and looked well conditioned. The visitor continued, "Well, are you going to get up or not? If you're waiting for someone to pick you up and carry you, I'm afraid you're in for some disappointment." Haku stared up at him defiantly and pushed himself slowly to his feet. "I don't understand how anyone so weak ever could have lasted as Yubaba's apprentice," continued the visitor, "I mean, let's face it, Yubaba's lucky to have gotten rid of you. Especially now that I, Shen, have taken your place as her apprentice," he said with a smirk as he opened his arms wide and bent over in a mock bow. "Really, I'd say she got the better end of the bargain, wouldn't you?"
Haku looked at him with his face emotionless. He decided not to dignify the young man's question with an answer and instead stated, "I'm leaving."
This prompted a laugh from Shen, "Leave? You can hardly even stand, I sincerely doubt that you're going anywhere fast." Shen reached out and grabbed Haku roughly by the shoulders and began pushing him towards the door, "Anywhere except with me to see Yubaba, that is."
Haku attempted to squirm out of Shen's firm grasp, but to no avail. He was far too weak in his current state to even put up a good fight. Soon, he and Shen would arrive in Yubaba's office, where he would be forced to face his past. He had no doubt that it wouldn't be pretty.
~~~
Chihiro stood panting and gasping for air just outside the tunnel that led to the Spirit World. Her entire body was numb; a result of a combination of the cold, stinging rain striking her slim form mercilessly and the physical exertion she had put out while sprinting up the steep forest hill. She stared into the inky darkness of the tunnel before her. Her breathing quickened and her head began to throb.
"It's been so long…" she whispered to herself, "I can hardly even remember…"
It doesn't matter, he needs you, you know he does…she thought to herself.
"But he's strong, so much stronger than me. There's nothing I can do, without him, I'm lost," she cried out quietly.
And without you, he's lost. Go to him. Save him. He needs you now more than ever…
Chihiro fell to her knees and hugged her arms to her chest. She struggled with herself, drifting between determination and fear. She looked up to the sky, and could see the sun slipping ever closer to the horizon. It would be nightfall soon. She had to make a decision now, or it would be too late. Gradually, she began to stand. With a quiet resolve, she began walking towards the tunnel. She took one final deep breath and closed her eyes. She exhaled slowly, letting her body cleanse itself, and then plunged into the tunnel. She was running haphazardly with eyes closed and feet flying, and didn't stop until she felt the terrain beneath her change from the concrete of the tunnel, to the soft ground of a field.
She stood for a moment, and then opened her eyes and looked around herself in a mixture of shock and awe. Although she had been here in her dreams countless times, this was the first time she had been in the field physically in years. She bent down and placed a hand delicately on the ground beneath her. It was real. She could really feel it, not the way she felt it in her dreams, which was an illusion more than anything and never seemed truly authentic. Her breath caught in her throat as she nearly laughed in joy and surprise. She was there; she was really, truly, completely there. Body and mind, together. She felt tempted to remain in that spot, enjoying the feel of being in this place that felt something like a second home to her, but reminded herself that she had come there for a reason.
"I made it, Haku. I'm going to find you, I promise."
~~~
"My, you've grown up since I last saw you," Yubaba remarked tersely with something of a feigned maternal tone as she peered over her desk at Haku. "All those years, and you couldn't even be bothered to come back and see more, or, more importantly, reimburse me for giving you your freedom?!" Her voice rose steadily with every word, until she was on the verge of yelling.
Haku merely stared at her from his place kneeling on the floor in front of her desk. He hadn't even been allowed to sit in the chair that was only inches from his side. It wouldn't be fitting to allow a traitor such a comfort, they had said. Shen glared down at Haku and delivered a quick kick to his ribs, as if trying to prod the words out of him. Haku coughed when Shen's foot collided with his side, blood spilling out of his lips. He resisted the urge to clutch his right side.
Yubaba looked down at him with disgust apparent on her face. "Not even going to speak then? So stubborn, and so stupid. Well, if you aren't in the mood to chat, then you can just listen, you miserable little wretch. We have a contract, you and I, and thus far, you don't seem to be keeping up your end of the bargain. Now, you leave me in a rather…awkward situation. You see, my dear, I'm a businesswoman, an entrepreneur, if you will. I would like to believe that I am a patient woman, as well, though I'm sure most would disagree with me on that point," she laughed at this, as did Shen. Haku, however, did not find it amusing. "However, five years is an awfully long time to wait for payment, even for one as enduring as myself. I want you to complete your end of the bargain, NOW!" she bellowed the last word forcefully.
Haku remained un-phased, and replied, "I can't."
"You can't, or you won't?"
"Both; I can't, at the moment, and even if I could, I wouldn't."
"We have a deal, Haku, a deal that you will honor. You promised me that if I let you go free, that you would do me a favor. You promised that you would get rid of my dear," the word dripped from her mouth acidly, "Sister for me. For good. There's nothing in the Spirit World that I want more than to see Zeniba's demise. She's grown too powerful, and I want her to be stopped."
"I won't do it. I was young, it was a foolish promise to make. I wanted so badly to be free of you that I was blinded to the gravity of the bargain I was making. I won't kill Zeniba. She helped Chihiro, and she helped me, even after I stole her seal. She's a far better woman than you can ever even hope to be. Besides, your power is greater than mine, what makes you think I could succeed where you have failed? Are you still so afraid to face her that you'll send a boy in your place? You're pathetic," Haku replied smoothly, his face still giving nothing away.
Yubaba's features grew taut and she signaled something to Shen. Again, he delivered a firm kick to Haku's already weakened ribs. "No, I'm not afraid of Zeniba," she growled, but her brief moment of hesitation told Haku that her statement wasn't entirely true, "I have other reasons. This is a matter of stealth, not strength. You see, Zeniba trusts you now; she witnessed the deep bond that you felt with Sen, who she cares for greatly. She won't suspect anything when you go to visit her, and by the time she realizes something is amiss, you will have already transformed into a dragon and destroyed her. She doesn't think you'd do anything to hurt Sen, even if it is indirectly."
Yubaba took a sip from a delicate porcelain cup that sat on her desk. Haku noticed absently that little paintings of dragons adorned the sides while Yubaba continued, "It's quite a paradox, isn't it? In order for you to be with Sen, you had to make a deal with me to harm one of her close friends. And by killing Zeniba, you'll certainly make her sad, she may even end up hating you for it. Of course, if you don't do as I ask, you'll never get to see her again, which I have no doubt will also upset her. So which will it be? Either way, poor little Chihiro is bound to get her heart broken. It's tragic really," she cackled. Again, Shen echoed her laughter and the sound soon filled the room.
"I told you, I can't kill Zeniba. I'm prepared to face whatever punishment you have for me for breaking your contract. I'm not afraid," Haku said.
Yubaba sent him a sidelong glance and exhaled heavily through her nose, causing the steam rising from her cup to be blown towards Haku. "You can't kill Zeniba," she said, repeating Haku's statement thoughtfully. She studied him intently for a moment, until finally realization dawned on her, she gasped. "You can't kill Zeniba, because you've lost the power to take on your dragon form, haven't you? Yes, I can see it now, you're no longer capable of transforming, you've lost your power! That's-"
Haku cut her off with a piercing look of such potency that even he was caught off guard by it. He bit his lower lip and looked down at the floor, ashamed of his weakness. He still couldn't believe that he was longer able to transform. After he had pushed himself so hard to get to the Dream World in dragon form, his body had rejected any attempts he made to take it on later. After a while, he had completely neglected to even try to become a dragon anymore, as there was really no need for him to do so inside the land of dreams.
~~~
Chihiro was running again, through the sea of bright green grass, towards the city and the bathhouse. She was nearing exhaustion, but continued to push onwards. Her memories of Haku fueled her determination.
Flash. Haku was holding her hand, guiding her across a bridge full of spirits while she held her breath. Flash. They were soaring above the land together, through the serene night sky. Flash. She saw him again for the first time after she had left the Spirit World, and ran to his arms. Flash. Flash. Flash. The beautiful memories of their time together played over and over again in her mind, lifting the physical pain she felt, and replacing her feelings of doubt, fear and pain with the love she felt for him.
After what felt like mere moments, she had arrived at the bridge leading to the bathhouse. She wasn't sure if she would be remembered or not, so she decided it was best to hold her breath while crossing, just in case. She sucked in the air deeply and filled her lungs, ready to put her first foot on the bridge, when something stopped her. She let out the air in a quick gasp as the odd sight met her eyes.
The street outside the bathhouse was crawling with workers. Chihiro was positive they were the bathhouse employees and not customers. She recognized the outfits. What's going on? She wondered to herself, why aren't they preparing the bathhouse for the spirits? Something must be wrong, but I wonder wha-
Chihiro was snapped out her reverie when she heard a distinctly familiar voice yell "Hey, watch where you're going! I'm in a real bad mood and I don't feel like putting up with your-"
"Lin!" Chihiro cried, running across the bridge, completely forgetting to hold her breath in her excitement. "Lin, it's me, Chi- I mean, Sen! Lin!"
Amidst the surprised cries of "Human!" that escaped the lips of bathhouse workers, Lin whipped around to face the bridge. She saw the young girl running towards her and mumbled in disbelief, "Sen?" She stared for a second longer. She recognized the girl's excited face, her thick brown hair; she looked exactly like the Sen that Lin remembered, only now she was a young woman, not a little girl. "Sen!" Lin cried out, running towards that girl, "Sen, I can't believe it, you came back, I knew you would, I knew it!"
Chihiro and Lin reached each other and embraced happily. "Lin! I'm so happy to see you again," Chihiro cried out, tears clouding her vision.
"It's good to see you again too. I knew I'd see you again someday. You just couldn't stay away, could you?" Lin said with a quick laugh. "Wow, you sure have grown up."
"So have you, Lin," Chihiro replied, looking up at the young woman's matured features.
A circle of spectators had formed around the two girls. A few were staring with their mouths agape, others wearing looks of concentration as they tried to discern why the human girl looked so familiar. Lin looked around and replaced her happy smile with a sour look. "What are you all staring out?" she demanded, "Shouldn't you be doing something productive instead of standing around and gawking? Don't tell me none of you remember Sen. You know, Sen, S…E…N" she said, putting special emphasis on the name and spelling it out. She let out an exasperated sigh. "The girl with pigs for parents. Come on, you remember."
At this, a collective "Ah" of realization was emitted from the group. At once, they all began talking rapidly, and bombarded Chihiro with "welcome backs," excited comments and a wide array of questions.
Lin shouted above the dull roar of the crowd, "Hey, hey, give the girl some space!" Steadily, the noise quieted down, and Lin was able to lead Chihiro away from the crowd so they could talk without interruption.
"Why is everyone out here? Why aren't you in the bathhouse?" Chihiro inquired, glancing around.
Lin sighed deeply, stretching as she did. "Well, Sen, I'm afraid you aren't going to like what I have to say…you see, in the past few years…Yubaba, well, she's been even worse than usual lately. And now, well, the bathhouse is nearly in shambles. Just today, she came back from some sort of journey, and she kicked us all out. She says the bathhouse won't be open for a while, as she has some important business to attend to. So now, the old hag has forced all out on the streets. We don't what's going on."
"It's Haku," Chihiro whispered to herself more than Lin, staring up at the bathhouse, "she has Haku." Lin looked puzzled, but let Chihiro continue, "Lin, I need your help. Can you do me a big favor?" Lin nodded uncertainly, and Chihiro smiled at her, "I need you to find Zeniba and No Face for me, and bring them here."
Lin sputtered and creased her brow, "But Chihiro, why? And how? If I had train tickets, I would have left this dump a long time ago. How do you expect me to get all the way to Zeniba's house, and once I'm there, why do you think Zeniba would agree to go anywhere with me?"
Chihiro reached back behind her head, and removed the hair tie that held her hair in place. She shook her head softly, letting her hair fall down to frame her face. "Here, give this to the man on the train, and tell him that you have special permission from Zeniba to ride the train. I don't think he'll want to take the risk of getting on Zeniba's bad side. This little band is filled with Zeniba's magic, it should be easy to recognize for almost anyone. And once you get to Zeniba's house, just hand it to her, and tell her that Chihiro, that's my real name, needs her help at the bathhouse. Can you do that for me? Please?"
"Yes, of course, anything. I'll leave right now if you'd like me to."
"Yes, thank you Lin, thank you. I know this doesn't all make sense right now, but I'll explain everything when I see you again, alright?" Lin nodded her head and smiled. "Thanks you, Lin, you're a wonderful friend!" Chihiro threw her arms around Lin's neck in a quick hug and then took off running towards the doors of the bathhouse. She looked behind her as she ran, waving to a still somewhat stunned Lin.
Lin let out a loud sigh while clutched the hair tie in her hand and muttered to herself, "The things I put myself through…" After a final glance at Chihiro's retreating form, she started walking in the direction of the train tracks.
~~~
Chihiro was inside the deserted bathhouse now. It was eerie, seeing this place that was usually so full of life and color so desolate now. She ran to the elevator and pushed the panel that made it go up. It began ascending and she was relieved to find that it still worked properly. Chihiro put a hand on her forehead and closed her eyes, trying to compose herself so that she would be prepared to face whatever lied ahead. She was headed for Yubaba's office, where she was sure she would find Haku.
She shivered as she felt the elevator come to steady halt. Slowly, the doors slid open, and Chihiro peered out. She took an uncertain step out of the elevator, and gulped. The doors behind her began closing, causing her to cry out in surprise and stumble forward. She winced and chided herself for being so jumpy. As she began walking, she found that her footsteps echoed loudly on the floor of the deserted passageways. She decided to remove her shoes to lessen the impact. For some reason, she felt that it was of extreme importance that she not be heard.
Chihiro made her way through the doors and down the halls, until she arrived at the door she thought led to Yubaba's office. She pressed her ear against the door, trying desperately to hear what was going on inside. She heard mumbled voices on the other side of the door, but couldn't be sure who they belonged to. She leaned harder against the door, straining her ears to pick up the sound. As she pushed herself against the door more, it swung open under her weight, and she went tumbling headfirst into the room. She thudded to floor gracelessly and moaned in pain. Gasps of surprise left the mouths of three different people at the sight of the girl. Chihiro clutched her left wrist (which she had landed heavily on), and looked up.
"Chihiro…?" came a disbelieving male voice.
Her eyes met his, "Haku!" she breathed.
For a moment, time stood still.
~~~
Author's Note: Yay! Ok, so in the next chapter, be prepared for some Chihiro/Haku sap, since they'll be seeing each other for the first time in a while. You know you love the sap. Anyways, that's all I really have to say for now. Thanks again to my readers and please please please review, I like the feedback! I'll try to get the next chapter up really soon!