Disclamer: I do not own Spirited Away

Author's Note: yay! sorry this chapter took a bit longer to get up than the others did. I had to go to orientation yesterday so i didn't have time to write. anyways, chocolate chip muffins to Draechaeli, Carapheonix, Kute Anime Kitty, and Mokana-chan for your reviews!

-----------------------------------------------------------
Links
Chapter 5

The old river spirit looked fondly at the sleeping boy by his riverside. He is just like Beiju. Zhihui sighed. The boy had been waiting for him for a whole month. He must really love her. Zhihui touched Haku gently on the shoulder and the young man woke up with a start. On seeing Zhihui, Haku jumped to his feet and bowed respectfully to the old river spirit. "Please sir, teach me what I need to know."

Zhihui looked at Haku with remorseful eyes. "Let me tell you a story Kohaku. After my story, you can decide if you still want to find her."

Haku found himself again astonished at how much Zhihui knows. "Forgive me for interrupting sir, but could you tell me how you know so much about me?"

The old river spirit smiled kindly at Haku. "Young one, there is an old magic that connects us all. If you just listen to it, it will tell you all you need to know." Haku nodded slowly as the river spirit went on. "I once knew a young man just like you. He fell in love with a human girl and went after her to the human world. The only problem is, for a spirit to travel to the human world, he needs to accumulate enough magic to project a physical form for himself. It took him ten years to find enough magic. However, he did not understand the magic. Without a link to the girl, he was lost in the human world. And because he didn't understand the magic, the magic that he had spent so many years gathering soon dwindled away to nothing. Without his magic, he lost his physical form and was too weak even to return back to the Spirit World. All that's left of him is the faint echo of his soul that still blows in the human world today, a ghost of memories long past."

Haku looked up at Zhihui and found that he had tears in his eyes. "You were close to him weren't you?"

Zhihui looked back at him with an imploring gaze. "Don't make his mistake Kohaku."

Haku glanced at his feet, unwilling to give up his promise of seeing Chihiro again. "Is the young man you talk about Beiju?"

Zhihui only nodded as tears streamed silently down his wrinkled old face. After a long silence, the old river spirit said in a bare whisper, "Did you know Kohaku, that both you and Beiju are my children? Your rivers both originated from mine."

Haku didn't know what to say. He knew that all rivers originated from others and that Zhihui is one of the oldest rivers but Zhihui's words still shocked him.

"Do you know what that means Kohaku?" The old river spirit continued. "It means that you too can travel to the human world if you can accumulate enough magic. But don't choose that unless you are certain that you can fully understand and control it."

Haku looked up sharply at Zhihui's words. "Does this, does this mean you will teach me how to get to the human world?"

Zhihui got up and walked towards his river. Shaking his head in disappointment, he said "Come back in a week, I will be ready for you then."

Haku bowed deeply as the spirit of the Zhihui river disappeared into the raging waters.

-----------------------------------------------------------

A/N: yay! did u notice that this chap was a bit longer? hope you liked! review plz!