A/N: No, I didn't forget about this fic. I just lost the Spirited Away. Now it's back, baby! And I am determined to finish it. I only have a couple of chapters left. So, please read and enjoy.


Falling.

...Falling.

Surrounded by glittering stars and scales and tears.

The night air blows along my face, through my hair. It's cool against the flushed warmth of my face.

I'm falling, but I'm not afraid. I feel your hand in mine, gripping tightly. As long as that hand holds mine, I'm safe. I've always been safe with you.

Your mouth moves and words spill from your mouth as your beautiful green eyes glisten with tears threatening to spill. I've saved you by remembering your name. I've saved you, just as you had saved me.

And in that moment, despite the youth of my heart, I knew that you were more than a rescuer. More than a friend. No. You were part of my being . . . my soul . . . The one that I will love.

Kohaku . . .

...Haku . . .

"HAKU!"

Chapter 12: Day Four

She screamed as she sat straight up in the bed. Haku. Last night. So much confusion. Memories flooded her from the party. Chills went down her spine as she recalled the sight of fallen bodies, including her parents, dead to the ground, but not completely gone. Her heart leapt as she remembered the sleek white dragon turned his large green eyes on her.

Haku. However impossible it was, Haku was a dragon. Not only a dragon, but the one from her story. It was like he jumped from the very pages of her novel.

She looked around the room, now that it was finally coming into focus. The surroundings didn't look familiar to her. However, it she began to recognize it. It reeked "hospital."

Suddenly, a nurse and an orderly rushed into the room. The orderly moved closer to Chihiro, placing massive hands on her shoulder. She tried to get away, but he held her firmly.

"Where's Haku!" She yelled at him

The large man shook his head, clearly not knowing what she was talking about. The nurse took the opportunity to step in.

"Ms. Ogina, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down." The woman said with a kindly voice that would normally put Chihiro at ease, "You've been through quite an ordeal–"

Chihiro didn't care what kind of ordeal she'd been through. All she wanted was for her question to be answered. No amount of pacifying would change her mind.

"Where's Haku?" she demanded angrily at the pair

The nurse and orderly cast confused glances at each other. Both knew who Haku was, but only from the young woman's famous books. Perhaps, the girl bumped her head in all the chaos at the club?

"Don't look at me like that! He was at the party with us!" Chihiro's voice moved from angry to livid quickly.

"There was another survivor of the attack, or whatever it was. A young man." The nurse said in a low tone

Chihiro stiffened underneath the big man's hold. She swatted at those overlarge hands until he finally let her go. Once free, she sat up in the hospital bed, on her knees.

"That's him! Where is he? I have to know if he's alright."

The police ordered them not to tell the girl for now about the only other person who'd come from that party unharmed by the sudden illness that attacked the town. Considering Ogina's reaction, neither the nurse nor the orderly could blame them.

"Ma'am, you really must–"

"Just tell me." Chihiro said, looking terrified.

That sad look was more than enough to break the nurse's resolve. The girl wanted to know, then she would be told. Obviously it was of the utmost importance.

"He's been taking away, Ms. Ogina. I don't know all the details, but I heard that he was ranting about something . . . well . . . something impossible. Something insane. So . . . the police took him to the Nakamura Institution."

Chihiro's stomach fell away. They took Haku to the nuthouse. The only person that could save them all was locked away. Oh no!

"I have to go to him!" she started climbing out of the bed

"Wait, you haven't gotten a clean bill of health as of yet." The nurse complained, holding up hands to stop her.

"Please, it's really important." Chihiro pleaded.

No one could say "no" to the look on her face. She looked sweet and innocent. In that moment, both of the hospital staffers hearts just melted.

"Alright." The nurse grabbed Chihiro's folded dress, handing it to its owner, "Here is your dress. Your shoes are under the chair."

Chihiro nodded. As soon as the others left the room, she rushed to get dressed. Before she slipped it on, she noticed a glimmering purple thing on the inside of the dress. She pulled it out.

"How'd that get in there?"

Her purple barrette that she'd forgotten about for so long was back yet again. She wondered if it had been there the entire time. Odd. Well, since it was there, she used it to tie back her long hair.

Once dressed, she put on her shoes. She pushed all of the fears rising in her mind out. Right now, she'd have to be brave. It was the only way to save Haku and everyone else.


Delicious souls. So many. And with that pesky dragon out of the way, he'd have his fill before the last day came. When could he have another chance, after all?

Like a deadly storm, the SpiritEater feasted over the country side. Deadly calm bodies lay in his path, dropping one by one by one. Silly humans still tried to help them, but what good could come from it. So very silly.

Laughing, he continued his path. Still more to eat. Delicious . . . DELICIOUS!


He'd screamed all night. The staff had tried to sedate him, but for Haku, that was impossible. No matter how much they used, it did not work. Human medicines could not affect him in that manner, but it did prevent him from shape-shifting to his true form.

His mind often went to Chihiro. What had happened to her in his absence? Hopefully, she fled or was taken away before that bastard could snatch her soul. The thought paralyzed him with fear. If she'd been devoured, he'd never forgive himself. Never.


For a better part of an hour, she argued with the staff at Nakamura Institute. Was it such a crime to be able to see Haku? Not in her opinion. But the doctor kept telling her that Haku was too aggravated to see anyone right now.

Eventually, they caved. She stressed that she was the only one who could calm him down. They believed her. And in a way, it was true, or at least most likely.

The orderlies led Haku into the room allotted for visitation. As soon as she spotted him, tears trembled down Chihiro's cheeks. Haku, in turn, lit up. There was some hope left, after all.

Haku moved first, shrugging off the men holding his arms. He ran to Chihiro, cupping her sweet face between trembling hands, as though he feared she wasn't there. Moments later, he kissed the tears away then pressed his forehead to hers. Immediately, a sort of peace washed over him. Chihiro felt the same warmth.

"Haku . . . " she whispered with a tremble

He smiled, but it was tense. "I've been so worried." He closed his eyes as he felt her arms wrap around his waist

"Me too. I dreamed of you and woke up screaming." She sniffled, "I was so scared, especially when they wouldn't tell me where you were."

He nodded. His arms slid from her cheeks down her shoulders where he held her firmly. The pair stayed that way for a brief moment in time, just soaking up the other's presence and finding much needed solace there. But, eventually, it had to end.

"I must leave this place, otherwise–"

"The SpiritEater will eat everyone."

Haku nodded again. Before he could speak once more, he swallowed hard.

"Yes," he confirmed with words, "I must find a way to stop him, Chihiro. Everything is at stake." His voice suddenly trembled, "And it is my doing."

She shook her head. "It's not your fault, Haku. You didn't know this would happen."

"I should have suspected it."

She felt every bit of the guilt he felt from his words. It made her feel awful inside.

"If you want to blame yourself, you'll have to blame me, too." She said, sounding almost scolding.

He pulled back from her to give her a horrified stare. How could she say such things? It literally hurt him to hear.

Before he could say anything, she raised fingers to his lips. "I'm the one you made the bargain for, right? So, it's my fault, even more than yours."

"Never think something like that Chihiro. Never." He ran fingers through her hair, "I was being selfish, in a sense. I knew you would not remember me. You could have gone the whole of your life without me and had been fine . . . possibly better off, considering what is happening now.

"But I remembered you every day. Your face. Your smile. The sound of your voice. The few days that we spent together in my world wound up being my most treasured times, even more than my days as the spirit of the Kohaku river, when I was free.

"I could not have existed wondering what became of you. And even though you would not remember me, I made a promise to find out."

As his thumb rubbed her cheek, Chihiro had a flash of him holding her hand, leading her where she was supposed to go. She heard her childlike voice asking--no, begging–to see him again. He promised that he would. Now here he was.

"I remember." She murmured

That simple sentence made his heart thump hard. Just knowing she had that spark of memory pleased him to no end.

"I'm glad," was all he could say.

He gave her lips the briefest of kisses. Unfortunately, time did not allow them more than that. And it took a lot of willpower to pull away.

"I must fix what has gone wrong." He said as he pulled away from her, "How can I escape?"

She honestly didn't know. At least, not at first. The answer was as simple as the nose on her face.

"You're gonna walk out the front door." She said with determination.

That was so simple, he mused, that it might just work.