You'll get yo fluff when I give it to ya, nigga! So just be happy with what I'm given ya now! (Starts swinging a crowbar.)

Anyway! No disrespect but ya gotta wait for the fluff. I know you want it now but it's coming up real soon. And besides, there's a little fluff in this chapter…well depending on what your definition of fluff is. It ain't intense passion is what I'm trying to say.

Disclaimer: Sorry, I don't own Spirited Away. I have it on VHS though…but that's about it…

"Do you have any sevens?" Kuja asked impatiently, unable to sit still. He either twitched his leg or tapped on the table with his fingers every few seconds.

"Uh…." Rin said, as she diligently searched through her cards.

"Hurry up woman!" Kuja said, clenching his teeth.

"Is it this one? No…oh…wait…AHA!" Kuja got up from his seat and beamed his eyes. He was waiting quite a while for this. "Nope I don't have one!" She said cheerfully.

Kuja's face faulted (that thing where they face fall down on the floor and their legs twitch in the air? That's what I'm talking about).

He sighed deeply as he got back up.

"This thing is driving me nuts already! What is taking them so long?" Kuja said.

Chihiro plopped her eyes open. She was sitting back on a nice sofa. She, Kuja, and Rin, were waiting in the lobby of the palace in Bane City. Rin and Kuja played cards while Rio and Haku had gone to see the emperor. Chihiro tried to rest up a bit since there was nothing else to do.

"Just be patient. They'll be back soon. Don't worry!" Rin assured Kuja.

"Worried? Oh no, I'm not worried. I'm fed up! How long to they plan on making us wait!" Kuja said as he drove two fists onto the table.

"You know, he's got a point." Chihiro started. "It's been like an hour already since they left. You think we should check up on them?" Chihiro asked.

"I don't know. I haven't really gotten familiar with this area." Rin said. "But you could go right now anyway. The guards may just let you pass."

"Then I guess I'll go then!" Chihiro said as she stood up and started towards the double doors. Haku and Rio were led through there earlier so that must have been the way to the emperor's throne room.

"Now wait just a minute there!" Kuja said. "This place isn't exactly small you know. How will you find your way if you get lost?"

"I'll manage." Chihiro said cheerfully. With a wink and a smile, she left the lobby and entered the unknown…

She saw two doors and an elevator. By instinct, she went to the elevator. There were many buttons. She pressed the one that said 'top floor' and hoped it would lead to the emperor.

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"Got any twos?" Rin asked. Kuja's frustration started to grow as he gave up a card.

"Grrrr…why do you always win!" Kuja shouted. He threw his cards on the floor and sulked.

"Cause I can." Rin said cheerfully.

"Well, can you can't win?" Kuja said, wondering what he just blurted out without thinking.

"Well, if I can then I most certainly can't." Rin said, a bit confused by this logic but still cheerful.

"Good." Kuja said. His had frown disappeared until Rin added,

"Can't let you win that is!" Rin said, as she burst into laughter.

Kuja didn't like losing. He especially didn't like losing to a girl. He managed to get over it though when he caught a glimpse of her smile. This was the first time he had ever heard her laugh. She seemed a bit cold in the beginning but now he saw a different side of her.

"Want to play again?" She said. Kuja stared at her for a moment.

"Sure." He said, as a sweet smile swept across his face. Rin noticed his manner had changed. His smile grew wider and his eyes were locked on her face.

When she noticed it, she started to feel butterflies deep down inside. She blushed but tried to hide it by quickly shuffling the cards. It was, after all, her thought that love was for the weak…or, so she thought it was.

She blushed? Oh yeah! Thank the gods! We are making progress! Now if I could just speed things up a bit… Kuja thought, as he began to slide over to sit next to Rin. As soon as he started moving his hand in, though, he got another big black bruise.

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Chihiro walked through a long hall. It seemed endless. There were no doors on the sides, just a long hall. As she came to the end of the hall, she heard voices speaking. She then saw a door slightly ajar. She quietly sneaked up to it and tried to see who was talking. She then cupped her ears and listened carefully to what they said.

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In the throne room, Rio and Haku were just about to speak to the almighty Emperor Xu. He wasn't much to look at, but he was a pretty good ruler.

As a guard motioned for them to walk up, another guard put his axe in Haku's way and mumbled in a low voice.

"Only one may speak to the emperor at a time. You must wait here." Said the guard.

Rio noticed the guard and turned around to face Haku. "Haku, you can go back to the lobby if you want. I'll be alright." Rio said.

"Ok…I'll wait here for a while though. If it takes too long then I'll just go." Haku answered.

"Ok." Rio replied as he went up and bowed before the emperor.

After rising to his feet, the emperor spoke out to Rio.

"State your business, Sir."

"Your highness, my fellow companions and I need to enter the Ruins of Bane. It is a duty we must carry out." Rio answered.

"It is law that no one may freely enter. Why do you ask me this?" Replied Xu.

"Emperor, I'm sure you have found out that one of my companions is part of the Spirits Council. They have just as much power as you."

"Are you challenging me, boy?" Xu said as he raised an eyebrow.

"No, not at all. I am just pointing out that Haku is part of the Spirits Council and he was sent on this special mission to destroy Baba. Please…you must let us through." Rio urged the Xu.

"Well…" said the emperor as he scratched his head. "Why don't you tell me more about your situation? I need to know your current status and all other information if I am to let you in."

"Do you know about the human?" Rio asked as he wondered if this would hinder their getting passage.

"Yes."

"Does that offend you?" Rio asked.

"No. Now, tell me more of your mission." Xu asked.

As Rio explained the situation, Haku watched from afar. As he was trying to listen, he felt a hand on his back. Haku turned around quickly to find nothing.

He peered back into the hall and saw a man in a black robe go into a room. Haku followed him at jet speed. He tried to catch up as they passed through the many rooms and stairs but could not reach the mysterious man in a cloak.

Finally, the man stopped in a room they had come into. It was dreary and small. It had a door open, which led to a balcony. There was a cool breeze sweeping into the room, and an eerie feeling about the man. As the man in the dark cloak turned to face Haku, he threw a small trinket at him.

Haku caught a golden necklace and took a look at it. It was shaped into a willow. As he stared at it intently his eyes widened and his heart felt like it was going to drop.

Haku then looked up at the robed man in dread and wondered what had led him to follow that dark being. He regretted following the man.

"Tell me who are you!" Haku demanded. "Tell me now!" Haku shouted again, as he raised his voice higher.

The man put his hands on his hood to remove it.

"If this is what it has come to then I can only blame myself." The man said as he slowly removed his hood.

Haku gasped as he saw the man standing before him. He had long silver hair and familiar, piercing dark eyes. He was the same man in Haku's dreams. He was the same man who beat him every night he had a dream. He was his father, Kohaku. The man hadn't changed much since Haku saw him. He looked a few years older, but he hadn't really changed much other than that.

"Oh…how I've longed for this moment." Kohaku said, without any sign of emotion. "I have been watching you."

"You…" Haku got mad.

"MURDERER!" Haku screamed. "Let's go! Your blade and mine! Why did you even bother showing up?"

"Hmph. You still can't beat me with that power. You don't even know how to become a dragon yet." Kohaku said as he shook his.

"Tell me father! What possessed you to even come near me again!" Haku raged.

"You still haven't learned anything yet. I know I had led you into the wrong path when you were younger but by now you would have figured it out!"

"What are you saying, Father? That I'm still not good enough for you? That I'm still a weakling? What are you trying to tell me?" Haku shouted.

"I am trying to tell you that there is more to life than power!" Kohaku said.

"More to life than power? Give me a break. That has nothing to do with it. You know how mom died? Do you want to know exactly what happened?" Haku glared at his father violently, trying to search for some sign of emotion, but to no avail.

"Mother was trying to protect me from a gang of thieves. We took shelter in her garden but even there we were assaulted. I hid with mother in the willow, but before she was able to climb it, she was stabbed. As soon as they stabbed her, her body lay on the tree. They set the tree on fire and I was lucky enough to run off without being noticed." Haku took a short breath.

"I am to blame, Haku. There's no need for this." Kohaku said.

"When I found you, you were drinking and laughing as if nothing had happened!"

"How should have I known when I was out with my friends?"

"Your family comes first!" Haku said, but still no sign of emotion stirred in his father. "And friends you say? Ha! As soon as I saw you, I saw a man pierced deeply by your blade. It looked exactly like mother's death. It's as if you planned the whole thing! You killed both of us! You rejected me and threw me out as soon as she died! As soon as you beat me enough for satisfaction!" Haku cried out. He inhaled slowly and regained his composure.

"While you were in a drunken brawl killing your own friends, instead of doing your job and protecting others, your wife was killed, and your son was…" Haku stopped right there, feeling a slight twitch of memory unable to release itself.

Kohaku had kept a serious look in his face the whole time. Haku couldn't even manage to get him to blink.

"Every night I dream, I have nightmares about you. I feel like I've died after each nightmare. And I still feel the pain in my scars, even though they've disappeared. Now I'm an empty seed living for power. I don't have anything. I don't enjoy anything. Gaining power and becoming stronger is all I live for. And make no mistake…it's made me emptier every day…so it's not like you need to lecture me on things more to life then power." Haku said, as his anger died down a bit.

"Haku…" Kohaku started. At last, Kohaku started to show compassion in his eyes. "You may not know it but…I died along with you on that very day."

Haku's eyed widened with anger. He just couldn't let his anger go. It was too painful and too deep to let it go. At times, Haku wanted to let it go, but he couldn't.

"Why do you continue on like this, Haku?" Kohaku asked.

"Because…you raised me that way. Don't you remember? Like you said before, 'power is the only thing worth living for.' At least, that's how I remember it…along with all those scars you gave me…" Haku said, dropping his gaze to the floor.

"That has changed. Please, my son. I beg of you to forgive me for those sins I have done against you. I was wrong. Life was not about gaining power. You would throw away your life if you only invested it in such a thing. Anything of that nature is empty. Life can only be complete with…"

"I don't want to hear it!" Haku cut off his father. "I'm not your son. I don't need you to tell me anything about life. I know plenty." Haku started to get angrier. "I can't…I can't forgive you. You don't even have a heart inside you! When mom died you didn't even care!"

"Don't you ever say that…" Kohaku said, as his voice started to grow louder. "I loved Sen with everything I had. When she was taken away from me, I was left with nothing. I was to blind to see that I still had you, a part of her…but then…without Sen I turned into a different man. I don't know what possessed me to treat you the way I did…my anger must have taken over just as it has upon you."

"Lies! I hated you for every last one of them!" Haku screamed as he raised his fists to his sides. "Leave now! I swear on Mother's grave if I ever see your face again…I'll destroy you!"

"You dare…to…?" Kohaku was angered that his son would swear on his own mother's grave to kill her very husband. "Such blasphemy! Haku, you…cannot!" Kohaku calmed his fury and thought for a moment.

After a moment, he raised his arm and chanted some foreign dialect. Suddenly, Haku felt like a statue. He couldn't move, he couldn't fight, and he could barely talk.

"Haku, I see that you have fallen into deep water with your anger. Hopefully, you'll soon realize that you are not so empty as you say you are."

Just then, a door slammed open and Chihiro fell over. She was trying to lean on it a bit more but apparently leaned in too much.

"Uh…hi!" Chihiro said nervously. Haku's eyes flared up in anger at his father.

"And you say you feel empty? Open your eyes Haku." Kohaku said as he looked at the necklace Haku was holding. He noticed its new shimmer and smirked, as if he knew something or figured out something. Haku could barely speak but managed to say something.

"I don't understand. I still feel empty…even though…" Haku murmured, as he clenched his teeth tightly and became even angrier with his father for paralyzing him. Haku then felt his mother's necklace drop to the floor somehow, by some power.

"I'll leave you alone then. I guess it's my time to step out finally. But remember, if you need me at all, I'm still your father."

"No you aren't!" Haku barely managed to say.

Kohaku walked over to Haku and put his hand on his son's head. "My son…you'll understand soon enough. It can't be long now."

"NO! Stop!" Haku shouted.

Kohaku then slowly stepped back and quickly ran off the balcony. Chihiro ran to the balcony but he was gone. Then, with great speed, a dragon flew down below. It was long and snake-like. Its body was a silver color and had black hair. She awed at its sight.

"I HATE YOU!" Haku screamed, as the spell wore off. Haku ran to the balcony just in time to see the dragon but wasn't able to get a good glimpse of it.

"Uh…Haku?" Chihiro mumbled. She heard part of the whole conversation they had but was still a bit confused. "Your father cares about you. Why did you say you hate him?"

"Wouldn't you hate your father if…if…" Haku was so mad he couldn't finish his sentence.

"Aw…come on Haku. Don't get mad. Get glad!" Chihiro said, trying to brighten up his mood a little. "Here, you dropped this." Chihiro said as she pulled out the necklace.

"My mother's necklace…"

"Your mother loved willows didn't she?"

"Yes...she did." Haku said as he managed to calm his fury for a few moments. He took the necklace and stared down on it. "Mother. I'm sorry. I should watch my mouth.

"That man…no…that monster…he's ruined my life, mother. How could you love him? He's made my life a living nightmare. It's as if I was under a spell." Haku said in a whisper, while he stared at his necklace.

Chihiro blinked. She stared at Haku and tried to think of what she should say to encourage him. She couldn't come up with anything though, so she said something she shouldn't have.

"Look, Haku. The only reason why your life sucks is because you still hold anger towards your father. Why can't you just let it go already? I mean, he is your father. He deserves some respect you know." Chihiro then covered her mouth. She had just sassed her master. No more treats for her! (She had some on her way to the palace.)

Haku, as he was putting on his mother's necklace, started to glare at Chihiro. Now was the time to blow off his anger. Though, it was a bad place to do so.

"And what about your family Chihiro?" Haku said, cornering her at the edge of the balcony. She stared down behind her and thought for a second. The ground was almost sixty feet away.

Whoa. That's a long way to go. Darn…me and my big mouth. What should I do now?

Haku came closer to her and glared deeply into her eyes. She then started to shiver as the wind blew in.

"Uh, Haku…I'm a little too young for this you know…could you back off a little?" She pleaded.

"Oh, come on Chihiro! You're shivering. I just want to keep you warm." He said, slyly.

"Oh right! I was…thinking something else…" She said nervously.

"What? You were expecting a kiss?" He said as he closed almost all the space between himself and her. His anger could be suppressed no more.

"Well, it looks like it!" She said, laughing nervously. She felt his hot breath on her face and couldn't contain the fear anymore.

"Please don't hurt me!" She yelped as he grabbed her by the neck and threw her inside the room.

"You should really stay inside. You'll catch a cold." He said as he let his anger loose.

"Haku! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! Please!" She pleaded with him but he refused to listen. He began to slap her around the room until she blocked one of his slaps.

"You're going to regret that." Haku said coldly.

Chihiro managed to gather the strength up to face him and powered up.

"No, Haku. This time you have gone to far! You need some serious anger management! I'm not going to let you go on like this."

"Ha! What can you do? You have no clue about any of this!"

"I know enough to not just blow off my father like that!" Chihiro retorted.

"Father? You don't even have an idea how I was treated."

"Just be glad you have a father who's still alive and actually cares about you! My father died and now I wonder everyday what it would have been like if he were still here."

"Oh, too bad, so sad…lets hear more about this father of yours shall we? Did he beat you with a whip every time you couldn't do something right?"

"No! He was kind."

"Then what do you have to say now?"

"That he divorced my mother and made me feel like I wasn't important enough to stay with her!"

"Ha! And how did he die?" Haku said, keeping his anger visible but with an edge of attitude.

"I called him over to my house for a party. I knew he had been working really hard that week and he needed his rest but I called him over anyway. I begged him to come since it was a party for one of his friends, but then he got in a car accident."

Chihiro frowned and removed her hands from blocking Haku. She let them drop to her sides and thought for a moment.

Haku, still full of anger, was unable to see her depression and immediately attacked. She flew straight into the wall and banged her head. Her cheek was bruised from the punch, too.

"Is that all you got spec? You're not much for stories are you? I can tell your father was a real "abuser", always "treating you right". He probably got divorced after he got tired of your mom's cooking…oh, and he must have gotten tired of you too. He obviously didn't care about you at all. I mean who would?" Haku glared at Chihiro, giving a slight hint or a smirk, an evil one.

Suddenly, Chihiro burst into tears and ran towards Haku. With all her strength, she plunged her head into Haku's stomach.

"You jerk! My father loved me! Just like your father loves you!"

Trying to catch his breath, Haku laid flat on the floor. After he caught his breath and stood up, Chihiro started to slap him around.

"You're too blind to see it, Haku!"

"You want to know something?" Haku asked, as they were locked in hand-to-hand combat. "The way I treated you…wasn't nearly as bad as he treated me."

"Huh?" Chihiro puzzled.

"He treated me ten times worse then the way I treat you. And that's no exaggeration. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into…" Haku put his hair up and turned his head so she could see a scar on his neck that was practically gone. "I got this one about ten years ago by a knife. I bled so much I almost died."

Chihiro gasped as he said that and jumped away from him. Their combat had stopped, and after a minute she regained her composure.

"Haku…if this is something you can't let go of…it's serious. What a horrible life it must be to live in constant anger. And if you can't let it go…then you need…"

"I don't need anything!" Haku cut her off. "I don't know why I took you all along for such an easy task."

"Haku…" Chihiro said. She was mad at him for acting so violent but was worried. "I can…"

"And why did you come! Look at you! A weak slave! You're worthless! I don't even need a slave. The only thing you're good for is for blowing off steam."

Chihiro was hurt, but then coated it with pure anger. She ran towards Haku and tried to drive a hard blow in his stomach with a fist. Haku grabbed both her arms so she kicked him in the shin. He felt pain and so let go her hands, letting her take a sock at his face.

Falling back into the floor, Haku got fed up and stood back up.

"That's it. You know what? I'm taking Baba down on my own. I don't need a sanction from the emperor, I don't need Rio, I don't need Kuja, or Rin, or anything or anyone!"

"Haku! How could you say something like that?"

"And I especially don't need you…Spec."

Chihiro breathed in as she was taken aback. With that, Haku jumped out the balcony and flew towards the ruins using his levitation spell.

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Reviews Corner:

Jeca: Hey gurl! So glad you reviewed! Hope you still like my story as you read more!

The Griminus: Thanx fer the reviewing! Do you want me to chase you down with a crowbar? Or are you gonna wait quietly for the fluff? (Starts swinging the crowbar then accidentally drops it on her foot) Ow! Ok! You'll get your fluff! I promise! Just let my foot heal for a moment… heehee I'm just playin wichu. just wanna let you know I will get the fluff in soon. But…how much fluff do you want? Tell me now cause the plot is closing to an end!

Tippy-chan: Yer mentioning me? In your story? WOW! (Eyes start to glow). Well, I updated, is this soon enough fer ya?

Fatlazicat: No…you spelled it right. Anyway thanx fer being such a faithful reviewer! Hope you like this chapter!

LadyRainStarDragon: It's still strong! Yay!

Ok, well that's about it for now! Thanks to every one for reviewing and I hope you like this chapter!

R&R! or else…grr…you see this crowbar? Huh? Answer me ya lil nigga! (heehee just playin around again! Don't mind my scary bold letters. They're harmless.)