LadyRainStarDragon – hahaha, a tiny baby conscience. Not sure of that though…

WhiteWolf125 – ok, I wont take it personally even if you don't review, thank you for saying this fic is awesome, thank you.

A/N : Hmm, so far this fic has been going quite well, thank you to all reviewers and anyone who has taken time to read this fic, thank you.

Chapter 4 :

"No!" Taiki yelled as he landed heavily on bottom, "Ouch… where am I?"

Looking around at his surroundings, Taiki scratched his head and asked aloud, "Where am I?"

"You are in the Huamn World." A voice answered him.

Turning around sharply, Taiki shifted his weight onto his left leg, ready to jump if it was an enemy.

"Relax Nigihayami Taiki, I am an ally." The figure said softly.

"Who are you, how do you know my name?" Taiki said rapidly.

"I knew your parents, they were good friends of mine, especially your mother, she helped me about 20 years ago, saving me from oblivion and punishment, she showed me that life was not all about eating and greed, that there was goodness in everyone." The spirit said, lifting his face up to look at Taiki squarely.

"What is your name?" Taiki said as he narrowed his eyes in distrust.

"They called me Kaonashi, the one without a face."

Line Break

"So you have met the spirit called Kaonashi, what will you do now? Nigihayami Taiki. Will you reject his aid or accept it?" the God of Knowledge grinned as he watched the scene unfold below.

"God of Knowledge, is the spirit responding to the situation correctly?" the God of Death inquired.

"Yes, he is doing very well, thank you for allowing the rule to be bent and allow Kaonashi to return." The God of Knowledge nodded at him.

"In theory, he will never become alive again, this is but merely a shadow or a mirror of him in his previous life, no power, however strong can ever bring back the dead, the energy required will create too much tension on all the worlds." The God of Death said quickly.

"I know that, but, this spirit will cause the whole situation to become more… entertaining than ever…" the God of knowledge smirked as Taiki and Kaonashi shook hands.

Line Break

"So… Um, we're partners now right?" Taiki asked as they set off at a steady pace in no particular direction.

"I guess so."

"Then, could you tell me more about you, because…" Taiki paused, not knowing how to phrase his sentence.

"Because you don't trust me." Kaonashi completed it.

"If you want to put it that way, yes."

"That is understandable. But… I'm not sure who I am either…" Kaonashi said softly, rubbing his temple gently.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Taiki stopped suddenly.

"I can't remember anything… from before I met you… All I can remember is these 2 figures, a young man and woman, who were close to me, and this old lady, but I can never see their faces… " Kaonashi whispered in pain. "and the more I try to remember… Argh!" Kaonashi shouted as a bolt of pain shot through his head and he collapsed.

"Kaonashi!" Taiki shouted.

Line Break

"Taiki! Taiki! Where are you!" Chihiro shouted through the cottage, sweat dripping from her brows.

"Taiki! Where are you! Come out now!" Chihiro shouted, as she burst out of the cottage, looking around the cottage in desperation, hoping that Taiki was just fooling around in the forest nearby.

As silence answered her, Chihiro ran back into the cottage and placed a palm onto the beacon that served as a telephone. Forming a picture of Haku in her mind, Chihiro said quickly, "Haku, please come back now! Taiki is missing!"

"What?" Haku's anxious voice reached her instantly.

"Taiki is missing!" Chihiro said with a tremor in her voice.

"I'll be right back!" Haku said quickly, breaking the connection.

Line Break

"Kaonashi!" Taiki shouted, shaking the fallen spirit gently.

Looking around for a river, Taiki carried Kaonashi up onto his shoulders and muttered a strength spell that Haku had taught him. Finishing the incantation, Taiki started running along the path when he suddenly heard a whisper from Kaonashi.

"Taiki… Put me down…" Kaonashi whispered weakly.

"Huh?" Taiki said, "Ok."

Sitting up against a tree trunk, Kaonashi wheezed heavily as he tried to even out his breathing.

"Heres the water." Taiki said as he placed it on the ground beside Kaonashi. "What happened?"

"I do not know…" Kaonashi gasped as he breathed slowly.

"Whatever happened, please don't try to think about your memories for now, my magic isn't strong enough to hold out for more than 10 minutes at max for all the spells I know. So I cant carry you for more than 10 minutes.

"I think I can walk by myself now, the next town is just in front, its about 2 km from here." Kaonashi said, pushing himself up slowly from the ground.

"Then… Lets go, but are you sure you're alright now?" Taiki asked concernedly.

"Yes." Kaonashi replied, setting off at a steady pace forward.

Line Break

"Haku! Taiki is missing, I couldn't find him anywhere, he didn't even leave the room, I never saw him go out, could it be Nimokushi?" Chihiro let off a stream of questions as Haku landed in front of the house.

"Calm down Chi, I'm sure Taiki is fine, it couldn't have been Nimokushi if Taiki had not left the house. Let me try to find him with my magic." Haku attempted to calm her down as he muttered an incantation.

Looking at her husband concentrate, Chihiro sat down on the front steps, her hands running through her smooth hair. Taiki… please be alright…

"Chi… Taiki, hes… hes…" Haku stammered as he glanced around the forest.

"Hes what!" Chihiro shouted.

"Hes not in the Spirit World anymore… I can't locate him anywhere…" Haku whispered as a tear trickled down his cheek.

"No…" Chihiro whispered, tears rolling off her cheeks.