Oh my god guys. I just realized that I haven't updated this in more than a year... I'm so shocked... Please forgive me!

I'm so sorry I couldn't update this earlier. But my life has taken a pretty rough turn, as things aren't exactly 'Happy Happy' in my house. I owe you guys so many apologies. I had a mental breakdown a few days before, but I'm recovering.

An especially long chapter to say sorry!

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

PS: (POV) means 'Point Of View', ok?

Haku watched, as if in slow motion, the powerful blast hit Chihiro straight in the chest, watched as her mouth formed a small 'O' of surprise and pain, and watched as she slowly fell backwards... In one crystalline moment of time, where the universe and space froze, Chihiro's eyes met with the emerald green of Haku's.

But she never hit the ground. Just before she landed, she seemed to have dissolved into the air, leaving behind a faint trace of light. And even that, disappeared as well. All that was left was her hair tie, a soft band of amethyst.

Sean was shaking, cold sweat sweeping over his body. He couldn't believe what he had just done. He had /never/ meant for the blast to hit the girl. And now, Chihiro had just vanished! He turned over his shaking hands, staring at the murder weapon of an innocent girl's life.

Evil and vengeful he may be, but he also had a sense of honor. When he came back from the Shadow Realm, he had sworn to kill Haku. He planned every stage of the kidnapping, the fights, and Haku's eventual destruction, but he had never planned on this.

Minutes passed, but none of them wanted to move, too shocked for what had happened.

Finally, Haku got up from his position on the floor, and moved towards where Chihiro had fallen. He gently picked up the hair band, disbelief all over his face. He closed his eyes, and a single tear fell down, to splash on the floor. Then his eyes opened into an icy, glacial green. He closed his hand over the purple tie, so hard his knuckles turned white. And he glared at Sean with blank fury roaring in his dark green eyes.

And for the first time in his life, Sean was afraid.

Yubaba had hidden in the corner during the fight. She was cackling at first, but soon her laughter faded into nothing. 'Sen had just disappeared into thin air? Impossible! Unless Sean did something else with that blast of his, I don't think Sen has the power.' She thought to herself. Her senses, however, kicked into drive immediately. She whisked around and left the room, through a secret trapdoor. 'No sense staying around here, ' She thought, 'Even /I/ don't want to see what becomes of Sean and Haku's fight.'

Haku's POV

My body was cold and shivering all over, my heart feeling like an iron fist had closed over it, my breathing was constricted, painful. I couldn't believe it. Didn't /want/ to believe it. I wanted to yell, to beat down a wall, to scream at the top of my lungs. I nearly did, but I stopped myself. Chihiro didn't save me just so I could have hysteria. No one needed it. But I do know something that I want very much.

I wanted Sean dead.

I wanted him more than dead. No, death is too small a punishment. I want him to suffer eternally, to have his heart ripped out again and again, to be tortured, for him to feel the pain, the grief, the anguish, that is coursing through my entire being right now.

I would /never/ forgive him.

Normal POV

Sean took a faltering step back. On his face, there too, was a face of anguish. But he stopped moving. His shoulders sagged in defeat and he closed his eyes tight, a sad and melancholy blue, as if waiting for something terrible to happen. He dropped down onto his knees in front of Haku, then waited for Haku to kill him, to finish him off. He deserved it, after what he had done.

Haku stepped forward, the fatal spell already forming in his hands and waiting on his lips. He placed the spell right before Sean's face, ready to fire.

Sean could feel the spell's crackling energy, the scorching heat, and then the blistering cold. He gritted his teeth, preparing himself.

Haku was just about to end it all, when a soft voice, from the back of his mind, spoke 'don't do it...' He stopped. 'Why not? Why shouldn't I?' He demanded harshly, 'I'm revenging Chihiro!'

'Is that what you really think, Haku? Would Chihiro really want him dead? Think about that.' The voice said then left.

Haku began to doubt his actions. Is it really better to leave him alive? But after all he had done! What he did to Chihiro! But he didn't do it purposely... Haku sighed and gritted his teeth. Indecisive about what to do. The battle within him raged, the vengeful beast in him fighting for dominance, for Haku to kill Sean and get revenge. But the side of him that loved Chihiro, understood her, also understood that Chihiro wasn't one who liked violence.

He bit his lip and finally came up with the answer. Letting the power die in his hands, he sighed, looking like he slightly regretted his decision not to kill Sean.

"Why didn't you kill me?" Sean asked, staring at Haku.

"Because Chihiro wouldn't have wanted me to." He answered flatly. Then left.

Sean bowed his head. He remained this way for some time, preferring it if Haku really had killed him. The guilt was heavy in his heart, almost unbearable. Then he went over to the unconscious Yuki, and healed her. Her eyes fluttered open, and stared about in confusion.

"Wha-" She began to ask, but Sean cut her off.

"It doesn't matter now. It's over. I lost." And gave her the bottle of Lifeforce Poison, which still had about two small mouthfuls. Then he left, too.

Haku lay on the grass on the edge of town, staring blankly at the cerulean sky. His head, body, heart and mind felt so heavy, the silence and the realization that Chihiro was gone hitting him like a brick to the stomach.

He felt like dying, joining Chihiro in the afterlife. His body was numb, jolted by shock and despair, to such an extent that his mind became a simple blank of nothing.

Ignoring everything around him, he lay there for countless hours, until night had fallen and the moon, scattering stars about her, appeared in the black sky.

Somewhere along the time of his misery, he drifted off into an uneasy dream:

Haku awoke in an endless green field of knee high grass, the blue sky above him, and a figure wearing a white dress atop a hill. He walked closer, the gentle breeze ruffling his hair, and the robes he used to wear.

The figure turned out to be Chihiro, her hair blowing freely in the wind, the chocolate brown locks below her shoulders. She was gazing in the distance, her back facing him. He got closer and closer, until he was standing beside her. His heart filled with joy at the sight of her, his love for her welling inside him.

She didn't turn around when he drew near, but he didn't mind; just being in her presence and admiring the face he loved so much was enough for him. When she finally faced him, her face was somber, sad.

"Can you see me?" She asked, her eyes pleading. He was slightly surprised.

"I am, Chihiro." He replied, moving closer to her.

"No, you're just looking at me." Then everything turned to darkness.

When he woke up, he was in a blank room where everything was white. Chihiro was standing by a window that had nothing but darkness outside. She was singing, her voice lilting and gentle. He walked towards her again, slightly wary this time. When he arrived behind her, she turned around.

"Can you listen to me?" She inquired her eyes weary.

"Yes, Chihiro." He answered, taking another step towards her, wanting to know whether she was alright.

"No, youonly hear." She said softly, and darkness enveloped him again.

This time when he awoke, he was back in the room where he and Sean dueled. Chihiro was standing in front of him in the middle of the room, her arms around her body, hugging herself. Her eyes were closed, her face serene. He approached her cautiously, not sure what would happen. When he got just a metre away, she opened her eyes and looked into his own eyes imploringly.

"Can you sense me?" She breathed, holding out one delicate hand. He didn't answer; he simply reached out to touch her.

"No, you're just touching." She sighed, and disappeared.

He woke up in cold sweat.

Btw, I'm re-writing everything in this story. I'm re-doing all the chapters, because I don't like how the pace of this story was too hasty. So look out for my new-and-improved chapters!

Cheers,

Earthborne