This will probably be the last chapter for a while. Tomorrow we're going on an overnight history excursion to Canberra (possibly the most boring place in Australia…) however the bus trip should be good!

She stepped closer to him and asked, "Haku?"

He nodded, and all of a sudden he found himself wrapped in a very tight hug. He was dimly aware that she was sobbing into his shoulder, and he awkwardly patted her on the back, all the while hoping the others wouldn't wake up just yet.

"I can't believe I…" Her voice was muffled in his sleeve.

"It's easy to forget," Kohaku said quietly, a hint of dryness tinting his words.

He waited until her crying subsided before he said, "We're going back to the spirit world very soon. The question is Chihiro, do you want to come with us?"

"Us?"

"Rin and Oukami."

"You mean that boy is a spirit too?"

"Oh yeah. What did you think?"

Chihiro and Kohaku looked over at the speaker, who was sitting up with not a trace of sleep in his purple eyes.

"Were you…?" Kohaku left the question unfinished, dreading the answer.

"Awake all this time? Yep." Oukami stood up and stretched. "You make a wonderful pair of lovebirds." He laughed when he saw Chihiro glance at Kohaku, blushing furiously while Kohaku averted his eyes.

He let himself enjoy the moment a few seconds longer before asking, "So are you coming with us or not?"

Kohaku locked gazes with Chihiro, and she found herself unable to resist those brilliant green eyes. They hypnotised her, and she found herself saying, "Yes" without a second thought.

Oukami grinned. "All right, that's all settled. Now to wake up Rin, that's a big problem…"

As he proceeded to poke her out of her sleep much to her protests and mumblings of 'shut up you stupid perv', Kohaku asked Chihiro, "You're sure about this?"

She thought for a moment before replying, "Yes. I'd like to see Kamaji again, as well as Zeniba, Bou and Kaonashi. Even Yubaba."

Kohaku smiled. "I wouldn't count on it."

Suddenly she looked worried. "What about Naruko and my parents?"

Oukami looked up and said, "Write them a note, tell them you're sorry, then run off and hope they don't get angry and freak for your safety."

Kohaku just glared. But Chihiro nodded and went to get a sheet of paper and pen. Once she left, Kohaku hissed, "What kind of advice was that?" He looked to Rin for support only to find that she was fast asleep once again.

Several minutes later the four of them were outside the house, standing in the crisp wind under the starry night. Chihiro was beginning to freeze, even with her jacket on. Kohaku noticed this and suggested, "Why don't we fly so that we can get there faster?"

Oukami looked at him and nodded. They both moved a little way off and transformed. When Kohaku finished, he noticed Chihiro smiling at seeing his dragon form again. He smiled back as best he could but it turned out more as a feral grin. But Chihiro knew better, and he lowered himself so she could get on. Then he turned to see if Oukami was ready.

"Do I have to get on him?" Rin complained loudly.

Oukami was no longer shorter than Rin. Instead he was a huge silver wolf with a violet streak all the way from his nose to the tip of his tail. His silver fur rippled in the slight wind like the waves of the ocean and his purple eyes shone with amusement at Rin's objection. His paws were large and strong, and combined with the ivory claws that protruded slightly he could easily take a person down with one swipe.

"I refuse," she said stubbornly.

Oukami rolled his eyes – quite an unnatural and comical thing for a wolf – and reached out to clamp his strong jaws on the back of her clothes. Twisting around, he dumped her on his back and leapt into the sky before she could get off. Chihiro laughed as Rin was forced to hold on tightly to his fur otherwise risk falling off.

She and Kohaku caught up to them, where Rin was whacking Oukami on his head and cursing, "You got drool on my new clothes! You hear that? Drool!"

Chihiro just laughed harder.

A short while later they were all standing outside the tunnel. Chihiro was uncertain whether to go first and was about to voice her unease, but Rin got there first.

"Is there something incredibly pretty about a dark tunnel?" she asked sardonically. And with that, she marched in without a backward glance.

Oukami grinned. "Don't you think she's adorable?"

"Not the way you're thinking," Chihiro replied, following after Rin with Kohaku close behind.

They emerged from the tunnel, and Chihiro was surprised to see the sun almost disappearing over the horizon. The air was pleasantly warm even though it was almost night time, which contrasted sharply with the chilliness on the other side of the tunnel.

As they made their way across the grassy meadow to the 'amusement park', Kohaku asked Chihiro, "Do you want to see Kamaji first?"

She nodded in response, and he took them by the backstreets to avoid unnecessary attention from the shopkeepers opening their restaurants for the night's business.

Going down the long flights of stairs, they finally reached the boiler room door. Kohaku pulled open the door and gestured them inside, then went in himself and shut it quietly behind him.

The susuwatari were the first to notice the newcomers – namely Chihiro as they all dropped their coals at her feet and leapt happily up and down squeakily. Kamaji looked up from his usual to place, ready to yell at his runts to get back to work, but…

"Chihiro! So you managed to get her!"

"Yes," Rin said.

"Thanks to me," Oukami said pointedly.

"Hmm?" Kamaji leaned closer to get a better look. "This is the Trickster?"

"I'm famous," he said, grinning.

"Shut up with your stupid ego!" snapped Rin.

Kamaji asked, "So, how did it go? Tell me everything." He put his work on hold to give his full attention to Kohaku who narrated everything that happened, with Rin interrupting if he missed something and Chihiro listening quietly. Oukami however was poking the susuwatari for fun and making quips on almost everything Kohaku said. In the end Rin told him to go eat soot, which he did. Or at least pretended to.

When Kohaku finished at last, Kamaji asked, "So what are you going to do now, Haku?"

"Well…" he paused, hoping that the others wouldn't laugh at him, "maybe Chihiro could stay in the spirit world?"

Oukami snorted with laughter, and Kohaku secretly wished he had never said that. "How's that going to be possible?" Oukami asked between chuckles. "She's human, you're not, and there's no way those Great spirits are ever going to let her. You might as well let her go back. I really didn't know you were planning to get her to stay here."

"Well we don't care if you don't think she can stay! We're going to try anyway, right?" Rin looked at Kohaku hopefully.

He nodded in response, and to his relief Chihiro nodded as well. He was counting on the way she acted from before that she would want to stay here, but he wasn't really sure. Maybe he should have asked her before…but that was irrelevant now.

Abruptly the wooden panel opened and as one they all froze as a spirit woman wearing the pink Aburaya uniform emerged, yelling, "Breakfast, runts!" She shut the panel behind her and turned.

"A human! And you two!" Her dark eyes were wide as she pointed accusingly at them.

Oukami jumped up and down like a hyperactive kid. "And me! Me! Don't forget me!"

Rin quickly cuffed him on the back of the head to shut him up, but it was too late.

"You!" the spirit woman shrieked.

She spun around and practically flew out of the boiler room. They could hear her screaming for Yubaba even after she slammed the panel shut.

"Now you've done it," Oukami stated.

"What do you mean we've done it!" Rin yelled. "You've done it! You totally blew it for us!"

He ignored her and remarked, "I really am famous." He looked pleased with himself.

"You'd better remember that this is your fault!" she yelled in his face.

Oukami broke out of his thoughts and yelled right back, "My fault? My fault! Who wanted to visit the old six-legged freak?" He stared accusingly in Chihiro's direction.

Kohaku stepped in. "Whatever it is, you can discuss this another time. Right now we need to get out of here!"

"See you sometime Kamaji!" Chihiro called as she ran out of the boiler room after Kohaku, who was already transforming. Behind her the silver wolf barrelled out of the door with Rin clinging onto his back. They both shot into the sky and raced away from the bathhouse.

Chihiro looked behind her and breathed a sigh of relief, "Good, there's no one behind us."

Oukami growled warningly, and Rin pointed downwards. "There!" she shouted.

Several hundred metres below but gaining on them quickly was Yubaba in her bird form, looking very angry.

Next chapter: chaos ensues!

Kamaji does have six limbs, right?

By the way, everyone give me your opinion: should Haku and Oukami be able to use magic when in their animal form?

Reposted 22/11/05 to remove review responses