A/R: Someone –coughyouknowwhoyouarecough- threatened to hunt me down like a dog if I didn't update… to be perfectly honest, I had forgotten I had this going… And I do apologize for the horrifically late update, but well, this is my senior year in school, and things are beyond hectic. Anyway, enough of my horribly fascinating life.

Princess Melody, I dedicate this chapter to you for making me get my butt in gear and writing it. Thank you! Every one, thank them! And thank you to everyone who reviewed; it was much appreciated!!

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Whitney sauntered forward, taking advantage of the shock to push past Haku. He grabbed the phoenix by the arm, but immediately recoiled. Whitney's skin was burning like fire still covered it. For a spirit of the water, it was too much. Haku's skin steamed slightly.

"Alright, Chihiro, I'd like you to come with me." She shook her head and backed away.

"I'm not going anywhere without Haku." Whitney spared a small glance of distaste towards the dragon boy, who was inwardly exalting the fact that Chihiro didn't want to leave him. It may have been a trick of the light, but for a second Whitney could have sworn he saw little pink hearts swirling around Haku's head.

With a glance back at Chihiro, Whitney could see she meant every word. She wouldn't willingly come with him, though he could easily overpower her… However, Haku, he was sure, wouldn't let her go. He was powerful, Whitney was, but he knew that he couldn't go up against Nigihayami Kohaku-Nushi. Any other water spirit, and he wouldn't think twice, but with the power Kohaku held, well, it wouldn't be pretty.

"Well, then, river boy," Whitney glanced over his shoulder at the steaming river dragon. "I hope no one decides to report that you've been seen with a human girl. And the one that nearly wrecked the most lucrative bath house around at that." Translation: If you don't let her come with me, everyone is going to know you've done the forbidden, and everyone will be after her. Checkmate.

"I understand." Translation: You $&#-ing &$. "A moment with her then? Alone." His glare sent a shiver of fear down Whitney's spine, but the phoenix knew that Kohaku wouldn't dare cause trouble for the human girl. Not that Whitney actually would, but what the dragon didn't know, wouldn't hurt him. After a moment's contemplation, Whitney nodded.

Kohaku murmured a few words under his breath, ones that sounded vaguely like the ocean waves and Whitney found himself unable to move. He growled mentally as the dragon walked just out of his line of sight. Infuriating!

But there wasn't anything he could do about that now…

"Chihiro. Listen to me." She nodded, a bit confused, but she trusted him. "I can't keep you with me, because if I do, then it won't go well for you, but… " Here he leaned down into her face. "You can trust me, remember that. Always remember that." He gently kissed her forehead –she closed her eyes and blushed- and communicated wordlessly what he couldn't put into words. Images flashed behind her eyelids, bright and happy memories –he held her hand as they walked across a bridge- wishes –he watched her, tears pouring from his eyes as she left the spirit world with her parents- a dream –she was looking up at his face as he slowly closed the distance between them, his fingers tracing circles on her bare stomach- and a feeling she couldn't ever put a name to –he was smiling as they fell, laughing, more jubilant than she had ever seen him- but knew she felt it as well.

"Haku…"

"Remember, trust me." Then he turned form her and walked away, disappearing into the shadows of the forest around them.

"Haku…?" Whitney pursed his lips. It seemed too easy, but, well, he wasn't one to complain! The stiffness in his muscles wore off so he swiftly grabbed her wrist and pulled her along behind him. Through the forest, in a particular direction they went, Chihiro tripping, but never falling thanks to the tight grip Whitney had around her arm. She sure was out of shape.

"Come along, no need to take all day." He ignored her with a passion till he realized the sounds coming from her weren't just her being short of breath.

She was crying.

He pulled up to a sudden stop, and wrapped his arms around her. "For what it's worth, I am sorry." His hand ran soothing circles on her back. "I truly am." Her entire frame shuddered and she sniffled. Maybe, if he was comforting enough she would forget the dragon, and she would learn to love him!

Or… maybe not…

The glare she sent him would have frozen the flames of any phoenix. "Let go of me."

Needless to say, he let go.

And backed away, just for good measure. No telling what this little girl would do, should she put her mind to it.

But still, he pressed his luck. "What do you see in that dragon anyway? I mean, he's so idiotic, and he's…" he continued mumbling why he was so much better than the river spirit until he realized Chihiro was unnaturally silent.

Sure, she hadn't said much, especially not to him, but… she had been fairly talkative with her friends at school… and he wasn't all that intimidating was he? He gave himself a quick once over.

Pale green tunic over orange breeches, maybe not the best color combination, but still doable.

His hair was curling cutely, just like it did everyday.

His eyes, no different that the normal jade green and slight reddish tinges; they were the only thing that hinted at the phoenix part of him.

His arms were loose and he slouched slightly, evidence of his somewhat lax nature.

His lips were twitched, as always –aside from when he was angry- into an easy half smile, friendly in part, and alluring on the whole.

It was a fairly open appearance.

And no, he was not lacking in the modesty department. Not at all.

But still, he didn't understand why Chihiro was so- Ooooh… he studied her. She was asleep, curled up among the soft leaves of the forest floor. He didn't know how she could have gone from enraged to sound asleep, and then, it hit him.

Literally.

He collapsed, unconscious, to the ground. The boomerang that had hit his noggin circled back through the trees. Right before it knocked it's own owner into next Tuesday, a horrendously long tongue swept out and grabbed it, drawing it closer till a three fingered hand snatched it and shoved it into one of many pockets.

The newcomer leapt from his perch in the trees, and slowly ambled to where Chihiro and Whitney lay on the ground. He rested at about three feet high at the bridge of his large, lizard like nose, and he had several bandoliers strapped across his chest. One that stretched around his neck read "Le-Oen" though if this was a name, or a saying, no one could be sure. Large yellow eyes slowly traveled around, each going a different direction before settling back on the others. With a quick snap, a pocket was undone and a paper pulled out.

His eyes flicked back and forth from the paper to the boy.

Stretching his curled tail, he voiced his thoughts aloud. "Yes, you are definitely a match, un. And keeping company with a human, of all things, un! Tsk, tsk, you shall be severely punished, that you can be sure of, un." The chameleon spirit, for lack of a better moniker to let it go by, grinned and snapped his short little fingers. Dancing around, it used its tongue to lift first Chihiro –with mumbled protests of how nasty humans tasted- the Whitney to its tail, where it curled around them for easy carrying.

…………………

Haku wiped away a tear.

He hated –HATED! HATED!!- leaving Chihiro with that… thing, but what else could he have done? Yubaba's influence stretched far and wide, and he refused to let Chihiro go to work for that witch again!

There was a part of him, somewhere deep inside him, that recognized the look in the phoenix's eyes, even if he didn't particularly like it. Love, that's what he saw.

The freaking fire thing was in love with his Chihiro, and he had a stacked deck on his side. Yeah, it stunk. But, Haku had something in his favor as well: He knew no harm would come to Chihiro with Whitney there.

Right?

Well, if any harm did come to his little human, well, then…

Haku grinned a decidedly deranged smile as he cracked his knuckles. If any arm did come to his Chihiro, then, well there would be more cracking than just his knuckles.

Hehe…his human. He liked the sound of it. And his lips still tingled from where they had pressed against her forehead. She had very soft skin, she did… And, although he was by nature a secretive person, he didn't mind opening his mind to her; it may have been the only way to really convince her that he wasn't abandoning her.

He had a plan.

It consisted of a few of things:

Gather an army.

He could get help from Zeniba and Kaonashi, he was sure, and possibly Bouya and Lin, if the child could get away from his mother, and if Lin was up for adventure. He would talk to Kamaji, but if he went missing as well, someone would realize there was something devious going on.

Use this army and some magic to find Chihiro.

That was where Zeniba would come in. She could use a spell to locate Chihiro, and Haku would fly her and the rest of his guerillas to wherever she pointed.

3. He would bash that phoenix's head in!

Forget the army, he just wanted some back up to make sure Chihiro didn't wander off while he took out more than just his anger on the stupid firebird.

He took a calming breath, trying to banish the satisfying pictures of Whitney being frozen in an ice cube from his mind. It didn't work well, and in spite of the seemingly bleak situation, he chuckled.

This would be fun. But as for now, army raising.

"I'm coming, Chihiro." He hunched over, and slowly his human form melted away, replaced with fur and scales and fangs. His nails grew, and bones shifted as he went from a humanoid position to that of a four legger. With a stretch and a yawn, he leapt into the air, twirling happily.

…………………

Whitney's eyes cracked open, the woodsy smell of a campfire permeating his senses. What had happened? He remembered looking down at Chihiro, and then pain…

Chihiro!

Where was she?

Whitney frantically glanced around, hazel eyes flicking from tree to bush to tree to bush to, oh, there she was… he breathed a heavy sigh of relief and ran his fingers through his unruly curls. She was ok, save for a bruise on the back of her neck, where he suspected he had a bruise as well. She just better not be brain damaged… else wise someone else's head was gonna crack.

He wasn't visibly chained to anything, but he could feel the bonds on his wrists and neck. If he wandered too far, they would tighten, and he would die a horrible, painful, agonizingly slow death by suffocation. Blast. So, instead, he crawled over to Chihiro, whimpering pitifully when he got a splinter.

A quick flame burned it out of his skin and he was good as new, though.

With a heavy sigh he curled his body around Chihiro's sleeping form. It could get nippy, and he was a fire spirit! Besides, now that the nasty whatever had gotten them it would have to go through Whitney first. He could almost imagine her eyes bugging out as they did when she was surprised by something. He had studied her for a long, long time, and he knew her habits as well as her knew his own. If she knew what he was doing now, she would stutter out a "W-why?!"

"Because…" he whispered softly against her hair,

"I'm in love with you and I won't let you be hurt."

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A/R: The chameleon spirit's name is Le-Oen, pronounced lay-on, just like the name Leon, a bad take off the word chameleon. Heh… XD

Ok, yeah, it wasn't much of an update, but I wrote most of it well past midnight tonight, because tomorrow I leave for a trip, and I wanted to update before then! I'm glad I drank ten cups of sugary coffee at my school's karaoke night tonight! Yes, ten, you read right. I am a coffee maniac! Whoo coffee!! o.0'

There had better be a lot of reviews in my inbox when I get back in a few days!!