Dearest readers,

I'm back again with my third installation of Going, Going, Gone, a FanFic created to show how much people can change, and how hope is never truly lost. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll be back with what may be the final installation asap.

Again I would like to thank donladey for following my story, even though the chapters must be long and inevitably dry, lol. But, you know what they say, you are your own worst critic.

-KaeJoe


During the day the Spirit World was quiet, the streets were empty and it was a nice relief from the bustling, busy hours of the night when Spirits came from all over the world to visit Yubaba's bath house – a twelve story building with multiple baths bother public and private plus rooms where they could stay the night – and it was Kohaku's only time of peace. He often spent the long hours of the day either sleeping, reading, or pondering when he would see Chihiro again, the ten years had gone by slowly, dragging on as if each second was a year, each minuet a millennia. However, even though he desperately wanted to go and see her, to make sure she was living a long and full life, each day he swore to himself that she was better off without him, and seeing him again would only cause her pain. On this day, however, it was all going to change, he was finally going to go and visit the girl that still haunted his every dream, and stayed with him in every waking thought.

Emerald green eyes focused on the wooden ceiling above him, counting the rafters and support beams that held the roof from collapsing on his head as the morning sun rose, giving through to what he knew would be another sleepless day. Sleep was a friend he hadn't had the pleasure of meeting in a long while; every now and then he would manage to slip into a haunted sleep, forcing his weary mind to get some shadow of rest before the busy night took over and the Moon Goddess coated the world in darkness once more. But on this day, the tenth anniversary of Chihiro's departure, he knew sleep would not come.

Just as he was closing his eyes for a brief meditation, there was a knock on his paper door, and it slid open to reveal one of his oldest friends. One of his green eyes was opened, and he looked her way with one of his eyebrows lifting slowly as she stepped in without permission, like she owned the place. "Hey, Haku, Yubaba wants to see you. She said it's important and cannot wait," Rin spoke in a rushed tone, her breath coming in short heavy pants as though she'd run from elevator to elevator, down the stairs and through the hallways from the top floor to the first just to deliver the news; of course, knowing Yubaba, that was exactly what had happened.

Forcing his tired body into a sitting position, the floral patterned blanket fell from his naked chest revealing the toned muscles and chiseled lines of his well defined chest, a reward for working so hard to keep things up and running. One hand was lifted and ran through the mid-back length deep green hair, before it was tied back with a band from around his wrist; rubbing both hands over his face, Kohaku slumped forward and nodded lightly. "Did she say what she wanted?" He asked calmly, fighting to keep his cool demeanor, to keep his anger from bursting through him.

"No, just that it was urgent. I wouldn't keep her waiting, you know how she gets."

He nodded, and waved his hand to let her know she could leave, and she did so silently. Haku lifted his head, and then flung the blankets from his body and stood from his small futon that lay on the ground; without bothering to make his bed again, the boy threw on a white t-shirt, and a pair of faded blue jeans, having picked up the twentieth century style. Sighing, she shoved open his door and stepped out into the cool, early morning air, and allowed his body to explode in a shower of white scales, his form elongating, shifting, stretching, bones reforming with a brief crunch until he was a long, slender Chinese dragon with white scales, and a mane of turquoise hair. Two whiskers slid from his muzzle and he shook himself to help relieve the soreness of his exhausted body, before he slithered out over the balcony and climbed up the wall, his claws barely leaving marks on the wood.

Only when he was in dragon form did he feel any amount of peace or happiness, the rush and thrill of flying through clear, open air while the scenery below flashed by, throwing scents his way like bombshells. Flying, slithering, swimming, doing all the takes a river spirit did, made him feel complete, and a shred of peace finally settled in his heart, only to be demolished whenever he changed back. On some days, he thought about staying in his dragon form permanently, but he knew that was a bad plan, for that would kill any shred of humanity he hoped to retain.

Sighing softly as he climbed over the last level, and then over the balcony to Yubaba's level of the bath house, he forced himself to change back into a human in a smooth eruption of white light, and then entered the elaborate, richly decorated room. Glancing around, he took note of the three annoying green heads, and a large, disturbingly intelligent baby playing in the corner, and he waved at the four of them. Bo waved back excitedly and then pointed in a dramatic fashion towards the gilded doors that led to Yubaba's office, and Haku nodded, bowed, and started towards them. Knocking loudly, using a bit more force than necessary, he opened the doors and stalked inside without waiting for an invitation. "What do you need?" he asked the back of the chair that he knew Yubaba to be sitting in, facing the opposite direction as she gazed out the window.

Yubaba was a rather disgusting specimen of woman with an overly large nose and a squat little body; without turning to him, she began to speak in her raspy, annoying voice. "As you know, I have had a spirit watching over Sen for the past few years," a smug smile covered her lips as she heard Haku growl in irritation at using the name "Sen" instead of "Chihiro" and she paused dramatically before continuing, "I just thought that you should know, dear boy, that she has returned to the tunnel with the intent of stopping her pain. If you know what I am referring too." Her smug look deepened at the intense surge of anger, pain, and pure angst that flooded through the room like electricity and she finally turned to face him, her large head tipping to the side. "I thought you'd like to k-"

"I'm going to her," he interrupted, a scowl on his face, yet his tone was calm and collected as always, his hands loose at his side yet his fingers twitched in annoyance, as though he'd like nothing more than to curl up a fist and crush that overly large nose.

The witch nodded slowly, "I thought you might feel that way, so here is a reminder, do not cross into the human world, or you will disintegrate. Have a nice time."

She'd barely finished getting the words out of her large mouth before Haku erupted into scales and shot out the window, climbing into the sky before heading towards the old clock tower; landing in the grassy meadow just outside the big red building, he landed and changed back into a human simultaneously. Running barefoot into the room that looked like a church's narthex, he looked around briefly, and then ran into the tunnel. "Chihiro!" Slowing down to a walking pace, he wiped a hand across his face, his eyes falling to her hands, one of which was gripping a knife, pressing it into her opposite wrist, and his eyes widened in horror as he sped up, and stopped at the entrance to the tunnel, his mouth set firmly into a stern line as he fought to control his anger; he musn't cross the line.

"Chihiro," He repeated slowly, watching as shock over took her, as the knife slipped from suddenly limp fingers, and he had to resist the urge to leap out of the tunnel and stop it from colliding and slicing through her sneakers, though it luckily landed a few centimeters shy of that. Frowning deeply, he cocked his head to the side just a hint, and leveled a cold, disapproving gaze at her. "What are you doing?"