D/N: So, I'm back again. Mm-hmm. With a new chapter packed with Spirity goodness. (That's not even a word.) XP

Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited away. Plain and simple. I don't know why I put this anymore.

For Chihiro, the next week seemed to just pass her by in a blur. She barely remembered anything except for fragments; Arachnid telling her story of how she angered a powerful goddess, and was turned into a spider for her foolishness. Haku giving her a sword with the same special blade as the dagger and then the lessons at night with the same dragon boy, lessons that he said could save her life. All of it seemed to be wrapped in a dream-like quality, as if none of it had happened in reality.

Now, the night before she had to leave, it all seemed to be driven home on what might happen to her on the trip. Haku had given up on comforting her a little while ago; he had finally realized that she barely reacted to what he thought was comfort. One of her cold hands rested on the hilt of the sword, as if she expected an attack at any moment, the dagger belted to the side of the sword, the end of the sheath digging into the upper part of her thigh. Chihiro's eyes had changed from their normally dreamy cast to one of fearful determination; she would fulfill her task no matter what, for death awaited her either way she chose. The clothes that Haku had got her, that he had told her would be good to fight in, lay forgotten on the end of her neatly made bed; she wore the clothes she brought from home with her, the clothes that seemed to comfort her the most.

Haku had told her, when she had asked, that she would be expected to leave once the first rays of sunrise touched the horizon, when the first phoenix of the day cast it's fiery light up on the treetops. He would not be allowed to talk to her once that happened; the ones that she was going to meet had forbidden him to do so. Already, she could see the sky starting to lighten; she would only have a few more moments. Standing abruptly with a sudden chill passing down her spine, Chihiro yanked on her shoes, and ran down the hall, peering quickly into each empty bedroom, running past as soon as she realized there was no one there. Frantically, wanting to say one last word to her friend, she nearly slipped on the steps; the sword had gotten entangled between her legs for a moment. With a snarl, she pulled it free and was downstairs, shouting for Haku almost desperately, her shock thrown off in one wild thought; I might never see him again!

Chihiro found the dragon boy standing quietly in the garden, staring at the horizon, waiting for the sun to rise. He didn't turn as she finally stumbled noisily into the garden, disturbing whatever bugs lived amongst the vegetables and flowers. She stood there, panting, and cried out, "Haku! I- I just want to say, thank you!"

He half-turned so that only a stark profile was visible to her, his features hidden by shadows. "You have nothing to thank me for, Chihiro."

"You've taken care of me, showed me what to do, and all I've done was be spoiled, a brat."

Haku turned back to face the horizon, answering her, "You've done enough to redeem yourself." His voice was growing fainter, as if the distance between the both of them were growing, despite the fact that they stood nearly side by side. Dawn was fast approaching, Chihiro realized. Not even noticing anything happening, Haku had continued to talk, "You were with me, you talked to me. That's more than enough. Chihiro I - "

She didn't catch the last part of what he was going to say; the sun had begun to rise. Already, the flare of a phoenix had burst from the woods like a rogue ray of sunlight. Haku had frozen, as if he had been turned into a living statue. Chihiro walked around so that she could see his face, and stared, shocked. His mouth was half-open, as if in the middle of saying something; this must be the only way to keep him from telling her anything. Turning around to face the sun, Chihiro stood there, uneasy. Distinctly remembering that there was supposed to be a guide to help her to the palace, she searched around, going around to the front.

Out front was nothing but a glowing orb, it floated only a few feet off of the ground, but had an important air about it. Chihiro hesitated, wondering if this was the guide that she was supposed to have. It didn't look like much; she was expecting something more human, somehow. Still curious, she went up to it, and asked, slowly, "Are you to lead me to the palace?"

The glowing orb dimmed for a moment, and then a voice emerged from the depths, a guttural voice that reminded her of the scrape of sandpaper across wood. "You are Chihiro?"

She nodded, and the orb told her, "You are to come with me, then. I will not stop until night falls, so you must keep up with me. If you fall behind, then you shall have to find your way on your own." Without looking back at her, it began to float off at an even pace.

Chihiro couldn't look back to get one last look at Haku; she had to keep the glowing orb in her sights as it began to move through the deep darkness of the forest.

D/N: Eeeeh. This wasn't such a good chapter, sorry. I'm feeling unimaginative at the moment. Hahaha. Yeah, I'm tired too. . ' I hope this isn't too crappy. It should pick up after this chapter, so stick with me, okay? I'll edit it as soon as possible, which will probably take a few months. . . . Heh. XD

You know the drill: Read and review, and please, flame to your heart's content. Sometimes, you learn things from them. :3