A solitary drop of sweat fell from the tip of its perch. It hit the ground hard. Just like Haku was hit hard. He loomed over the side of his bed, ready to fall off but tossed to the other side as he was in deep torment. His breathing was rapid and his heartbeat was fast, like the reproduction of rabbits.

"Haku, I'm getting tempted again. I don't want to but I can't help it," said a soft voice in his dream, "I need help."

Tempted to do what? No…don't go! Chihiro I'm coming for you…NO STOP! CHIHIRO!!!

Haku clenched the sheets with his fists. Cold sweat ran down his head and onto his sheets. His face turned every which way with each torture from his dream. He tried to run to her, but couldn't move. He was paralyzed in his bed and only able to squirm helplessly. His heart could barely take it. He woke up in the climax of his horrible dream.

"Chihiro! Huh?" Haku looked around himself and sighed. Yet another dream has come to haunt him again, and there was nothing he could do.

I hate my life.

As Haku mentally sulked to himself, the Spirit World as a whole was having some problems.

Criminals were stuck in the human world, causing havoc in many places. There had been some reports of small earthquakes in the spirit world, and a rumor about an earthquake building up for the human world.

There were other problems for the Great Spirits Council, problems that seemed too hard to solve. Ever since the portal was closed, disasters were occurring everywhere. It nearly drove them crazy. Haku on the other hand was only driven crazy by the fact that he couldn't reach Chihiro. He had tried countless times but he had a feeling it only made things worse. He had given up many times but always ended up trying again. He needed to talk to her. If only he knew where another portal was located…but such knowledge was held secret by Elders around the land, Elders whom could not be shaken easily, Elders who have kept the secret for eons.

"What ever this is, it's not food." Haku said as Rin blankly stared at him. She held a plate of pancakes in front of him.

"It's good, Haku. Come on. I'm visiting and you can't even comment on my cooking skills?" Rin said with a pout.

"I'm sure my opinion is the same as Kuja's." Haku said, without looking at her. He started towards the door.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Rin said, fired up.

"Well, since you kids are practically married, I'm sure he's developed a good taste for your cooking."

Rin faulted. "First of all, we are not even together like that. Second of all, this is my first time making pancakes! I usually don't do this sort of thing. Don't you want to try it before I leave this afternoon?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No!"

"Why?"

"Because I'm not hungry. And I don't eat pancakes." And with that he left the house, slamming the door behind him.

"Well, it seems I've made a terrible lapse of judgment. But it can be fixed we just need to keep thinking." Orrick said, wiping his head with a handkerchief.

"Enough Orrick. I think we need new leadership." Zakotso never failed to say the worst things.

"You would be the one to say that." Sasha eyed Zakotso. "Remember your place you dirty snake…"

"Now Sasha calm down. He may be right about it anyway." Orrick said, making her frown.

The Spirits continued to speak of their ideas. Haku, all the while, was in a corner listening, contributing the occasional, "yes", "no", and "maybe so" but never more than that.

"Mom! I'm home!" Chihiro said as she took off her shoes and threw her textbook on the table. "Mom?"

"I'm here honey. I'm upstairs."

Chihiro sighed. She left her book bag at the table and went up to change. She went into her room and locked the door behind her. She stripped off her uniform and looked at herself in the mirror.

She looked at her white undershirt and pink shorts. She let her long chocolate colored hair down and sighed again. Her big brown eyes stared back at her, and then wandered to the necklace about her neck. She stared at it and wondered if Haku was thinking about her.

All of a sudden her back began to itch like crazy. She took off her undershirt, turned around and looked at her back by using the mirror as she frantically scratched it. She looked at an old, big scar. She wondered about the old, big scar. Still scratching it, she almost whimpered.

"Not again…no…" She stared at a familiar corner in her room. It was a darkest corner of her room, right next to her nightstand and behind her bed.

"I can't take this anymore…Haku…I haven't done it in a while but I…" Chihiro's eyes widened as the itching turned into a sharp pain. The scar began to turn red. Chihiro almost gasped as she looked at the image in her mirror but held herself back. Hearing her mother go downstairs, Chihiro ran into her corner. She was there for a while, and after five minutes she got up. Shaking, she threw herself on the bed. She looked wildly around her and shut her eyes. For five more minutes she tried to calm herself down. She felt better, but an aura of doubt fear was about her.

As she took a shower, she started to remember….

Wandering around a street corner, looking for a way back home…

"Where am I?"

"You're right here Chihiro. It's ok. I'm here."

"Mom? Where are you?"

"I'm right here next to you baby I'm right here…it's ok."

Chihiro looked from right to left and couldn't see her mother. All she saw were the slums, empty streets, and no Haku.

"Mom I'm scared…" Everything became dark. Chihiro grabbed her legs and shook back and forth. "Mom…I can't see anything I'm so scared…where am I? What happened?"

No answer…

Chihiro looked wildly about her and saw a figure in the distance. It was a child. She couldn't see the child's face, it was covered, but she saw the child's hand. It was open with crushed food on it.

"This is what you brought." Said the child.

Chihiro looked puzzled at the child.

"That necklace is what you brought with you. May I have it? I will give you back what you started with when you entered the spirit world and all will be well." The child smiled.

Chihiro didn't seem to know what to do so she started walking towards the child very slowly.

"Who are you?" Chihiro asked.

The child made no answer but seemed to get much closer with every step Chihiro took. She stopped walking when she noticed it and began to feel a sinking feeling in her gut. She felt entranced for a moment and started seeing dots of different colors.

The child suddenly appeared right in front of her. The dots disappeared.

"Take this and all will be well." The child smiled again, still not revealing her face.

Chihiro started to put out her hand but something inside her told her not too.

"Take it…take it…take it…" The child said sweetly and more generously then before.

"No!" Chihiro said.

"But you need it…otherwise you won't have enough strength for the day. You need your breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day. Take it. You need it."

"I told you I don't want it. I cannot give you anything in return for it so I cannot take it. Now let me be."

The child frowned. "TAKE IT…" She said, sounding demonic. Chihiro shook her head, determined not to give in.

The child dropped the food and disappeared. "It was a fair trade, but since you wont return what is rightfully mine…you leave me no choice."

Chihiro looked wildly around her but saw nothing. Her body then started to go into convulsions. She saw nothing but the darkness and felt empty. Then she felt her back breaking. She heard a continuous crack and screamed louder with each crack until her voice could no longer scream anymore.

The child jumped from out of her back. Chihiro screamed, but no sound came out.

The child held a substance in her hand. "Maybe this will help you." Chihiro did not move, she just lay there motionless. Impatient, the child took the substance in her hand and put it in Chihiro's back.

"That will make you feel better." And it did. Chihiro's back healed and she stood up, swaying left to right in a trance like state.

"Now give me the necklace." Said the child, "I will leave you more if you need it, but I need the necklace."

Chihiro reached for her necklace, still staring off into space…

Her fingers lingered on the golden tree…

She pulled off the necklace…

It lingered over the child's open hand.

Chihiro loosened her grip, the necklace hovered over the child's hand and…

"CHIHIRO!!!" her mother screamed as the heart monitor showed no sign of life.

But Chihiro heard her mother and opened her eyes. When she awoke the necklace was in her hand.

When she got home, the substance was still there…and it called her name every time she felt an itch in her back…

But Chihiro didn't want to take it. She didn't want it at all…but she still took it whenever her scar demanded it.

"Give me the necklace and you won't need it anymore, Chihiro…GIVE ME THE NECKLACE…" Chihiro would hear in her head.

Chihiro never gave up the necklace. She endured the curse on her back.