Author's note:

Well, in this chapter, Chihiro finally believes in spirits, woo! She knows that she and Haku were close back then, but she just can't recall the memories! It's mainly a lot of explaining here, but it is a slightly longer chapter than usual so please enjoy it! I'll try to update as often as possible~~

"We can't talk about it with the girl here," Haku suddenly said when the three stopped at the gate in front of Bakal's house.

Chihiro rubbed her eyes with the hand not being held by Demetri's as the Irish boy gave him a suspicious look. "Do you mean Emi-chan? Why not? She needs an explanation as well," Demetri said coldly.

"She cannot see spirits like you two, she doesn't have the ability for it, so explaining to her what can't be seen will just confuse her," Haku explained calmly, ignoring the steel in Demetri's voice. He opened the gate for them and walked up to the front door. "You will need to bring her home."

"And leave Chi-chan alone with you?" Demetri didn't like the idea at all; the small trust he had for Haku all but disappeared ever since he upsetted Chihiro earlier, and was replaced with caution and dislike. Especially after he found her in the park with tears and frightened like she saw a ghost.

"It's okay, Demetri, I'll be fine by myself. Harada-san is here, too," Chihiro placed a hand on her friend's arm in reassurance.

"...Okay, if you say so," he said reluctantly and the three entered the house quietly. Emi rushed to greet them from the living room with a worried look on her face, and an equally worried Bakal was not far behind.

"Chihiro-chan! Demetri-kun! Why did you guys run out like that?" Emi cried out, grabbing Chihiro's other hand. "Chihiro-chan, your face is all dirty and red! Did you run into a wall again? And why do you look so scared."

Chihiro smiled at her friend. "I'm fine, I just bumped into something, that's all."

"But-," Emi began to say but Demetri cut her off.

"Chi-chan is tired, we should go home now. I'll walk you to the station, Emi-chan," Demetri said, letting go of Chihiro's hand to take Emi's wrist. He bowed his head to Bakal in respect. "Thanks for letting us come over, Harada-san, we'll be on our way now." He dragged Emi out of the house, leaving Chihiro alone with Bakal and Haku.

"Emi didn't even see you standing there," Chihiro said to Haku. "You're really a spirit?" He nodded and Bakal raised his brows at this.

"You believe in spirits now, Chihiro?" The man asked and she nodded. "Well, that's good! That must mean your memories have returned! Here, let's sit down and talk about it!" Bakal smiled and made the two sit down in the living room again.

"I can see spirits but my memories haven't completely returned yet," Chihiro said with a rueful smile. "But I can remember some things, like the night I first met Haku." She can remember how frightened she was, but by what she cannot. All she knows is that Haku had helped and comforted her, promising her that everything will be alright. His voice sounded so gentle, so soothing, just like earlier, and Chihiro truly felt that everything is okay. "I'm sorry for how I acted earlier, Haku, Harada-san. I just didn't understand what was happening and it made me scared."

Bakal smiled and patted her head. "It's only normal to freak out like that, Chihiro. The truth is truly very crazy. But we just need to learn to accept it and just deal with it."

She nodded in agreement before turning to face Haku who sat on her other side. "Haku, won't you tell me why I can't remember a lot of things? Are my dreams really memories?"

"Of course, all of your dreams has happened before," Haku replied. He brushed a hand through his dark hair and looked at her thoughtfully with his emerald eyes. "The reason why you have holes in your memory would be because of the Spirit Gate. When you left the Spirit World, it took away your memories of it in order to ensure you wouldn't come back to find it. But Zeniba knew you would one day return so she put a protective charm on your hair tie to safely store your memories until you needed to remember again. In fact, the hair tie gave me your location so I could reach you in time before the oni could hurt you."

"Zeniba? The name is familiar but..." Chihiro trailed off. Her hand unconsciously reached up to her ponytail where the purple hair tie kept her brown hair in check. A tingle spread out throughout her entire person as her fingers touched the hair tie, and she felt a surge of warmth that made her smile a little. "I hope I'll remember her soon."

Haku took her other hand in his and gave her a small smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure that your memories will come back soon, Chihiro. It's just a matter of time before they return."

Bakal watched the two fondly. These two must have been really close, I can tell they care deeply for one another. "Well, when you completely remember, I would love to hear your story, Chihiro. Excellent for my research, haha."

She rolled her eyes a bit before giggling. "No wonder Harada-san believed in spirits so easily, it's all for your research," she retorted.

"Now, that's not the only reason!" He was about to defend himself when Demetri walked in with a solemn look. "Ah, Demetri-kun, welcome back. Hm? You're sweating; don't tell me you ran here from the station?"

Chihiro stared at Demetri whose face was flush and sweaty from the run. His light brown hair was all messed up and tossed all over from the wind, and he panted to catch his breath. "You didn't have to rush, Demetri, we're not going to disappear or anything."

"With Kohaku-kun, I can't be too worried," Demetri said bitterly as he threw a glare at Haku who gestured for him to sit down. "Would you please explain to us what in the world is going on now? What happened earlier?"

Haku took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He was silent for a few moments, trying to figure out how to explain without going into great detail. After all, his story is a long and tiresome one, and dropping everything on them at once won't do any good. "Earlier, Chihiro ran away because she didn't want to believe that there are spirits. However, I am proof of spirits, since I am one. The reason why the girl, Emi, could not see me earlier is because I was in my spirit state, and only humans with special abilities can see spirits in this state. Obviously, she didn't."

"Mm," Chihiro mumbled in agreement as she sat on the edge of her seat, also eager for an explanation. She wanted to know about those ghosts and demon she saw earlier, and why they had attacked her. And about Haku and his spirit ness.

"When I found Chihiro earlier in the park, she was surrounded by a bunch of yurei. Ghosts. And also, there was a demon there, an oni. It was apparently sent by the Great Lord Enma, who rules Hell and punishes the wicked, and tried to kill Chihiro."

Demetri inhaled sharply at this and a grave look clouded Bakal's usual cheery face. Haku stared at his feet, his frustration growing as he continued to explain. "The demon said it was there to punish Chihiro for coming to the Spirit World eight years ago. But I don't think that's it. Enma wouldn't take that long to punish someone wicked."

"Are you saying that it just wanted to randomly kill Chihiro?" Bakal asked in a hushed voice, his brows drawn together in worry at the severity of the situation. No wonder Chihiro had seemed so frightened earlier. She was nearly eaten and killed by a monster.

"No, that's not it. The oni are usually attracted to powerful spirits with strong souls. There must be something about Chihiro that attracted its attention to come to the human world for one human." Haku clenched his fists tightly, angry that he couldn't have been there earlier to prevent the whole thing from happening. He nearly put Chihiro in danger and he could never forgive himself if she had gotten hurt. He would have torn the demon apart with his own bare hands if it had laid a single claw on her.

"Wait, so you're saying that Chi-chan was attacked by a demon?" Demetri exclaimed, his jade eyes showing his disbelief. "And that she's been to this 'Spirit World' or something"

"Yes, is it that hard to believe, Demetri?" Chihiro joked meekly, patting her friend's shoulder. "Although I don't remember much about my trip, I can say for sure myself that I went there." Those dreams of her cannot be made with just pure imagination. She sighed, impatient for her memories to return. It frustrates her, not remembering what would be the most amazing time of her childhood. "That demon...oni, right? Earlier, the oni said I had a strong aura. What does that mean, Haku?"

Haku grimaced at this and wearily rubbed his forehead, messing up his bangs. "I fear that it is your soul the oni is after. Humans who have the ability to see spirits have powerful souls and to demons, the more powerful the soul, the stronger they get. Strong souls, good eating," he spat the last part, disgusted by the demon's horrible appetite.

"Wait...doesn't that mean Harada-san and Demetri would be targeted too?!" Chihiro gasped, her friends' safety first in her list of priorities. She couldn't bear to see them getting hurt; they did nothing to deserve being targeted by demons. And from her experience earlier, it was extremely frightening. How are they going to school if there are demons everywhere wanting their souls? Chihiro felt that she was too scared to even take a step outside the house for fear of these evil spirits.

Haku noticed her concern and placed a hand on her knee to comfort her. "Don't worry, Chihiro. I won't let anyone hurt you or your friends. I'll protect you with my life," he promised in earnest, his eyes full of warmth and he sounded so sure of himself that she felt secure and safe.

Chihiro calmed down for a moment before realizing something. "But...I don't want you to get hurt either, Haku," she said quietly, her forehead creased with worry.

Haku felt touched for her concern, and was about to say something when Demetri suddenly asked, "Why would these demons...these oni want to be stronger?" It was a question that he was wondering about for a while now, and also a good way to break the two from their small, two-person world. Bakal chuckled to himself, despite the gravity of the situation, seeing a little green monster in the Irish boy.

"I have my suspicions, " Haku began carefully, not wanting to scare them about the prophecy just yet, "bu I don't have much evidence backing it up,. I don't want to worry you three for no reason. Not yet, at least. You should try to enjoy this peace while you can."

"I'm afraid that the chances of getting attacked already broke the peace we had," Bakal said with a wry smile. "But you are right, Haku. We should keep to business as usual for now, but still be on our guard. We have no way of telling when the next oni attack will come, and to whom."

"Remain in your homes and only go out when it is absolutely necessary," Haku instructed sternly. "There is a protective charm for each house where spirits can only enter if invited. It's an old charm that has existed since ancient times to keep the demons out and peace in. No such spirit can ever break the charm; not without powerful dark magic."

"Did you put it there, Haku?" Chihiro asked curiously and he laughed and shook his head.

"No. Once a home has been built, the protective charm is in place. It's deep magic, and it will never wear off no matter how much time has passed. Only if the home is abandoned then spirits can enter the premises." Haku glanced outside the window to see the sun setting, already near the horizon. "Chihiro, you and Demetri should go home now. Spirits are more active at night. At all costs, never be found outside when the sun is gone. And especially at three in the morning. We're most strongest at that time, especually demons."

Chihiro and Demetri nodded gravely, taking hia advice to heart. "Chi-chan, I'll walk you home before I go to the station," Demetri offered as they stood up. He may not be able to put up a fight against these spirits, but at least he could protect her and make sure she comes home safe.

"I'll go with you two," Haku said with a firm resolve. He was not about to let Chihiro out of his sight again, not until she's back home safe. And the Irish boy wasn't much of a shield against the spirits. "And then I'll make sure Demetri arrives at the station as well. If you're with me, not a single spirit will approach us."

"Okay!" Chihiro smiled at the two boys before bowing to Bakal, "Thanks for having us, Harada-san. And for putting up with me."

Bakal smiled back and walked the three outside to the gate. "Stay safe, you three! Try not to get hurt or anything!" He called out as they headed for Chihiro's house down the street. He stayed there until he was sure they reached her house before going back inside his own.

Outside her house, a small two-story with a blue wash, Chihiro hugged the boys and gripped each of their hands tightly in her own. "Get home safely, okay? I don't want you guys to be hurt," she said worriedly.

Haku squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, Chihiro. I can protect myself. And I'll make sure that Demetri gets home unscathed as well."

Demetri hugged her shoulder and nodded. "You, too. Try not to run into anymore walls, okay, Chi-chan?"

"Mm, I can't promise that," Chihiro joked before stepping into her yard. She turned to face the two boys and waved her hand. "Good night, I better see you two tomorrow! Have a safe trip!"

"Good night, Chihiro."

"Good night, Chi-chan!"

Chihiro watched them walk away, standing in the orange cast of the setting sun until they were only two dots in the distance, slowly merging with the crowd headed for the train station. She stayed there for a few more minutes before her mother came out to call her inside. "Chihiro! Get inside and help me make dinner!"

"Coming, mom!" She threw one last glance towards the station before disappearing inside the house.

Haku and Demetri walked in an awkward silence, their eyes set on the station ahead of them. Haku knew that Demetri didn't trust him because of the oni attack earlier. And he had a feeling Demetri liked Chihiro a little. His presence here only got into the Irish boy's way, which is probably why he was all hostile. As for Demetri, he felt that Haku didn't like him all that well. But he didn't care what the spirit thought of him. After all, Haku appeared out of no where already being super close with Chihiro. It was strange, and it became even more confusing when Demetri learned about spirits and demons. Today was exhausting and he just couldn't wait to go home.

Much to his surprise, Haku broke their silence as they stood right outside the station. "I understand you don't like me because of earlier."

"You are correct," Demetri said, not looking at him.

"Please understand that I am here to protect Chihiro," Haku said fervently. "Just trust me that I will protect her and you, and any other mortal that can see spirits. I won't allow for any innocent to be eaten by those demons."

"What do you suspect, Kohaku-kun? " he suddenly asked.

"Pardon?"

"You said you suspect the oni's motives for targeting Chi-chan and wanting to get stronger. Tell me what you think," Demetri demanded. He turned to face Haku who was caught by surprise at the question. "You have to tell me. I need to know why Chi-chan is being targeted."

"...I am not sure if what I suspect is right," Haku said reluctantly, trying to keep a neutral look.

Demetri grabbed the collar of his shirt and glared at him, his jade eyes full of impatience and misdirected anger. "Tell. Me. I don't care if you're right or wrong, as long as I have an idea."

Haku set his mouth into a line at the hastiness of his actions. "It would cause useless worry for a mortal who just started believing in spirits."

"Does that even matter?" Demetri growled. "Burden me all you want, but if it's for Chi-chan, then I don't care how much I have on my plate."

"You care very deeply for Chihiro," Haku noted, a tinge of jealousy in his voice.

"She's my friend. Of course," the Irish boy said. "Now, spill it."

Finally reaching the end of his tolerance, Haku pried Demetri's hand off of his shirt with a stern look. "Listen, human. Even if you do know, there is nothing you can do to stop the demons from rising," he snapped angrily, frustrated at his impudence.

"From rising?" Demetri asked, a small smirk on his face for he was able to weedle out an answer from the spirit. "What do you mean?"

Haku sighed and grumbled to himself. "So much for keeping it to myself. Alright, Demetri. I have reason to believe that the oni are trying to gain more power to take over the Spirit World. And the human world is the perfect place to get the proper feeding for it."

Chihiro paced in her room worriedly. She couldn't stop thinking about the oni attack. Her purple hair tie glowed on her wrist as she brushed a hand through her long brown hair. "I won't be able to sleep like this," she sighed, tugging at the sleeve of her pajamas. She looked out the window at the night sky and the darkness that could possibly be hiding many demons and spirits waiting to eat her. Her eyes widened when she saw a certain river spirit standing in front of the gate to her house.

"Haku!" Chihiro opened the window and leaned on the sill, calling out to him in a hushed voice. She could see him smile at her in the moonlight. "Did Demetri get home safely?"

"Of course, I made sure not a single spirit trailed him from the station," Haku promised, remaining where he stood.

"Hm? Haku, you know you can come inside," she said while feeling a bit confused.

He raised his brows at her and she smacked her forehead. "That's right, the protection charm. Uhm, I give you permission to come in as often as you like," Chihiro said a bit awkwardly, not sure if that was the right thing to say.

Apparently it was, since Haku strolled in to her yard before floating up to her window and coming inside her bedroom. "Thank you, now I don't have to stare at your window all night to come inside," he joked gently, making her laugh.

"You're welcome, Haku. So why are you here?" Chihiro asked as she sat on her bed with her legs crossed.

"Just came to say good night and to make sure you're okay," he answered, standing in front of her with his arms crossed. "When you first came to the Spirit World, you were scared and cried a lot. I had to make sure you weren't crying by yourself."

Chihiro smiled at this. She remembered that she was indeed a crybaby at first, but she matured as she worked at the bathhouse. She's not as weak as before. "Thanks for worrying. I'm fine, Haku. I just can't sleep. My mind keeps remembering what happened and I would just get scared of what could have happened if you hadn't came in time." Her voice broke as she said that, but Chihiro refused to cry like earlier. She can't cry forever.

Haku sat on the bed beside her and hugged her head to his chest, eyes closed. "It's okay to be scared, Chihiro. As long as you remember that I'm here to protect you. Everything will be fine."

Chihiro could feel her cheeks burn but, reluctantly, she hugged him back, burying her face in his chest. She took a deep breath and smelled salty wind and fresh water. "I wish I can remember back then. I want to know why I feel so secure with you, Haku, and why I trust you so much."

He squeezed her and rested his face on her shoulder. "I hope so, too, Chihiro, remember soon, please. It hurts, you not remembering."

The two stayed like that for awhile, but eventually Chihiro fell asleep in his arms. Haku smiled and rested her in the bed, tucking the blankets up to her chin and stroked her cheek. "Sleep well, Chihiro, and remember with your dreams," he murmured before he left her room, disappearing into the night.