(A/N Last Chapter covered Chihiro recollected her memories of the Spirit World. In this Chapter takes place after Haku let her go. What he has been up to over the years, and many more. Here's chapter two. Enjoy.)
Dislcaimer: I don't own or anything similar to Ghibli.
Chapter 2: Love Never Dies
Haku and Chihiro parted ways, for now. He was sad to see her leave. He saved her, and she saved him. He was the Spirit of the Kohaku River. Years before she stumbled into the dangers of the Spirit World, six years prior, he was an ordinary river spirit born of the waters of the Earth.
Humans have been in his river before, it never occurred to him he would stumble upon her. At the time he was tending to his river, he felt a little pink shoe enter the water. A little girl was reaching out to grab it, but she slipped and fell in.
Haku felt her struggling to swim. She would surely drown. It was strictly forbidden for spirits to get involved with humans. Even if it meant the human's death. But this river spirit couldn't let this little girl drown. He separated himself from his river taking in his dragon form and came to her rescue. Her parents were in sight so he couldn't raise her to the service without being seen.
Once her parents were out of sight, he led her to shore, and became part of his river again. The little girl's Mom rushed to her daughter. "Chihiro! Are you all right?" She picks her up hugging her tightly.
"I'm fine, mommy!" The girl Chihiro answered."The dragon saved me!"
Haku was relieved the little girl was safe and unharmed. He wondered if he would see her again. He doubted it, since she would be terrified to go near the water again. After a few short months, he couldn't get his mind off the little girl who her Mother called Chihiro. Chihiro, he thought. What a beautiful name!
He needed to get away from his river for awhile to get his mind off the human-girl. Perhaps a small vacation would do the trick. He separated himself from his river and took on his human form. His human-form contained of a child. Spirits had the privilege of choosing any age they wish to be, but there was no sense to grow up. He had all the time in the world.
The Spirit World was full of Spirits born of the Earth or bonded Spirits. Haku never had much experience exploring the Spirit World since he never left his river. His River meant everything to him. Every rock, pebble, fish, and plant all join together as one of the Kohaku River.
After Haku left his river, he explored the Sprit World. It was quite beautiful than the human world. Of all the pollution destroying the environment, cutting down trees, land, destroying part of what a Spirit was born from. He couldn't imagine losing his river like the forest or land.
He once heard a rumor a Spirit's head was blown off, killed by the humans, and his whole forest was destroyed. Once a piece of land is destroyed to be precise, a new spirit would be born of not of the same but different.
As Haku explored the Spirit World, he became less connected to his river. As if half of him died along his river. He took on his dragon form and flew out of the Spirit World back to the Human world. He went to the same environment he could of sworn where his river was located. instead he found a human construction insight where he could of sworn his river was underneath. He couldn't feel the connection any longer, like it vanished out of thin air.
Haku went back to the Spirit World and tried everything to connect to where he was once born. He had no family, nor any friends of whom he socialized over the years since he never left his river. Few days of wondering around, he stumbled upon a bathhouse owned by a witch named Yubaba.
It had been a few months since he lost his connection to his river, he was lost, alone, and nowhere to stay. Little did he know what the witch Yubaba had in store for him. Haku had been normal customer but wanted to learn few about the Spirit World. He had magical abilities like all Spirits had.
The ability to fly, cast a spell, transform, but lacked some spells he failed each time. As Haku became a frequent visitor, the witch was looking for an apprentice, one day she offered him a job. Haku was hesitant since he no longer felt the connection to his river, he turned to his friends for guidance.
The friend he referred to as a trustee was the boiler man Kamajii. Kamaji warned him working for Yubaba is not like any job a Spirit has get himself into. He described her as a mean nasty old witch with tricks up her sleeve more slim than the loyal fox, and every trick in the book. Haku listened as Kamaji poured out what the witch's intentions were in store for him if he accepts the offer.
Haku sadly tells him he has nowhere to go, so he took the offer from Yubaba to learn everything of being an apprentice and learn magic. After five years of running as her apprentice, Haku began regretting signing his contract with Yubaba, when he asked for resignation, the old witch finally let the cat out of the bag.
Once you sign a contract, you cannot quit unless the which herself obliterates the contract. That was when she put a control slug in his throat to follow every command without complaints, and worse of all the old hag stole his name. She took an oath to give anyone a job who asks, before she stole their names, havoc ran throughout the bathhouse.
She owned them, and without their names, they would be stuck working with her forever. Haku tried to remember his name but no avail. Then she came.
Haku recognized her scent, he warned her to cross the river before sunset but she didn't make it, and Haku felt bad when her parents were turned into pigs. He swore to protect her and not suffer the fate he did when he put in contract with Yubaba. Following his instructions, Chihiro became good enough employee to work at the bathhouse.
After a few days, Yubaba sent Haku to steal her sister's golden seal. The witch had put a curse on the seal to prevent it being stolen. As Haku became seriously ill, Chihiro had received a gift from the Guardian River Spirit to cure any disease. She used part of the medicine to help stop the bleeding from inside Haku.
Haku threw up the golden seal and the control slug. But was weak in the process, Chihiro and Kamaji aide him back to health, and Chihiro pledged to return the seal and apology for Haku. A few hours after Chihiro left, Haku woke up better than ever, and went to retrieve Chihiro.
As he flew to Swamp Bottom, he was forgiven for stealing the seal, but in return he must take care of Chihiro. In dragon form he flew with Chihiro on his back to the bathhouse. That was when everything clicked into place, when Chihiro was four, she fell in a river after she dropped her pink shoe.
When she tried to get it back she fell in, she thought she drown but the water carried her to shore. It all came back to her, and the name of the river. The river's name was the Kohaku River. After she called out his name, he remembered. The spell was broken.
After arriving back at the bathhouse, Chihiro found out Haku and Yubaba made a deal to send her and her parents back to the human world if she passed one final test. Chihiro passed the test, and Haku and her ran back to the spot where it would of been a river.
Haku couldn't go far, he then gives her one last instruction to never look back, not until she passed through the tunnel. She asked what would happen to him after she leaves. He told her not to worry about him. He got his name back, and would go back and quit as Yubaba's apprentice. He and Chihiro promised to see each other again, he let go of her hand, and watched as she walked to meet her parents on the other side.
Haku was sad to see her leave. After she crossed the tunnel, the field became a river once more. He went back to quit his job as Yubaba's apprentice. Yubaba was furious as he claimed to remember his name. Yubaba argued it was impossible since she took it away. After an hour of consideration of no longer as her employee, Yubaba waved it off, but he was still her employee. He could do as he pleases, he can stay in his own private room, but would work to keep the bathhouse in order.
He knew everything there was to know up the witch's sleeve, he may be able to do as he pleases but would remain her employee as long as his eternal life lasted.
A few years after Chihiro left, Haku sat on top of the bathhouse staring where the Spirit Gate is, hoping one day she would later return. As time went on he couldn't stop thinking of this particular human. His heart raced as he thought of her name, images, her voice. It all clicked after eight years, he loved her. He never thought he would ever fall in love, especially a human. Humans didn't share the same fate as spirits. Humans shared the same mortality, they would live maybe seventy or eighty years and would reunite with their loved ones in the afterlife.
That is why Spirits and Humans were separated from different worlds. Some Spirits forget how old they are, and take advantage they have eternal life. Haku felt his body shiver of thinking about his immortality. If someway he could somehow visit the human world, he would find Chihiro and meet again as he had promised but how?
"Thinking about your human again?"
Haku snapped back to reality, he recognize that voice. It was Lin coming to join since everyone turned in for the night. Without looking back, he answered,''How did you know I be up here."
Lin sat next to him,"I can see you from the bedroom window, besides what other place would you look when it rains as the field turns into a sea."
Haku kicked a small pebble off the roof, and listened as the small pebble bumped and bumped as gravity pulled it down as he can no longer hear the cracks. Haku matured into a young twenty one year old man but was thousands of years old the time his river formed. He chose to be this age, his hair fell to his shoulders. He now wore long blue trousers, and a light monpe tied with a blue sash.
Lin could see the faraway look in his eye, she kept her mouth shut for eight years, she meant to ask hundreds of times until he confessed but was quiet if anyone brought up his human's name. One time when his little frog friend brought up her name, Haku's face turned into a sad smile, everyone could see it broke his heart every time.
Lin nudged his arm,"Hey Dragon boy, tell me what you are thinking because you know what I am talking about?" Referring to Chihiro.
Haku shrugged, Lin was a trustee friend he could count on besides his frog friend, Kamaji and other spirits but Lin spent more time with Chihiro than he, so it wouldn't hurt to try."We promised each other we meet again. If it weren't for our promise, I would try to forget her since she's mortal and I'm immortal. But I never could do it after I saved her from drowning in my river."
"She must of forgotten your guy's promise after exiting the tunnel, I mean what other chances of her returning to our world." Said Lin.
Haku sat motionless."The memories are never forgotten. Once you meet someone you never forget them. Takes awhile for your memory to deceive." He quotes the endless times visiting Zeniba in Swamp Bottom.
Zeniba assured him somewhere along the way Chihiro may recover her memories of the Spirit World, as long as she kept her purple hair ribbon. It lifted his spirits, she must of kept it. Zeniba said it would protect her.
As they sat, the moon shined bright giving the land some light. Lin asked another question."What would you do to see Chihiro again?"
The answer was obvious."The answer would be if it were obviously simple. Anything, but my only way of my connection of the human world was my river, that was before it was covered up. Now it seems I'm breaking my promise. If only I could go there."
"The human world?"
He nodded. Lin felt disgusted about the human world, her life-form she took on before she came to work at the bathhouse was a chipmunk. She visited the human world many times to gather her kind food to survive the winter but the land was destroyed by humans building a city. Lin never visited the world again.
"If it were possible for one day. Look for Chihiro as a human myself but its not possible since spirits and mortals are separated by different worlds."
"Maybe you can."
Lin and Haku looked around. "Who said that?"
"I did." A light floated over the two spirits. Both shield their eyes as the light got closer and closer. Then it slightly faded taking on its life-form. The Spirit was an angel with golden-orange hair flowing freely down her feet, wearing a light white, pink and red dress similar to a wedding dress floating down her ankles. Her complexion was light complexioned as the light surrounded her. Her eyes shone bright as stars. Tiny flowers formed like a crown on her forehead.
The three spirits bow. Haku was the first to speak."Who are you?"
"I am the Mother Spirit of the forest behind the Spirit Gate. It opens as magic forms together when little Spirits form together after the train ride to the gate that holds access to the human and Spirit World."
"I thought Yubaba opened it when Chihiro's contract obliterated." Said Lin.
The Spirit chuckled." Yes, but she only had little power for small access for the human to make it home safely across the river. Once the human crosses into the tunnel, the portal closes, and it erases memories of the experience so our world wouldn't be exposed to humans."
It made sense. But confusing at the same time."So, Chihiro doesn't remember this world." He stopped before saying himself.
"Kohaku, she may have lost her memories, but there may be a chance she could if she had brought something from this world." Said the Mother Spirit.
Lin pointed out."That purple hair band Zeniba made for her."
"What does that prove anything?" Hake said out of nowhere or curiosity.
"Not only does the food digest in her system, but small enough for her not to vanish into precise. I have seen everything when I was reunited with my forest after her exit of the tunnel. She looked back when her parents were inspecting their car. She remembered everything, including you Kohaku."
"Really?" He tries to keep hope.
She nodded."Yes, the ribbon sparked and her memories were erased, if she didn't have the hair ribbon in her hair, she wouldn't recall in her subconscious of her small meeting in the Spirit World. All of her erased memories have transferred deep in her subconscious. Her parents couldn't since they were old enough not to believe not only spirits but of magic."
"What you're saying is, it's like children are not afraid of monsters because it was like a stage. A stage of what humans call cooties." Lin making points of ideas.
The Spirit laughed."Yes, and Chihiro is part of it. She believes in magic, and somewhere along the line the memories played as dreams. Dreams are formed of wild imagination, memories of the past, encounter of bed time stories."
"She remembers?" asked Haku.
"It's possible." The Mother Spirit said.
Haku had an important question to ask."Mother of the Forest." Haku stood on two feet."Is there way I can visit the Human World if its possible for one day to find Chihiro. The human girl who stumbled this world eight years prior."
The Mother Spirit was silent for a long time. She considered her words carefully not to let the River Spirit have doubts about this tougher decision he will have to make."My dear Kohaku. There may be a way. But... the power I have pays a deadly price."
"What is it?" asked Haku.
The Mother Spirit lays her hand out for his."Give me your hand, its better for you to see than words can describe." he puts out his hand and they close their eyes. The Mother Spirits talks as images flow through his mind.
"The power I have can give you to become human for seventy-two hours to look for your human girl Chihiro pays a price." The Mother Spirit Said.
"What kind of price, and why three days?" Haku questions.
"Please do not interrupt. You were born of the wind, water and ground within you. I can grant you to take on a mortal-human form for three days, if you find your human for three days. You must take her where your river was once covered up. A small stream will be enough for both your feet to twine. A simple kiss will be enough, once you kiss her, both of you will be transported back to the Spirit World, and part of your eternal life form will form together as one. She will receive eternal life, and become a Spirit Forever. If you don't find her or if she doesn't accept your love, your life-form you are now and your inner dragon will suffer the fate your river once was for the next thousand years until you are back to yourself as your now."
"Is it like suffering illusions?"
The Mother Spirit looked him in the eye.''The illusion will be painful, but you will feel no pain on the outside but inside. If are willing to suffer the fate to find your human, I wish nothing more for any Spirit. Humans are like insects to humans. Spirits find them disgusting as humans see an insect. Some friendly, some not too friendly. They don't separate from the good and the bad. When Chihiro stumbled upon our world, some spirits could't take the time to see not all humans are destructive. She's one of them. It'll be painful to transfer you to find her but you can make it."
Haku was silent. If he chose to visit the human world and not have Chihiro confess her love. He would suffer illusions for the next thousand years. Or he can wait where he is now hoping she may come across the Spirit World, again.
Lin and the Mother Spirit watched him. They both felt sorry for him."The choice is yours and yours alone."
Haku took deep breath in."I will do it. I promised Chihiro we meet again. I'm not going to break my promise to her."
Lin tapped him."Haku! One small problem your forgetting, what about Yubaba not having her employee for the next seventy-two hours?"
"I'll shall have to leave a note."
Then it was settled. Haku was going to the Human World. He hopes the woman of his dreams come back to him. They will meet again as they had promised eight years ago.
Lin waved goodbye as the two Spirits disappeared. Lin was alone on the rooftop."Good luck!"
Unbeknownst to her Yubaba watched the whole thing. She silently wished good luck. It be nice to have her number one employee return. That she liked to see Haku suffer illusions. She get the kick out of that.
(A/N That was hard to write, and it took me awhile how would Haku visit the Human World. No its not Mother Nature if your wondering about the Mother Spirit. Mother Nature plays out in weather. So, in other good news I do own Mother Spirit.
Next chapter will be up later this week, it'll be my last time writing in the short amount of time due to my college classes. Its frustrating but i will upload as fast as I can. Leave a review, and till next time.)