I stood, realizing that I had unknowingly disrespected his title by calling him a nick name. How can I be so stupid? I can't walk into an office and address highly respected lords by nicknames

"Forgive me sir, it won't happen again!" I bowed showing my respect and sincerity. He looked at me over his should and smiled, that was the first time I've seen him smile sincerely. Warmth glowed through his smile which made my heart melt.

"You're too kind, I take no offense." He said I let go of a deep breath I didn't realize I was holding. "Believe it or not, I wasn't always the head of this bathhouse." He said, I chose to kept quiet before I end up saying something stupid again.

"Let me tell you a story about the last person who called me 'Haku'." He said, I was quietly waiting for his story to begin. " I trust you have time, there isn't somewhere you need to be correct?" he asked and I shook my head 'no'

"She was just a little girl I knew a long time ago. That was shortly before I reclaimed my true name 'Kohaku Nushi'." He stated

"Wait, 'reclaimed'? Your name was gone?" I asked, shit I just interrupted. I couldn't tell if he was angry or not looking at his expression. He continued on.

"Oh yes, in fact it was stolen from me. I was a slave to this bathhouse, a 'henchman' if you would. I was taken in by the previous owner of this bathhouse and enlisted for a job here. I signed my name away on a sealed contract and worked my worth for centuries... Miserable, I was used and tortured endlessly by my masters countless errands. Without my name there was no way of escaping the terrible fate I signed into. Like you I couldn't remember my name, my life started to follow the same endless pattern I so desperately wanted to escape. That is, until one day she came." He trailed off, listening closely he seems to be recalling a sincere moment in his life which meant allot to him. Why tell me all of this if it's so personal? Was he always this passionate about sharing his life story?

"I was also young at the time, yet I remember that day like it was this evening. I was doing my daily walk-through to be sure everything was as it should be before we opened for business the same time I always did. Later I was walking past that bridge, that one there." He pointed outside to the bridge Makoto and I crossed getting here.

"One moment the bridge was clear, the next she was there! I couldn't believe my eyes at first, so I got closer to see if she really was …human." He said

"But wait, I thought humans are rare around here?" I asked a little confused.

"Why yes they are, so rare that they are unwelcomed. I knew she had to leave as immediately because if I found her then my master could find her too. I told her to run, if she didn't make it back through the tunnel she would be spotted. Unfortunately she was too late." He rubbed his eyes, the memories are obviously taking a toll on his physical state.

"What happened to her?" I asked

"She was just a child, vulnerable. She could have been easily snatched by the locals and sold to a whore house, or worse. I pulled a few strings and was able to get her a job here at the bathhouse, it gave her time to save her parents from the slaughter house, you see her parents were..."

"Turned to pigs…" I whispered mostly to myself, but I knew he heard me. 'Mom, dad, where are you?!' I rubbed my temples, the scene in my mind hit me full force. I remember the horror of seeing the huge pigs sitting where my parents were supposed to be seated, dressed in similar clothing I was sick with fear. This was no longer a just little voice in my head, this is a memory. MY memory! I understand why he is telling me this story now, he is testing a theory. Telling me the story about the girl seems to be matching some of my lost memory, that must have been why he was asking me so many questions! To see if I fit the right description. But…I can't be! I don't know him and we have never met before! I I've never been here….have I? No, there's no way he knows who I am.

"The demolition of my river in the human world destroyed my soul. I was told 'apartments' where built over where it used to be"

"The Kohaku River…my shoe." I looked down at the pink shoes I was wearing now, recalling that faithful day I dove into the water after it. Another memory! This is too good to be true, I have memories! Haku seemed to be catching on that I knew where this was going.

"She was my light at the end of the tunnel, everyone despised her, but I was proud to protect her. I watched over her endlessly. I wanted to help her find her way home the way I never could." He went into detail with his story. He turned to look at me and leaned on the side of his desk.

"I wanted to be her savior. Ironically though, in the end she turned out to be mine. She discovered my name, my identity and helped me remember, she freed me..." He walked closer to stand in front of me. "I owe her everything I am, she was what I had been waiting for all those centuries and I didn't even know it. I knew she was special from the first moment I saw her, yet I had no choice but to let her go. I wanted her to stay here, with me. But, I didn't have the heart to force her." He said jokingly and chuckled at his own comment.

'Promise we will meet again someday?'

"Ever since that day, I've been waiting for the time that I would have an opportunity to see her again." Haku said sadly.

'I promise'

"Oh my god" I whispered and I went into disbelief, I started to break down uncontrollably, my legs became weak, causing me to fall backward into my chair. Partly with relief, and partly because of the intensity of regaining my memory.

"I promised."

The memories flowed in my mind like warm rushing water, Haku, the bathhouse, Yubaba, all of it! My name was Sen! I lived here for weeks working hard to free my parents from the spell that Yubaba cast on them because they pigged out on spirit food! I remember Lin! I remember No-face, Zeniba, and even her son Bo! The intensity of the emotions were completely overwhelming! I remember the stink spirit that turned out to be a god! I remember the giant chunk of coal I threw into the fire! I remember those terrible paper birds that swarmed and cut me open! I remember trying to desperately wake Haku before we fell to our deaths. I remember the medicine I force fed him!

"Chihiro?"

That's me! that's my name! I finally know my name! Oh god it feels so amazing to know my real name again!

I remember free-falling through the clouds over the big blue ocean with Haku, we were so happy we knew who we were at last. We were free, we were invincible.

Uncontrollable tears started to pour out my eyes, when my memories returned. Haku knelt on one knee in front of me and reached out to move a stray hair away from my face to look me in the eye.

"Is it you? Is it really you Chihiro?" I nodded, still sobbing. I looked at him to see his blue eyes looking at me pleadingly. "Please…is it true? After all these years?" He said quietly

"How did you know?" I choked through tears. He smiled big and pulled me into a warm hug. I cried even harder on his shoulder while he rubbed my back calming my sobs. He didn't care that I was ruining his kimono, he just held me tighter.

"I could never forget you Chihiro." He held me tighter. "I thought I'd never see you again…"

"I've missed you." I said. My memories reclaimed and my old friendships given new light, at last I finally feel whole again.

"I've missed you more." He said.