The Dark Fear glared at the dragon spirit, whose katana was stained with black liquid. The water underneath it darkened in black smoke. The dragon's red eyes closed until they were tiny slits. Charging swiftly at Haku, its claws aimed for his arm. He deflected it with a clang of the sword and its sharp claw. Backing away, Haku watched as the dragon flew a few feet away from him. Why is it pausing? he frowned. It was as if the spirit was fighting itself. "Dark Fear," he muttered to himself. He clutched his arm, feeling it turning numb from pain. "What are you fighting?"
Chihiro began to feel her senses returning to her. The humans I have possessed have not fought this hard as you, the Dark Fear commented. Why do you have hope? Frowning at his question, she snapped, "Why do I have hope? I want to live! I… I…" She looked down at her feet. "I have things I still need to do," she murmured to herself. "I want to finish school, get a job, marry someone, live with him until I grow old…" The Dark Fear quietly waited for her to finish. You humans have useless dreams, it sighed with boredom. She felt her body feel free of the cobwebs. The voice inside her head began to fade, just like the darkness surrounding her.
Finally, she returned to the Spirit World. However, she was not standing on the calm waters of the sea, not like when she had finished her first and last bathhouse job with the wealthy river spirit. She was pinned down against the water, her wrists tightly gripped with strong cold hands. She looked up, gazing into the sea emerald eyes of the river spirit she had loved. His startling gaze pierced her heart, causing her to widen her eyes in shock. That's… that's Haku! Haku's right in front of me! Haku! Her voice would not speak his name. Only utters came out of her throat. She happened to realize her hood covered her face. "What is your true identity, Dark Fear?" he growled.
Dark Fear? W-What? I… I… I was… The human teenager suddenly remembered. During her conversation with the Dark Fear, Haku was fighting with the form of the Dark Fear using her body. Before he raised the katana to her forehead, she tried to spill his name out of her lips. "H… Ha… Hak-ku…" The blade froze in the air, hearing her stutter his name. Frowning, he lowered the katana, his other hand reaching towards her hood. Haku slowly revealed her face, his green eyes widening. Chihiro's battered gaze stared back at him, panting from being in the state of a dragon spirit. Haku stood up, kneeling beside her. "C-Chihiro," he gasped, holding her exhausted head up. "What… What are you doing here?"
The girl could only sigh in relief. Recognizing her short breaths and dark eyes, he found the area where Setsu had injected her with poison. He took a small ball of water, touching her palm. Purple liquids began to appear, taking out the poison. Chihiro felt his hand tremble under her head. Finally feeling her strength return to her, she weakly lifted her hand up to his face. Touching his cold, wet cheek, she could only murmur what was repeating in her mind. "Haku," she whispered. He pulled her up to his chest, laying her head on his shoulder.
As he stroked her hair and embraced her tightly, he silently thought how he was about to hurt the one he had loved. "I'm sorry, Chihiro," he apologized. He heard a softly chuckle. "Don't worry, Haku," she replied, tugging his kimono sleeve. "I'm just glad I got to see you before… before…" Narrowing his eyes, he let go of her and stared at her in confusion. "Before what?" he was afraid to ask. Hesitant, the girl touched her arm. No… It couldn't be…?! He gently grabbed her arm, unraveling the bandages she wrapped around it. Examining her skin, he could only stare in disbelief. Black tiger stripe-like marks covered her arm. She could only look away from his horrified gaze. Dark Fear! he glared at the sky. Chihiro buried her face into his chest, trying not to believe anything was real. "Are you alright?" he worriedly asked. "Are you in pain? Dizzy?"
The girl shook her head. She attempted to stand up, only to stumble back down. Haku caught her by the waist, wondering what caused her to fall. Noticing the red stain on her stomach, he asked, "Were you… Were you that girl at the festival?" Chihiro looked up at him in surprise. "How did you know?" Her voice was as sweet as honey, calming the river spirit but at the same time lighting his heart on fire. Her calm, soft eyes gazed into his, sparkling like stars in the light. "You had the same injury when I caught you falling down," he explained. "You klutz." The human softly laughed. "By the way it looks, it got worse," Haku narrowed his eyes. Carrying her in his arms, he said, "Let's get you back to the bathhouse." Chihiro did not complain, only to cuddle in Haku's strong arms and warmth of his chest. I've missed this feeling, she thought, closing her eyes in exhaustion.
Before the sun fully sunk into the water, Haku and Chihiro finally reached the top level of the bathhouse. When Yubaba and Lin discovered the state the girl was in, they squealed in fright. "Get the bandages," Yubaba ordered the spirit. As Lin raced to find the medicines, Yubaba examined Chihiro's arm. "It's gotten worse," she muttered. Noticing the gifts from Zeniba and No-Face, she frowned. "Where have you been, down at the festival?" she snapped angrily. The girl quietly shook her head. Touching the necklace, she explained, "They were from Zeniba and No-Face." The witch's eyes darkened. Snapping her fingers, three chairs floated towards them. "Sit," she ordered. "You have a lot to explain."