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She could not bear to look at the still Haku. Her claws dug into the ground, black fire burning the grass away. Inside, her human consciousness remained. Covering her face, she mourned at the thought of the river spirit. Haku Haku Haku! she screamed. Why did they have to do this to you?

"She's in agony!" Daichi gritted his teeth. Prepared to transform, he headed towards Chihiro and the leader. "I have to stop her from doing any more harm!" Even after one step, the girl whipped her head towards his direction. Don't come any closer!

Flames broke out, separating him from the two spirits. A circle surrounded them, concerning the leader. "D-Dark Fear! Go!" he shouted. Roaring, the dark dragon slammed head first into Chihiro. As if nothing had happened, the girl let out a growl.

Just as the Dark Fear had done, she created a blast of destruction. This time, the Dark Fear whimpered, slowly decaying into dust. "What?" the ancient spirit gasped. This has gone too far!

The leader stared in awe, hoping the spirit would not see him. Meanwhile, inside Chihiro's mind, the girl lay still in the darkness. Her sobs echoed, causing her own mind to be engulfed in shadows. Why did this have to happen? Why did the Dark Fear have to take Akira? Why did we have to move?!

Once she said that, her body floated down to the ground. Green grass suddenly sprouted, with a white fence surrounding an empty area. To her confusion, a house immediately built itself: windows, a blue door, a small garden, and a sidewalk that led down the road.

Wind gently touched her skin, the sun warming her wet cheeks. "Where… Where is this place?" she wondered. The door to the white house opened, revealing her mother. "M-Mother?" she whispered.

"Chihiro! What are you doing out there! It's a party! Come back in," she smiled, motioning her to come. Dazed, her feet moved on their own, approaching the house. Pushing the fence door open, she pondered, This is a dream, right?

As her mother let her in, a few people cheered. "Where'd you go, Chihiro?" her uncle said with a booming voice. Her friends raced towards her, grabbing her and pulling her towards the yard. "Yui, Kaori," she blinked. "What-"

"Come on!" Kaori insisted. "There's a special someone who wants to give you something!" Bursting through the back door, a few other teenagers and adults were standing by, casually conversing. The one who stood farthest, towards the cliff was a boy. "Who's… Who's that?" Chihiro wondered.

"Huh?!" Yui exclaimed. "Don't you know who your own boyfriend is? Geez, did something happen when you were gone?" Kaori sighed. Walking towards him, she felt he looked familiar. Sea green eyes, green hair that grew down to his shoulders.

However, it was not him. He had much shorter hair. "Haku…?" Chihiro called out. Blinking, the boy touched her forehead. "Are you sick?" he asked. "You seem to act strangely today. Since when do you call me Haku?"

Turning around, her friends also looked at her worriedly. Trying to act calm, she smiled. "Sorry, today's not my day! What did I miss?" Yui and Kaori sighed. "You said you needed a moment before Kohaku was going to give you a gift!" Yui whispered.

A gift? Kohaku rummaged through his pocket, finding a small box. Her friends were tense, eagerly waiting for what he had. Taking Chihiro's hand, he slipped a ring onto her forefinger. With a gasp, Yui silently cheered, while Koari jumped excitedly.

Examining it closely, the ring was a simple ocean blue gem. "Pretty," Chihiro murmured to herself. "T-Thank you, Kohaku." He smiled happily, wrapping his arms around her. She relaxed, enjoying the horizon and enjoying party.

"Yubaba!" Daichi shouted to the appearance of the witch. Clutching her sleeve was Akira, who nervously glanced at the bodies. "Why have you come?" the ancient spirit frowned. "He felt something was wrong," the witch explained while staring at the dragon. "That's why I came."

Akira found the frantic dark dragon, along with the cowering leader. "Who… Who is that?" the boy asked. Not knowing how to explain it to the brother of the spirit, Yubaba looked away. "Is my sister here?" Yubaba tried to change the subject. Daichi shook his head. "She's caring for the wounded at the bathhouse."

"Don't ignore me!" Akira snapped. "What is that? Where is my sister?" Daichi met his terrified gaze. "You're looking at her," he said with a monotone voice. His eyes wide, he continued to stare at the wild shadow dragon. "Sis," he whispered. Searching for Haku, he found him within the flames.

Without hesitation, he ran through the black flames. "Akira!" Yubaba yelled. "No!" Ignoring their desperate calls, he finally made it to the unconscious spirit. Shaking his shoulder, he tried not to stare at the red stain growing on his clothes. "Haku!" he sobbed, tears forming in his eyes. "You gotta' wake up! You've gotta' help sis! Come on, wake up! You promised! Sis! Sis!"

Hearing his shouts of frustration, the dragon flew up. A giant orb of darkness suddenly formed, even larger than the Dark Fear's. "Akira! Get down!" Daichi shouted, raising a hand to the boy for a force field. The boy continued to scream for his sister, watching as the orb finally exploded to the ground.

Everything lit up. The ground cracked, chunks of rocks flying everywhere. Warriors tried to run away, but flew away from the massive blast. From the bathhouse view, Lin and the others watched as the valley lit up. Wind fiercely blew at the spirit's, terrifying them at what the result was. "What's going on there, Haku?" she growled.

"I told you not to break her heart!" she snapped, a twig scratching her cheek. Akira's cries echoed into the dragon's mind, reaching to her imaginary home. Still in Kohaku's arms, she twitched at the sound of Akira's voice. "Akira?" she called out. "Akira?" Kohaku narrowed his eyes. "Who's that?"

Smelling the scent of her boyfriend, it was not the familiar smell of the sea. Instead, it was cologne bought at a cheap store. "Who are you people?" she demanded, pushing the boy away. "What are you talking about?" Kaori snapped.

The adults began to approach, wondering what they were arguing about. "This is just a dream," Chihiro told herself. "You are all just what I wanted. I wanted to have someone to love, a life where nothing I had experienced ever happened!"

Just as she said that, her ring began to crack. "I never wanted this," she continued. "Sure, there's a war going on. But I'm sitting here, waiting for myself to snap!" Kohaku touched her shoulder. "What are you saying, Chihiro? I'm your boyfriend, Kohaku-"

"Don't touch me!" the girl snapped. "You don't exist!" Startled by her words, he backed away. "Ch-Chihiro…" Glancing at his hand, he noticed he was disappearing, just like everyone else. Shards fell from her blue ring as she spoke.

"I don't want a life like this," she gritted her teeth. "I want to see my friends! I want to see my brother! I want to see Haku! I love him!" The ring finally shattered into pieces. Like glass, the image of her dream shattered, returning her to the darkness. Spotting a small sparkle of light above, she reached out for it.

I need to see everyone! They need my help! A hand suddenly appeared from the light, offering Chihiro a hand. Determined, she grabbed it, finding herself pulled into a flashing light. Opening her eyes, she felt dizzy and exhausted. Falling to the ground, she felt the rubble in her hands. "I'm back," she said, shaking. Glancing around, she tried to see where she was.

Chunks of rocks and dirt fell everywhere, the sky darkened with thunder and lightning. The valley where she came from was now flat plains. Large trees were now on the ground, with only stumps remaining. A few spirits struggled to free themselves from the heavy rubble.

Did I… do this? Standing up weakly, she limped around. "Akira? Yubaba? Daichi?" she hopelessly called out. "Haku?" Noticing a hand twitching from under a rock, she used her strength to push it off. "Sis…" the wounded boy croaked. "You're… You're back… That's good… Good…"

Realizing it was Akira, she pulled his legs from the dirt. "Akira!" she cried out desperately, cupping his face. "Don't give up! Akira, don't worry everything's going to be alright. Is there anyone else…?!"

His shaky finger pointed next to her. Another body! Digging through the small rocks, she found Haku. "Haku!" she wailed, pulling him out. Dragging him next to Akira, she noticed his wound still severe. "It's my fault," she thought. "My fault…"

A few feet behind her, rocks moved with a thump. Yubaba and Daichi found the three at the center of the battlefield. "Chihiro!" Daichi grunted. "You're back." As soon as they reached them, a hand suddenly appeared from a hill of dirt.

The leader appeared, part of his armor destroyed from the blast. Panting, he picked up his sword, struggling to hold it with his weak hands. "You… What are you?!" he screeched.

Standing back up, Chihiro finally found her katana. "Take care of them," she said. "No, Chihiro!" Yubaba narrowed her eyes. Daichi held her back. "Leave her," he told the witch. "She must do this." Between the two spirits, nothing was left to lose.

With a battle cry, the leader charged at her. Their swords clashed, the silver blades, creating red sparks. "I shall not lose to a girl like you!" he spat. Chihiro grunted, feeling herself being pushed back. Taking a stronger stance, she pushed forward.

Dark shadows appeared from her katana, growing stronger and stronger. Noticing his mighty sword disappearing from the flames, he released the sword from the painfully flames. "How can I be defeated?" he growled, desperately finding a way to escape.

Quickly running from her, he tripped over the rubble and fallen spirits. He turned around, trying to see if she was running after him. Without paying attention, he slammed into something. Looking up, a gate had suddenly appeared.

Turning around to Daichi, he knew he had summoned it. "Be gone!" he ordered. The gates creaked open, revealing a dark portal. Sucked in, the leader screamed as the doors started to close. "I… I will return!" he maniacally screamed.

Chihiro turned back, limping back to Haku and Akira. "Akira's fine," Daichi assured. "Just a twisted arm. But Haku…" The girl stared at the unconscious river spirit. "His wound has taken its toll." Haku? Chihiro touched his cold skin. "I'm a newborn, right Daichi?" she questioned.

"Yes, but-" The ancient spirit's eyes widened. "What are you going to-" Chihiro bent down beside Haku. "I'll give him my life."