"Is she going to be alright?"
"Of course she is Haku, the hair tie saved her from the spell."
"But why hasn't she woken up?"
"She will soon. Now go tend to her friends."
Chihiro felt a cool cloth on her forehead and a liquid slide down her throat before darkness consumed her again.
Haku walked into the other room, where Chihiro's friends stood looking flustered.
"Why couldn't we go home?" Rina asked with a teary voice.
"Let's start from the beginning. How did you meet Chihiro?"
"We've been friends since we started school. Our entire lives practically. What's that have to do with it?" Linnette asked looking confused.
"How old were you when you met Chihiro?"
"We were five, why?" Rina demanded.
"So Chihiro lived there her entire life?"
"Yes. Why are you asking so many questions?" Rina asked again.
"If she lived there her entire life, why did her friend write a card to her when she was ten saying, 'I'll miss you Chihiro, your friend Rumi?'" Haku looked between the girls.
"Because we were sent to protect her." Linnette whispered, "But I'm not supposed to know that...unless..."
"Unless our human identities died..." Rin said. "The car ride..."
"What car ride?" Haku asked urgently.
"We were at our new University. One of Chihiro's future instructors criticized a drawing she did of you. She was upset, so we told her that we should take a mini vacation at her family's home. We drove here and she...she went down the wrong path. She was going really fast. Too fast. When she stopped, we...we assumed that she stopped on her own. We didn't even look at the car..."
"That's why the barrier isn't letting you out. You're spirits now. But Chihiro..."
"She's the Savior." Linnette told him. "The spirit born in a human's body, on the human plane. The girl who had the encounter with the spirit world, who was able to see the other side, and chose to leave it. The selfless one who saved the dragon, her parents, and thousands of spirits the last time she was here. The Catalyst and the End. Her human facade is dead and now her real power is going to show."
"Well that explains the sleep." Zeniba's voice caused all three to jump up.
The old kind witch was standing in the doorway, with Rin and Kamajii behind her. Rin was caring for Chihiro, and Kamajii left the boiler to prepare a special potion to help her heal. Now he was heading back to the boiler to get the herbs to give her a different potion. One that would heal a spirit.
"You three need to get back to work. The lanterns need lighting. The guests will be arriving soon. Misa, Miyaki, well done in protecting her until the time came. Your work is done, if you wish, you may stay at the bathhouse and care for her."
The two girls who were once called Linnette (Misa) and Rina (Miyaki) bowed to Zeniba. "We shall protect her at all costs, until she is ready to save us all." Misa said.
"Am I in charge?" Rin asked Haku, as much as she would love to stay by her friend's side, one of them had to take charge of the bathhouse and Rin knew Haku wouldn't leave Chihiro for anything. Haku just nodded.
He walked into the room where she slept. Kamajii was administering the potion to her. The spider spirit turned and nodded before going back to the elevator. It didn't need saying, Kamajii knew the boiler needed to be prepared for the guests' arrival. Haku settled in a chair next to her bed, which was his bed originally, and took her hand. It felt ice cold.
"She's coming into her powers Haku. It's never been done before. A human with a spirit's soul. Her physical body needs to die before she can awaken." Zeniba said.
"But she did die. In the car accident."
"No. The hair tie kept her alive, but just barely. If she is found and revived, she will cease to exist in this world."
"So she is dying out there, alone. And if she dies, she'll never be able to go home. To assume a normal life. Zeniba I need to be out there."
Zeniba just nodded and handed Haku her seal. Haku was strong, but he needed to seal to amplify his magic and allow him into the human world. He would remain a spirit, with no solid form, but he would be able to be with her and help her choose. When he arrived, his heart stopped at what he saw. The car was a mess of twisted metal. The statue they slammed into was unharmed. The person in the passenger side was unrecognizable. The person in the back seat was halfway through the back window almost severed. The girl driving was lying on her back a few feet from the car. She didn't have a scratch on her but was barely breathing. The hairband had saved her from the initial crash, but when she entered the spirit world, it stopped sustaining her human body, leaving it to die.
"Haku..."
He looked up to see Chihiro a few feet from him.
"How am I here? I was in the bathhouse..."
"You're dying, both here and there. Chihiro you have to chose." he said sadly.
"Woah, start from the beginning." she begged, "I'm so confused."
"Before you were born, a Spirit was locked away in your soul. She is a warrior, one who was sent to save the spirit world from a foretold war. This war could rip apart all worlds. When the time came, you would be introduced to the spirt world, to awaken the Spirit inside you. When she was needed, she forced her way here. Your friends said you seemed possessed while driving down the road. It was her, taking control to remove herself from her human confines. If you chose to allow her to awaken there, you will die. The human you will be locked away inside of her until her duty ends, then she'll go back to sleep until the next war. If you wake up here, she will die, and neither of you will be allowed to return to this world."
"Save myself or save the worlds?" Chihiro whispered.
"I'm afraid those are the only options." he said sadly. "I'll lose you either way..."
"I'll still be there, Haku. If she's supposed to remain dormant until the next war, then I'll live as long as she does. Right?"
"I-it's likely." he said in awe. He hadn't thought of that possibility.
"I'll take the chance. Since I'll be locked away for a while...I guess I better just say it huh? I love you, Haku." she whispered, turning slightly pink.
He smiled and reached for her, his hand unable to feel her cheek. "I've always loved you.." he told her, "Now it's time to wake up." his lips moved towards hers, and both swore they could feel the others.
Back in Haku's room, the chestnut haired girl lying on the bed opened her dark cold eyes. Haku made his way back, bracing himself for the girl with Chihiro's face who would be lacking her humanity.
"Chihiro?" Zeniba asked, approaching the girl.
"No. Chihiro is the human who's body I lived in. Call me Sen."