It had been three days since Haku was supposed to take Boh to visit Zeniba, and Haku still hadn't returned. Boh had, Chihiro knew this when she went to visit Yubaba to get a job. She still smiled at Boh's reaction.

"Sen? SEN!" The giant baby charged at her and lifted her up, crushing her ribs and sternum. "SEN I MISSED YOU! YOU WERE GONE FOR SO LONG!"

"It was only eight years" Yubaba mumbled, "You spent more time than that asleep."

"It was still a long time. I missed her" Boh retaliated and tried to pull her into his room. "Mommah make Sen my official playmate!"

"WHAT?" Yubaba was furious at the thought.

Chihiro intervened "Actually I wanted to go back to my old job. Working with Lin."

"Yes ok. You'll also be working with Haku" Yubaba told her.

Chihiro tried to hide her disdain. She knew Haku wasn't happy about her being engaged and she didn't know why.

"He loves you," Lin's voice broke through Chihiro's day dream.

"Haku? Are you crazy? He doesn't care for me that way. He probably thinks of be as a pesky human." Chihiro said.

"Why don't you just ask him?" Lin asked, "He'll tell you the truth."

"How am I supposed to ask him? I haven't seen him in three days!"

"When he gets back you dolt. He'll have to come back soon." Lin shook her head, "You missed a spot" she said pointing to the tub that Chihiro had been scrubbing. The whole tub was dirty, since Chihiro was just focusing on one spot during her whole day dream.

"You better stop day dreaming, Yubaba is going to be furious"

Chihiro sighed and threw her back into cleaning that tub.

Six days later, still no word from Haku. Chihiro's human stench had finally faded and she was sore all over, but she could finally keep up with Lin and the rest of the girls.

She was in the middle of scrubbing the big tub when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I have something to show you" Came a familiar voice.

Chihiro turned to see Haku walking away. She followed him out to the bridge, then passed it. He took her back to the spot where he had heard her cry 8 years ago. She looked at him.

"What is it?" She finally asked when he made no move to turn around. Still he didn't turn.

"Haku, I have to get back to work, what?" She put her hand on his shoulder and he turned, his eyes were red, his hair turned black and his clothes was replaced by a blue shirt and pants. "Stay away from me" he said angrily. "You are nothing but a disgusting human and I never want to see you again. I'm sorry you came back, and I'm glad you're engaged. Get out of here and go home, I'm marrying the Ocean Spirit."

'Haku' pushed her and she fell back, and kept falling until she landed in an ocean. The green water filled her nose and pushed passed her lips into her mouth she coughed and tried to return to the surface only to get yanked back down again. All she could hear was an angry voice chanting, "He's mine, mine, mine, mine, MINE!" Just as her vision was turning black a force moved under her. She was gripping horns and getting pulled to the surface. When she broke the surface of the water she woke up.

"Chihiro?" She was being shaken hard, her lungs were screaming for air. She felt felt pressure on her chest and someone put their lips to hers. She felt her chest rise as air was forced down her lungs. She felt her body jerk and she barely made it on her side before a cascade of water erupted from her mouth.

"What happened?" Her throat was raw and her mouth tasted like salt water.

Haku was standing over her along with Lin and the girls in the room.

"A spell was put on you. Tell me, was there a girl here at the bathhouse earlier? She has black hair, red eyes, and always wears a blue dress? Goes by the name of Kai?" he asked Lin.

"Um, yah, there was a girl here I think. I didn't see her." Lin answered.

"I did. She just wanted a bath and a meal. She was nice until..." Yousei trailed off.

"Until what?" Haku demanded.

"Until Lin and Sen walked by talking about you. She got real angry and the water started to boil. Then she left abruptly"

Haku nodded, "I knew it. She came here to investigate, what were you two talking about?" He asked Lin and Chihiro.

"Sen was asking me about Soren, if she was powerful, and other stuff." Lin bit her lip.

"I was asking her if you were lying about not wanting her." Chihiro said bluntly, "She said that you cared about me and that Soren meant nothing. I guess she didn't hear when I called Lin a liar"

Haku blinked at Chihiro, "But I do...I mean, that explains it. She put a spell on you to enter your dreams and drown you from them."

Chihiro groaned, then winced from the pain in her throat. "Great, a jealous Ocean Spirit is trying to kill me."

Haku nodded, "You shouldn't worry, I'll tell her that you are to be married to someone else. She'll leave you alone."

Chihiro winced from the cool tone in his voice. It was as if she was a child again and he was telling her not to speak to him and to address him as Master.

"Good, I have a lot of work to do, and I don't have time to deal with jealous girls. So let all your other females know." she said angrily, even though her voice shook.

Chihiro stood up and turned her head so he wouldn't see the tears, "Haven't seen you in eight years, then I get dragged back here, only to be attacked."

She turned on her heel and ran out of the room.

Haku winced from her words, "Chihiro wait" he tried to follow her, but she was fast for a human. He sighed then hung his head. "I keep messing up" he mumbled.

"Yah you do" Said Lin, who had been quiet throughout the entire exchange. "You took of for almost a week and left her here alone."

That thought just made Haku feel more horrible. He walked out of the room and tried to find her.

When he finally found her, Chihiro was curled up in the pig pen crying. She had thrown stuff around, but the pigs didn't mind. Haku stood in the entrance of the pen, his heart felt like it was being sliced right down the middle. He had never meant to hurt her that bad. He was about to take a step in when he sensed someone behind him. He turned around and came face to face with Soren. She was beautiful, this was true. Her hair was the color of midnight, and her eyes the color of a red moon. Always clothed in blue, she looked serene. That fact made her dangerous.

"Haku, I didn't know you played with pigs" she said looking past him to Chihiro. "What do you see in her, she's not even pretty." She flicked her hand and Chihiro was pulled from her hiding place and forced to float between the two spirits.

Soren lifted Chihiro's chin, "She's ugly even. Her face is all dirty and her hair is a mess. Her clothes are tacky." She turned Chihiro around, "She has no potential. So scrawny. Her hips are narrow, she'll never be able to bear children. She doesn't even have the right type of curves." She flicked her hand again and Chihiro was released, the young woman fell in a heap on the floor.

"That's enough" Haku said and moved to help Chihiro up. He tugged on her hand and pulled the human behind him to shield her.

"I didn't hear you deny it." Soren said with a scornful laugh. "Just admit that she has nothing on me."

Haku gave her a dangerous look. Chihiro gasped when she saw traces of the dragon in his human features.

"You're right. She doesn't have the beauty you do." Haku admitted. Chihiro looked as if he slapped her, "She's more beautiful than you'll ever be. She is kind, and selfless. The first time she was here she allowed herself to be under Yubaba's contract to save her parents. She saved me from the curse on Zeniba's Seal, and the slug Yubaba used to control me. She put her life in danger to go ask for forgiveness on my behalf and she was smart enough to figure out Yubaba's test." He looked back at Chihiro then to Soren, "Her soul is beautiful as is her heart. Your heart is a shriveled black thing."

Soren looked at Haku then burst out laughing, "The River Dragon is in love with a human!" she said then suddenly turned dangerous.

The air around Chihiro changed and suddenly she was caught in a cube of water. The water was crushing her and forcing it's way into her nose and mouth. Chihiro couldn't move and could only look in panic. Haku forced his way into the cube and the water turned into air as Haku manipulated the molecules to feed her oxygen, then he broke the cube.

"Never do that to her again." he said in a low voice to Soren. "Leave now."

He picked up Chihiro, who had fallen into a heap on the floor, and carried her to the bathhouse.