Sen knew the boy needed to make his way back to the human world, but he had to walk back on his own. She could not approach the gate, it wouldn't open on their side if she was too close. She couldn't go fetch her parents, the boy would probably wake up before she got to them, then would wander off and disappear before she returned. Sen also couldn't let him sleep until he was ready to wake up, he would fade from the world within a few minutes. With a sigh she knelt next to the boy and rolled him onto his back.
Her hands began to glow with a faint blue light, her lips moved, an ancient spell muttered across her lips. "awaken." she whispered loud enough for the words to reach the boy's ears.
Within a few seconds his eyes opened and Sen could get a good look at him. He was still bound, the traumatic experience he had gone through in the human world, matched with the travel through the gate made his legs refuse to work. He watched the girl survey his injuries.
"You need to leave. I'll unbind you" she did, "You should get out of here before it gets dark."
"What happens then?" he asked in a small voice, laced with an accent she didn't remember.
"They light the lanterns, the spirits awaken, this entire field fills with water. You'll drown."
"It's better than being back there." he spoke so low, his throat sounded sore, and she could hear wheezing with every breath.
"Why was there fire?" Sen asked, tilting her head to the side.
"The forest outside of the tunnel is in flames. The sun is so hot. The lakes dried, the trees are dying. Dry trees are catching fire, the ocean is rising and getting hotter by the day."
"We've been cut off." Sen whispered, turning into a dragon before she had time to think. She lowered herself enough for the boy to climb onto her, he got the message and held on tight to her horns.
Haku glanced up when he saw the shadow that was his daughter float overhead. He squinted and frowned at the display he saw, a human.
"Sen..." he warned as soon as she touched down and changed back.
"I didn't have time to send him back, we need an emergency meeting of the council and the Heads. Something is happening in the human world and we need to know what it is!"
As soon as the meeting was assembled, and the human was fed, Sen stepped atop the platform to speak, "We need to close the gates permanently." she started.
A cry of outrage circled it's way around the room, "We thought you brought us here for an actual issue, not to haggle over the gates again."
"It is a serious issue. The planet is dying."
"Sen, dear, we would feel it." a gentle water sprite chastised gently.
"We've been cut off from that world. I don't know what exactly caused what. Did we get cut off because the human Earth is dying, or is it dying because we've been cut off. When was the last time anyone visited?"
There was silence in the room, no one could remember the last time they saw what they built in the other land. Sen motioned for the boy to come forward, ignoring the noses wrinkled in disgust.
"How is a human here?"
"She let one in?"
"How dare a human come to this meeting."
"This human told me what I needed to know. Look at him, he's burned and dirty." Sen started.
"Why do we care?"
"He's just a human."
"A smelly human."
"I forgot what human's smelled like."
"Please listen!" Sen cried, "He told me, the earth is getting hotter, the water is drying, the plants are dying. The sun is burning the planet!"
There was silence in the room, the boy did look worse for wear, the smell of human mixed with the smell of burnt flesh and fibers.
"Someone needs to investigate this." a new voice concluded.
All heads turned to look at the intruders, and suddenly every spirit was on the floor bowing in respect. The Twins of Life, Inochi and Jinsei, and Death, Shinigami, himself had joined their meeting.
"The very balance of our worlds is threatened by this new development." Death concluded, "Someone needs to go to the human side and try to revive it."
"I'll go." Chihiro stood, along with Haku, "We'll both go."
"Chihiro, you're quest has ended. The little human cannot be the protagonist in every tale." the Twins said together.
"Your daughter will go." Shinigami decided.
"But she-"
"She is one of the last humans allowed into this world, only you two can pass freely with our blessing, but we want her to go."
"But I don't remember any of it." Sen spoke up, "My life in the human world is but a figment in my imagination now, I don't even recall my old father's name."
"All the more reason for you to go, Sen. You won't be distracted by trying to find information of those long gone." Inochi started, "I'm sorry Chihiro, but your memories will hinder you. The world beyond those gates may be something you've never seen before. We shall send Sen, and allow her to keep her spirit powers."
Haku and Chihiro sighed in relief.
"However," Jinsei put in, "There will be a limit to what you can do. If you do not give yourself enough time to recover your strength, you will be stripped of your eternal life and left a human, with no recollection of the spirit world or your parents."
"I can do it." Sen nodded, "I will not let anyone down."
"This is as far as we can go. Just walk to the gate and don't look back. We'll see each other again, my daughter. I promise." Haku felt a sense of deja vu come over him as he spoke.
Chihiro watched the human and her daughter walk towards the gate, Sen hesitated slightly, her body tilted to the side to turn look back, but she caught herself and passed through with steal determination.
"Why did you tell me not to look back, all those years ago?" Chihiro couldn't help but ask.
"Because I wouldn't have been able to let you go."
A/N: You probably guessed it by now, this is a second part of this story. I could have made a different story for it, but it seemed right to continue it on the original.