First off, I would like to apologize how long it's been, but it's been a hard couple of years for me. I'm so happy to be back writing and I'm hoping to finally settle down and finish this story where I last left it. So, thank you if you decide to read and enjoy!

Chihiro looked down at her hands and examined them. They were only barely beginning tobecome translucent which was a good sign. She had more time to plan how she would make her way through the spirit world without being noticed. She was nervous to eat anything fancy like her parents had the first time they were here. What if the smallest piece made her lose control and shove as much food as she could down her throat until she became a pig? Ugh, not an appealing thought. She wished she knew where Haku had gotten that berry from.

Haku…the name made her body tingle, starting with a flutter in her stomach. Knowing he was this close now made it so tempting to go running head first into the bathhouse and tackle him. She mentally shook her head. He wasn't expecting her to turn up in his life again. He probably intended for it to go that way the moment he let go of her hand.

As for getting to Zeniba's…that seemed impossible. She wasn't even near the train tracks. There was definitely a path on foot somewhere but she was unfamiliar with the area outside the bathhouse and she couldn't count that it wasn't flooded from the frequent rainstorms this world experienced.

'Get down.'

Chihiro's hair tugged down sharply as she tossed herself behind a cluster of large boulders. She was getting used to the little voice and its tugging though it was starting to irritate her scalp she thought as she rubbed the sore spot near her ponytail. She inched herself to edge of the rock to search out into the darkness.

Four figures marched along the path. As they moved they clanked from their shining armor. It wasn't much armor but they had chest plates and helmets with bizarre emblems carved into them.

"Guards…," she questioned to herself. She was told to hide from guards who could very well help her find her way around? This voice seemed to be confused. She made a move to get up.

'No, stay down Chihiro! I want you to wait until they have moved past you a good amount. Follow them into the forest. From there, you should be shown where to go.'

"But, why? These are guards for the spirit world, they can help me," she reasoned. If she was back in the human world, people would think she was nuts, talking to herself. The voice didn't answer her. She would obey it for now. It seemed to know what was going on more than she did.

Chihiro poked her head out when the clanking was out of earshot. Luckily, the dark of the night hid her in shadow and the moonlight reflected off the shining armor of the guards. She could see them from a safe distance. She followed their glowing forms and watched as they approached a dark forest.

She stopped a good length away from where the guards had entered the forest. The trees were more than double the height of any tree she had ever seen, not to mention the forest was thick and little moonlight shone through the leafy tops. It had been a long time before she felt real fear in her body. The push of adrenaline through her body made her limbs heavy. She knew she had to go in but the impending darkness made her uneasy. Who knew what was lurking in there? The spirit world was no doubt different than the last time she had been here and who was to say something wouldn't try to eat her? Besides…she was alone. No magic, no physical guide, just a voice and her instinct. If she even made it to Zeniba she was going to demand a portable light source. Darkness and Chihiro were not friends.

She took big steps, one at a time into the forest that turned into a quick paced walk. She could face whatever waited for her in the darkness.

'I can so do this. I'm a powerful human that can ward off any magical spirit monster I come across…totally.'

She ran towards where she thought she saw the glimmer of the guards, but stopped short when her eyes spotted nothing. She was beginning to panic. The guards were nowhere in sight and the darkness felt like it was closing in around her. Chihiro spun around in circles trying to follow what traces of a path she could find. She started in a run toward what looked like a forked path and collided head first into a tall pole.

"Ow…," she held the top of her head as she looked at the supposedly camouflaged object. It was a sign of sorts telling which direction led where. The only problem was…it was in the language of the spirits.

"If you think I know how to read this," she looked up pretending the voice came from that direction, "you're way off."

When she got no answer she kicked the sign in frustration. She stared at the letters trying to make out something as an 'T' or 'B'…nothing. She put her head in her hands and sighed.

"Haku, Granny, anyone…I need help," so far she had seen no one she was familiar with and now she grew worried. Maybe they were unaware of her presence here and it would remain that way until she disappeared from lack of eating.

'Speaking of that…' she opened her eyes and could faintly see through her both of her entire hands. It was beginning to affect her and now her limited time was sinking in.

'Chihiro…come to the left now. Follow the signs with a triangle symbol in the beginning of the word. You'll be here in no time.'

Chihiro breathed in relief. That voice was unmistakably Zeniba's. Her cry for help must have worked! She obeyed the welcoming voice and started into a brisk walk towards the left direction.

Kazan POV

"Quick, guide her back! I'll distract him for now," she shouted as she fought off the impending army.

"But Kaz-," Koku began to protest.

"Just run! I have a lot to settle with this boy," she tossed her arm over her shoulder bidding them to continue. Seriously, that girl better listen to her. There was no time to dilly dally during a fight.

She cast a quick look over her shoulder watching Koku run with Chihiro. Good. Now she had time to beat the living shit out this kid. She turned back to him fully and dropped into a fighting stance. Hell, she was going to do it with her bare hands.

"So you've been against us from the beginning, huh," she watched him closely, surrounded by his earthy creations, "how long have you been lying to us?"

Heiwa looked down for a moment and opened his mouth as if to say something but closed it again.

"You mean was I lying to you," he brought his eyes to her face seeking her reaction. Her face scrunched in disgust.

"If that's what I wanted to ask I would have asked it! You've gone against her trust…our mission to keep Chihiro safe…you were ready to hand her over just like that," her voice grew smaller, "Suddenly, I wouldn't believe anything you told me."

"Kazan, everything I do, I do it for a reason…"

"I don't want to hear it," she cried, sending out a whirl of flames around her. Heiwa was just able to shield his face in time as the flames whipped across his bare arms. He let out a cry of pain as he fell hard onto the rough ground. Kazan almost wanted to reach out and help him…almost. She put all sentimental thoughts from her mind and hardened her expression.

"You'll be thrown in confinement the moment we return to the Spirit World for treason against your master," she huffed and looked away from his slumped form feeling pangs of guilt, "anything you want to say before I knock you into next week?"

Heiwa rested his head on the dirt for a moment before he slumped himself into a kneeling position. He looked to Kazan with a sad smile.

"You would never believe me now," he closed his eyes as she hit the back of his neck with a little too much force than necessary.

"Damn right I won't believe you…"

Chihiro POV

Chihiro had never been in this part of the great woods before. The trees were endless and blocked the dark night sky above her. She was still afraid she would get lost in the thick darkness, but perhaps it was better this way for the sake of her remaining hidden. Chihiro stopped at the next sign, the one with the triangle as she was told, but there was arrow telling her which direction to go. Chihiro waited, unsure what to do. "Granny..," she questioned out loud. Only silence greeted her. Chihiro looked all around her. There were only two paths leading in the direction she was facing.

"I could guess…," she whispered to herself looking at the enormous tree trunks surrounding her. Suddenly, through the trees she saw moonlight shining into a clearing, a small open space in the middle of the unending trees. Chihiro was instantly drawn to it and made her way over cautiously. How strange for a part of the forest to be missing. If anything the spirit world seemed a place for nature to grow relentlessly. Chihiro peeked around the rough bark of a tree into the clearing and nearly gasped. She was not prepared at all for what she saw. The clearing was not simply an open space…the trees in the area had been cut down. The trees must have been easily a hundred feet tall and old, very old. What spirit would do such a thing? Cutting down ancient trees for what reason? Chihiro gripped onto the tree as she looked upon the lone stumps that remained of the fallen trees. She swore she could almost hear the sadness of the other trees in the forest. A movement in the shadows caught her attention.

She saw creatures move into the clearing with torches and pressed herself down into a crouch. They were hideous for spirits, she wasn't even sure they were spirits. They stood with severe hunches and held their torches with long clawed fingers. The flames of the torches illuminated their greasy skin and harsh features. Their brows were heavily defined and each of their faces wore a tight grimace. Chihiro felt her heart begin to race and her adrenaline kick in. Something was definitely wrong with their presence here. A black figure appeared at the very edge of the clearing observing. It was the tallest and lankiest of the group, yet it held no torch. The creatures looked to it as if it were in command. The black figure drew in a long breath.

"Burn it all, so they may never grow again," it spoke in a deep slick voice clearly masculine. The creatures each let out shrill cackles and threw their torches throughout the clearing setting the stumps on fire. The surrounding trees shrieked in fear at the sight of the growing flames. The black figure reared its head back and laughed showing his crooked teeth. Chihiro fell back onto the ground in disbelief. She remembered that gruesome smile from her dream. 'It wasn't just a dream…', she thought shaking slightly. Her eyes welled into tears as she willed herself to run back to the sign. She ran blinded by tears into a solid person. She gasped in fear and looked up. It was Zeniba.

Chihiro sighed in relief and threw her arms around the old witch. Zeniba smiled and gently patted her back soothingly. Remembering herself, Chihiro stepped back.

"The forest is on fire! They-they set it on fire…and the trees," she pointed in the direction of the clearing, "What do we do, granny?"

"I'm afraid there is little we can do. I have only been managing to control the size of the fires, but these villains seek to destroy the forests," Zeniba placed her hand on the small girl's shoulder, "Come, and I will explain everything."

Chihiro nodded shortly and allowed Zeniba to lead her down the correct path.

Once Chihiro was sitting comfortably at the table with a cup of tea in her hands, Zeniba sat and became very serious.

"The world has become polluted," she began, "we don't know how this came to be, but it has slowly been taking control of the spirits that live in this realm. You remember that stink spirit you saved by cleansing him?"

"Of course I do, but doesn't that mean there is a way to cleanse this world of pollu-," Zeniba held up her hand.

"It is not the same. That spirit could be helped because it was his river, in the human world, that was affected, but here," she shook her head sadly, "It directly affects the spirit and makes it impossible to restore them to their original state. The pollution takes a hold of the spirit and controls them, mind and body."

Chihiro placed her head in her hand and closed her eyes. The spirits were essentially fading. What would become of the spirit world?

"It will be destroyed. The pollution will not stop until it has taken hold of every last spirit," Zeniba answered as if reading her thoughts. Chihiro looked at her helplessly.

"Why am I here then? What can I possibly do to help," Chihiro rubbed her temple. If the pollution was after the spirits, it was after everyone she cared for. Even Haku, as invincible as he seemed to her, he would be at risk too.

"You are the only person, spirit or human, to be able to restore a spirit to its original state. I'm not only talking about that stink spirit. I mean Haku as well. You were able to help him regain his power with your love. That is a special gift and we believe that you have the ability to save many of us."

"How did this even happen, granny? How could this pollution get into spirit world? I thought this realm is only affected by what we humans do to nature," she swirled the teacup in her hands and watched the liquid inside spin.

"It entered into this world through a darkness that existed here. For how long it has been here, we don't know, but it is the only possible way the pollution could have entered this world. It manipulated its way here though a spirit." Chihiro gave a slight shudder at the image of a spirit overcome with darkness.

"You keep saying 'we'. Who are you talking about?"

"You have already met her if only in a dream," Chihiro gave her a puzzled look, "The goddess of course. She believes you hold the key to restoring our world. Simply by you being back here is proof enough. Isn't it?"

Chihiro remembered the dream of the beautiful woman and gazed intently at the wooden table deep in thought. She had a purpose here after all. Her strange dreams were truly insights onto what was going on back in the spirit world.

"And the goddess thinks I can do this how," Chihiro scratched at the wood of the table. She suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Just because she had managed to save a few spirits didn't mean she could save a whole world from being destroyed. It was too much and she wasn't sure she was capable. She looked at Zeniba who offered her a small smile and looked past her.

"You should ask her…" Chihiro raised her eyebrows and turned to look toward the door. The woman she had seen in her dream stood before the door serenely. Her hands were folded delicately in front of her and she seemed to radiate light in all directions. Chihiro looked into her beautiful and received a beauteous smile. Chihiro held her breath.

"I believe you can save us because I have seen you remove darkness from us before," her melodic voice rung through Zeniba's modest home.

"I saved one spirit! I was able to cleanse one and…help one remember himself again. That's hardly enough criteria to assume I can save you all," Chihiro placed her hands around her teacup, "How am I supposed to reach every spirit in the world in time to cleanse them?"

Zeniba fought the urge to roll her eyes at Chihiro's comment. 'Remember himself again…please, it was love…' The goddess looked at the witch as if she agreed with her thought. Zeniba heard the goddess's voice in her mind suddenly, 'That is why this must work…' Zeniba scrunched her face in thought. Is it possible? Could she mean the source of darkness is-?

"I never said you needed to cleanse all the spirits here…I said that you are able to remove darkness from inside of us," the goddess never faltered her gaze as she watched Chihiro. Chihiro got up from her seat and walked toward the window. She gazed into the darkness for a moment before looking back to the goddess. She tried her best to put on a strong face.

"What do you want me to do then," Chihiro clenched the cup in her hands.

"I want you to eradicate the darkness by destroying its source. It will not be easy I assure you. I want you to attack the source of the pollution directly."

"What is this source exactly?" The goddess gave Chihiro a level gaze.

"The pollution entered this world through the darkness inside the heart of the Kohaku River spirit."