*AUTHOR'S NOTE: I only changed the rating to 'M' because of the moderate violence in this chapter and I wanted to make sure that I was in line with the rules of this site. I'm sure it may have been okay as a 'T' rating, but I have worked so hard on this that I didn't want it all to be ruined by a rating mistake. Please be assured, there will not be any real 'mature' content in this story just like there has not really been any so far. Again, I just wanted to change it for the moderate violence. I sincerely hope I do not lose any readers over this small change; I just ask you understand my desire to follow the rules. Thanks so much guys. :)

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Sen could not stop blushing. It didn't matter that the bath water was visually impenetrable from Kamaji's mix of healing herbs and it didn't matter that the tub was deep enough for her to be sitting on the bottom while only leaving her décolletage above the water. She was completely naked in a bath… in Haku's quarters… while Haku was in the room with her.

She wouldn't be surprised if the blush on her cheeks never went away again.

With blinding speed, Haku twisted Sen's ponytail on top of her head and snapped her purple band into place. "There; now I can properly reach your neck."

Her hand flew to the curve of her shoulder nervously, "Why do you need to do that?"

Just then, there was a gentle knock knock on the shoji to Haku's quarters.

"Excuse me for a moment," he smiled at her as he went to answer the door.

Sen fidgeted under the water anxiously. What was Haku planning? Of course she trusted him, especially after she confessed that she didn't want to give herself to him out of fear from Yubaba. But still…

The shoji to the bathroom slid quietly shut and Sen looked back to see Haku holding a bowl of some paste that smelled strangely like eucalyptus. Haku set the bowl on the ledge of the tub before he began untying his kimono top.

Her eyes widened, "What… what are you doing?!"

He chuckled softly at her alarmed expression, "Chihiro, please relax. I just don't want to get the herbal paste on my kimono. I doubt the smell would ever come out."

Sen's tensed muscles relaxed a little, "Oh. Yeah, you're probably right it does smell pretty strong. What is—"

Sen suddenly found it hard to catch her breath. Haku's kimono slipped silently from his shoulders, revealing the planes of his lean, sculpted chest and abdomen. For years, she wondered what body type was hiding beneath his kimono; would he be thin? Scrawny? Muscular? Average? What she was witnessing didn't fit into any of the categories she had previously imagined. Haku was not traditionally 'muscular'; there were no bulging biceps or insanely defined abs. Instead, his frame was delicate, yet undeniably strong: he was tall and lean, with bands of sleek muscles bunching and stretching fluidly beneath his milky white skin. When her eyes reached Haku's softly defined Adonis belt, she quickly averted her eyes as the raging blush returned to her cheeks.

Did he have to be so damn beautiful?

Haku knelt behind her, "You were going to ask me something?"

She cleared her throat, "Uhm… I don't…"

He laughed, nudging her playfully, "Chihiro, you seem flustered."

"Shut up," Sen grumbled, wrapping her arms around her submerged knees. She jumped a little when she felt the cold paste being applied to the back of her neck and the curve of her shoulders. When the medicinal smell hit her, she remembered her question. "I was going to ask what that paste was. It smells just like eucalyptus."

Haku massaged the paste into her skin rhythmically, "I'm not entirely sure what herbs are in here. I simply requested something that would ease a headache."

She smiled, her heart fluttering. He really did care about her.

They remained in silence for a long time as Haku massaged the medicinal paste into her neck and shoulders. After a while, Sen's headache actually dissipated and she felt relaxed enough to close her eyes, "Mmmm," she sighed contentedly.

There were a few more minutes of quiet before it was Haku who cleared his throat, "…Chihiro? There was actually something I have been meaning to ask you."

For the first time ever, Haku sounded nervous. "You can ask me anything, Haku." At first he didn't say anything; he just kept rubbing her shoulders. Sen looked back to see that a deep blush was creeping into his cheeks. "Haku?"

When his eyes met hers, she could clearly see his hesitation. This sudden change in behavior confused Sen; Haku was usually so confident and bold, why would a simple question make him so nervous? She grabbed his hand and turned to face him. "What kind of question could possibly make you blush? I don't think I've ever even seen you flustered before!"

He cleared his throat again, "I just… it's a very personal question."

Sen put her hand on his face, smiling, "You don't have to be embarrassed, Haku. I'll tell you anything you ever want to know. What is it?"

Haku seemed to consider asking his question for a moment before he kissed her palm and stood up, "That should be enough of the herbal mixture to alleviate your headache for the night. Whenever you finish your bath, you can put on my extra kimono to sleep in. I'll be waiting for you in the other room."

Before she could think of anything to say, Haku was gone. He was acting so strange, all over some silly question. Naturally, now Sen had to know what it was.

...

Sen tied the sash of Haku's large kimono tightly around her waist. She debated on what to do with her hair for a while before just deciding to leave it down in order to air-dry. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself before stepping out of the bathroom.

Once again, Sen was nearly knocked breathless at the sight of Haku. He was sitting on his shikibuton, leaning against the wall and reading a book. He still had no shirt on and his long sea-foam hair hung unencumbered around him. When he glanced in her direction and caught her eyes, he smiled.

"How do you feel, Chihiro?"

She couldn't help but smile back, "Much better. Thank you for that."

Haku surveyed her for a moment, "My kimono suits you." Was that pride in his voice?

Sen looked down, face reddening, as she made her way over to him, "Yeah, I guess it does." She sat gingerly at the foot of his bedroll, finally forcing herself to speak. "So what did you want to ask me, Haku?"

He froze again.

She thought for a moment, "Hm. Maybe… what if I was willing to bargain for your question?"

He eyed her suspiciously, "What do you mean?"

Sen scooted on the bedroll until she was sitting right next to him. Although she never dreamed of being this bold, she was dying to know what Haku's question was. "What if I offered… a kiss for your question?"

Haku relaxed slightly, a smile spreading across his lips, "I'm not quite sure I would be able to resist that bargain, Chihiro."

She felt her nervousness melt away at his smile, "That's the idea."

He sat up and wound his arms around her waist, "And what exactly," Haku placed a soft kiss on the underside of her jaw, "are the conditions of this bargain? You kiss me, and I have to ask my question? I know you better than that, Chihiro. That seems too easy."

Sen shivered, her voice shaking, "N… no. You have to ask me whatever you wanted first, and then I kiss you. Otherwise… you could… back out."

Haku let out a delicate chuckle that seared Sen's insides. She felt his lips at her ear, "And how do I know you will follow through, Chihiro?"

Sen turned her head to look at him, which she instantly realized was a mistake. Haku's lips were so close, she could feel his warm breath on her own. Instantly, her heart started hammering frantically in her chest. She felt his grip on her waist tighten as he pulled her even closer. "H… Haku…"

Haku's liquid jade eyes were soft as they watched her struggle to resist him. He kissed the corner of her mouth as he often liked to do, "Yes, Chihiro?"

Her hands were trembling now, "P… please ask me. Before… before the bargain become pointless."

He immediately buried his face in the curve of her shoulder, she assumed to hide his blush, "Ahh, I'm embarrassed just to be thinking of it. But… I can't stop myself from wondering. I need to know."

A million potential questions swirled around in her mind, "Then just ask, Haku. I'll tell you anything."

There was a moment of hesitation before he spoke, though his voice was quiet, "The way you reacted when I removed my kimono, so shocked to see me… have you never…" Haku stopped before looking up to meet her quizzical gaze. "Has there never been anyone?"

Sen was confused, "Haku?"

He let go of her waist and leaned back on one arm as he pushed a few stray locks of sea green hair out of his face. His cheeks were still stained pink as he looked away, "You seemed as if you had never… seen a man before. I was just wondering… if that was true?"

Finally what Haku was asking clicked in her brain. Her cheeks flushed a bit but she leaned towards him, turning his face with her hand, "You want to know if I've ever been with a man." She surmised.

As Sen wouldn't let him turn his face away from her, Haku had no choice but to look at her sheepishly, "I cannot imagine someone else with you like this, so intimate. I just can't stomach the hundreds of scenarios in my mind anymore, Chihiro. I know it's very personal… and I know that I have no right to ask as I left you alone for 13 years—"

Sen couldn't help it; she started laughing.

Haku looked horrified, "What part of this is even remotely funny?"

"I'm sorry," she managed between giggling fits. "I shouldn't laugh but you are just so funny! Hahaha, really Haku you are just ridiculous sometimes."

He furrowed his brow, clearly still confused.

Sen eventually managed to stop her laughter, but the smirk on her lips refused to go away, "If I'm not mistaken, Master Haku is jealous. I never imagined I would live to see that."

He drew her onto his lap, pulling her face down so he could kiss her. Instantly, Sen melted and her bones once again turned to gelatin. Haku's lips were desperate against hers and he was clinging to her like it was the end of days. With her hands on his neck, she could feel his pulse racing frantically beneath his skin. He really was jealous!

Sen disentangled her mouth from his for a moment as she looked down into his eyes, "Haku—"

"Please, Chihiro," he mumbled breathlessly against her jaw. "I have changed my mind, I don't want to know. It does not matter because you're here with me now."

She pulled away a little and rested her forehead against his, "Kohaku… do you have any idea how many times I've imagined you with someone else? Since I've regained my memories of you, I found myself wondering if you ever… I mean, you thought you would never see me again; it would only make sense for you to move on. I know what it's like to feel jealous over those thoughts, Haku. You aren't alone."

He smirked up at her, finally returning to his normal self, "You know, I am actually enjoying the thought of you being jealous, Chihiro. Even if the rationale behind it is absurd."

"And why is it absurd?"

"Chihiro," his eyes softened. "There has only ever been room for you in my heart. No one else could ever make me feel what you do, even if I never saw you again. I have told you before, there is nothing for me without you."

"How easily you can say that, yet you still thought that I would move on," Sen nuzzled his nose affectionately. "Of course there has never been anyone else for me, Haku. That's why I was laughing. I told you, I grew up feeling like a part of me was missing, and the only time I ever felt whole was when my river came to see me. I only ever wanted my river… I only ever wanted you. I'm yours, and only yours. Forever."

Haku kissed her tenderly this time, rumpling her damp hair with his free hand, "Luckily for me, forever is a very long time."

...

Sen sighed contentedly. Instead of being bound in darkness like Yubaba had threatened the last time she slept, Sen was in the one place where she knew nothing could harm her: the Kohaku River. She turned her face up towards the moonlight, relishing the delicate caresses of the water on her skin. Like always, it was only a matter of time before her river said the same words it always did when she arrived. And God, did she live for those words.

Silence.

Maybe the river just needed a bit longer; after all, she hadn't been here in quite some time.

More silence.

Sen frowned. For as long as she and the river had been coming to each other, it had never once missed a greeting. It had never once forgotten to say it missed her. She kicked her legs a bit, not really headed in any certain direction but still moving just in case her river just didn't know she was here.

After a few more minutes of silence, she stopped swimming in order to take in her surroundings for the first time. The water, usually clear at night, was a deep onyx that even the moons rays couldn't penetrate. It even tasted wrong; instead of the crisp, clean river water she knew so well, it was foul tasting and acidic on her tongue. Something wasn't right here.

"Kohaku?" She called out anxiously into the vast expanse of black water. "Are you here?"

Instantly, the moonlight above disappeared and thick chains shot up from the darkness below her to wrap tightly around her entire body. Sen screamed, writhing furiously in an attempt to try and break free from these all-too familiar chains. This wasn't her river after all; Yubaba had simply tricked her in order to get Sen to let her guard down.

"No! No, no, no! Please, not again!" She shrieked, her cries exiting as bubbles that floated up towards nowhere. "Please Yubaba, let me go!"

"You know, Sen," the disembodied voice of the witch resonated in the water surrounding her, "it didn't have to be like this. If you had just given in to my mental persuasion earlier, all of this would be over. You could have just killed him quickly and then you would never have to come back here again. Ah, but I think I knew it would never have been that easy."

Sen continued to fight against her bindings, "I told you I would never help you hurt him."

Yubaba's voice sighed dramatically, "I'm beginning to see that you meant that. Fortunately for me, magic over the mind is not my only option with you. Don't you remember what I told you last time you were here? Your physical body belongs to me now."

"Yu… Yubaba… no…!"

The witch cackled darkly, "Oh, yes. But for me, all of this would be meaningless if Haku simply died; I require much more than that as payment for what you two have done. No, not only will he die, but I want to make sure that you understand just how it is your fault. You see Sen, you could have avoided this all so easily. Do you remember that envelope I ordered you to take to Haku's quarters? The envelope's contents don't matter really- it was only a single piece of parchment with the phrase 'I win' written on it. No… what really mattered was the actual envelope."

Sen gasped, "A spell… that's why I felt like I was drunk in my dream!"

"Very good, Sen. See, although your mind is able to resist even the strongest memory spells, it is still weak to other types of magic. At first, the spell on the envelope was just another feeble attempt to keep your memories of Haku locked away, but that easily failed as I knew it would. Luckily, the spell made you mentally weak and you fell asleep in Haku's room, which made is so simple for my 3 heads to get to you. More importantly, the spell on the envelope was physically transferred to you the moment you touched it. And you made it transferable to Haku when you slept in his bed. That spell made him sick and weakened him just long enough for me to penetrate his dreams. Of course, just making him sick was enough for everything to fall into place, but I really couldn't resist scaring him a little, too."

"How could making him a little sick for a few hours matter at all?" Sen managed to ask through the terror that was settling into the pit of her stomach.

Yubaba suddenly materialized in front of her with a wide sneer on her face, "You may not have remembered being in the dark with me, but something in the back of your mind was warning you to stay away from Haku. Would you have come to see him if he hadn't been ill?"

Horror replaced Sen's fury. If Rin hadn't told her that Haku was sick, she would have ignored Yubaba's order. Something in her subconscious had been warning her to stay away from him, but she couldn't handle the thought of Haku, her Haku, being sick with no one to take care of him. So she had gone to see him against all of the warnings in her mind.

"No…" Sen shook her head, tears spilling in large globs down her cheeks. "No… it can't be…"

The witch dragged a sharp, lacquered nail down Sen's cheek, "Now that you have a clear understanding of how this is your fault, I think it's time for you to wake up. I want Haku dead before the sun rises."

...

Sen's eyes snapped open. She could see that she was still exactly where she had fallen asleep: cuddled next to Haku with her head on his chest and his arm draped over her. Against her will, Sen's body silently slid from Haku's grasp and off the shikibuton; to her horror, Haku didn't budge. Her legs forced her to walk around the bedroll to the side where Haku was sleeping. She tried to speak, to cry out or say something in warning, but her voice refused to come and her lips wouldn't move. The only thing she could do was watch.

As Sen looked down at the beautiful spirit, tears welled in her eyes. His seraphic face was turned towards the place where she had been sleeping and his long hair was fanned out behind and above him; the rays of moonlight from the open shojis causing a rippling sheen on his hair that made it look like sea kelp. Even his bare chest seemed to glow under the light of the moon. All the times Haku called her beautiful came rushing back to the forefront of her mind; over the last 13 years, he had always told her how stunning she looked to him and yet, Sen had never gotten the chance to tell Haku just how breathtaking he had grown up to be.

Now, she never would.

For a brief moment, Haku seemed to stir. Sen's heart began to race; if he woke up and saw her standing above him like this, he would know that something was wrong and be able to get away from her before she did something terrible.

I'm here! Sen screamed in her mind. Please Haku, please wake up. Please, see me!

"Mmm… Chihiro," he mumbled before turning on his stomach and falling back asleep.

Her fingers snapped quietly and a sheathed samurai sword materialized before her. Sen tried with all her strength to resist grabbing the sword, but her hand did it anyway.

God, please no. No, no, no! I can't do this to him!

She stealthily unsheathed the pulsating sword, dropped the black sheath on the tatamis, and grabbed the hilt tightly with both hands, pointing it downwards and directly over Haku's bare back.

I won't do this! I won't let Yubaba destroy him; I won't have his blood on my hands! I love him!

Surprisingly, her hands were shaking. Sen could feel that they wanted to plunge the sword into Haku's back, but she was managing to delay them. The sword was inching closer and closer to Haku, but at an incredibly slow rate.

"You can fight this, Sen."

Sen froze. The soft voice, nearly identical to Yubaba's, was coming from the scroll painting above Haku's bed. It was then that she noticed one lone paper bird clinging to the picture.

Granny!

"I know you can't speak, Sen, just listen to me. I would come and help you, but I can't enter the Bath House so this is the best I can do for now. My sister has planted a control slug inside of you, much like the one Haku had inside of him before you saved him. The only thing that can stop the slug is love. If you keep thinking of how much you love Haku, you might be able to stop it. I… I'm not positive that it will work, but you have to try."

Sen's eyes pleaded with the paper bird, desperately trying to convey her thoughts through a single look.

"I know you want me to wake Haku, but I can't Sen. If I did that, the slug would make you kill him instantly. You have to fight this on your own."

I won't hurt Haku. Sen thought ferociously, knowing Granny was right. I have loved him for so long, all I want it is to spend my life with him to make up for all the time we wasted. Haku is my life, and killing him would kill me. I don't care what Yubaba choses to do to me; she can have me if it means Haku will be safe. I won't let her take him from me!

Sen's grip on the hilt of the sword loosened a little.

"That's it, Sen! Keep going!" Zeniba's voice was exuberant.

There will never be anyone that I love more than Haku. We saved each other and there isn't a single spell or type of magic in this world or the next that could make me forget that. I don't care how many times Yubaba tries to hurt me or send me away; I will always come back and fight for him because he fought for me!

Her arms dropped to her sides, the sword held weakly in her right hand.

I did it!

"You did it, Sen! Can you move or speak now?" Zeniba asked from her paper bird.

Oddly enough, she still couldn't do either. It was then that Sen's legs forced her through the open shoji and onto the balcony, sword still in hand.

"Sen? Sen?!"

Granny! Granny, help me! Something's wrong! Her thoughts screamed, panicked.

When Sen reached the railing, her legs climbed until she was standing precariously at the edge of the wooden balustrade. The wind whipped her long chocolate hair around her face viciously as she looked helplessly out into the night.

Yubaba's voice filled Sen's mind. If I can't have Haku dead, you will do.

Sen's eyes widened as her hands once again gripped the sword's hilt tightly. Unable to move her neck, Sen watched a shooting star streak brilliantly across the clear night sky as the force controlling her hands plunged the razor sharp blade into her own abdomen.

The breath rapidly whooshed from Sen's lungs as she dropped the blood-soaked blade and tumbled from Haku's balcony towards the seemingly endless sea that surrounded the Bath House.

You're safe now, Haku. I love you… remember me.

And she hit the water just as everything went black.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Don't worry; the story isn't over yet!