*AUTHOR'S NOTE: To everyone who has stuck with me this long, I greatly appreciate it. My life has completely changed in the last 6 months, so I've been trying to get myself back on track. But I'm finally in a healthy place again and I'm ready to start writing some more. I really want to finish this story, so I plan to put my all into it now. Thanks so much for all your patience, please enjoy!

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"Chihiro, where are we going?" Yuuko asked for the third time. As they drove down a frozen dirt road that was sheltered from daylight by a thick canopy of foliage and snow, Sen noticed her mother's grip tighten on her purse. "Where are we?"

Sen chewed her bottom lip nervously, her heart pounding a chaotic tattoo beneath her ribcage, "We're almost there, mom. It's only a little further."

Moments later, the car emerged from the ominous shelter of the trees and into the almost blinding white light of the winter's day. Sen stopped the car directly in front of a cracked, egg-shaped stone statue. There was a light dusting of snow on the very top of the statue's head, but it was otherwise entirely visible. The building behind the statue was once a beautiful cherry red, but the years and weather had chipped and worn the paint, leaving it looking run-down and eerie. Sen turned off the car and turned to her mother in time to see the look of recognition dawn on her face as she realized where they were.

"This is the entrance to that out-of-commission amusement park… we stopped here when you were just a little girl… when we were moving, right?" Yuuko furrowed her brow softly. "Why are we here, Chihiro? It's been 13 years since then."

Sen buttoned her thick winter coat and wrapped a dark blue scarf around her neck, "Come on," she opened her door, ushering her mother to do the same. "I want to tell you everything."

…

Haku could feel that his body was exhausted, both physically and magically. As he flew across the night sky towards the Bath House, the only thing keeping him from reverting back to his spirit form was Zeniba's golden seal and the image of Chihiro lying lifeless on Zeniba's table. The thought of Chihiro brought a deep, menacing rumble to his chest. She was only hurt because of Yubaba.

Yubaba.

Haku roared fiercely, ignoring the mind-numbing fatigue it brought to his aching muscles. For now, he would do as Zeniba asked and bring Rin back to Swamp Bottom for the transfusion. But as soon as he knew Chihiro would be alright, Haku would have to pay Yubaba a well-deserved visit.

Up ahead, Haku could finally start to see the green pagodas of the Bath House.

…

Yuuko stared blankly at her daughter, her mouth slightly agape. She'd been this way for at least 10 minutes now; silent, unblinking, and completely frozen as if she were frozen in place. Sen thought that her mother might react this way after learning of the Spirit World and everything in it, she had even expected her mother to call her crazy and maybe even get angry, but she now she was getting concerned because her mother wasn't saying anything at all.

Sen touched her mother's hand gently, "Are you okay?"

Her mother inhaled the cold winter air a few times like she was preparing to speak, but each time she would simply revert back to her frozen state.

"Mom, talk to me. Say something… anything."

"I… I don't even know where to begin," she managed, her voice faint.

"You could tell me if you believe me, or if you think I'm totally insane. That would probably be a good place to start."

Yuuko finally moved, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger, "Chihiro, sweetheart… what you're telling me… what you're saying… it's completely illogical! It doesn't make sense. You were in a coma for 6 long months, Chihiro. I sat at your bedside… I held your hand! I was there with you every single day that you were unconscious. How can you sit there and tell me that you were somewhere else? I was there, Chihiro. I saw you."

"Mom," Sen looked towards the Spirit Gate, her heart aching as snow clung to the chipped red paint, "beyond this building, there is an entirely different world. A world that you and Dad don't remember. And since that world is inhabited entirely by spirits, don't you think it's possible that when I went there, my physical body stayed behind? I wasn't in a coma, mom. I was in the Bath House. I was with Haku."

"Haku," Yuuko repeated. "The river spirit who doubles as a dragon. Your boyfriend."

Sen could hear the disbelief and incredulity in her mother's voice, "What do I have to do to make you believe me?"

Her mother sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time, "I don't know, Chihiro. I really don't know."

"I didn't want to do this…" Sen unbuttoned her heavy coat. "But now it looks like I don't have a choice. Tell me something, mom. My entire life, other than when I fell into the Kohaku River, have I ever gotten hurt?"

"What do you mean?"

"Have I ever been injured to the point of being scarred? Do you remember a time when I had to get stitches?"

Her mother thought hard for a moment, "No… I don't think so. You were always a very rambunctious child, but you never really got hurt. I don't think I can remember you ever getting a single scar."

"And when I was in the hospital, did I have any type of surgery?"

Yuuko shook her head, "No. You've never had any surgery."

Sen took a deep breath before pushing up her shirt to reveal the pink puckered scar on her abdomen, "Then where did I get this?"

Her mother gasped and reached out to touch the healing wound, "Oh, my g— What on earth happened to you, Chihiro?! It looks like it's still healing!"

"I had an accident when I was in the Spirit World, mom. And after it happened, I fell into an ocean and drifted for a long time while I bled out. Eventually Haku realized I was gone and he told me he was coming to get me. That's the last thing I remember before I woke up in the hospital. It still hurts, mom. I can still feel what happened to me. If I didn't have any surgery when I was in the hospital, then where did I get this?"

There were tears sparkling in the corners of her mother's eyes, "I… I don't know."

Sen buttoned her coat again and grabbed her mother's hands, "Please, mom. You know me. You know I'm not a liar. You know I'm not prone to spinning wild tales of fantasy just for attention. I wouldn't make this up, mom. It's all true."

Yuuko stared into her daughter's eyes for a long time before she finally spoke again, "Okay, Chihiro. Hypothetically, let's say I believed you. What then?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well," her mother turned back to the Spirit Gate, "if this is all true, then what are you going to do? Growing up in a shrine, I read my fair share of myths and legends. And in every one where there is more than one 'realm', the person can't live in both. If what you've told me is true Chihiro, then you can't live in the Spirit World and also live here. So if there really is another world beyond this gate, then which one are you going to choose to live in?"

Sen felt her chest tighten painfully. That was a question that she still didn't have an answer to. And now she was out of time.

"I don't know, mom... I don't know what to do."

…

Haku landed softly on the balcony outside of the room where Rin, Chihiro, and most of the other Bath House attendant girls slept. He quickly shifted back to his spirit form and pressed his ear to the shoji for a moment to see if he could hear anyone in the room. When he didn't hear anyone, he growled impatiently. Rin usually ate dinner on the balcony and her shift at the baths should have been over by now. Haku paced across the balcony anxiously for a few moments before he heard someone come up the stairs that led to the bedroom.

"Ugh. Stupid, ungrateful spirits. I swear, you would think some of them were raised in a damn swamp! No manners in this place anymore, it's a disgrace!"

There were a few moments of things being tossed around carelessly in the room before the shoji slammed open and Rin came storming out onto the balcony with a meat bun in her mouth. She was getting ready to sit when Haku shut the shoji behind her.

"Ahhh!" Rin shouted, dropping her bun over the railing and into the ocean. When she noticed it was Haku behind her, a deep scowl came to her face. "Damn it, Haku! You scared the crap outta me! What the hell are you doing, hiding out here? Shouldn't you be with Sen? I heard she's been sick all day and instead of taking care of her, you're out here doing God knows wha—"

Haku slumped against the shoji, gripping Zeniba's golden seal tightly in his left hand. The constant shifting back and forth exhausted him but by holding Zeniba's seal, he was able to absorb small amounts of her magic to keep himself going.

It was then that Rin noticed just how awful Haku looked, "Haku, are you okay? You look like hell. Is something wrong?"

"Chihiro…" He panted, gripping the seal so tight his skin was stretched taught over the knuckles. "She is not sick. She's hurt, but it's a long story and we do not have the time right now for me to explain. Zeniba sent me to get you because Chihiro needs blood or she will die. We need you because my blood has too much magic in it and it would most likely kill her. Will you come with me?"

Rin looked horrified, "She could die?! What happened to—"

"Rin, please. I will explain everything on the way, but first I need to know you will help us. We can't save her without you and we are running out of time."

"Of course I'll help! I don't know what I would do if Sen… if she…" Rin stopped, choking back the last unfathomable word. "Yes. Yes, I'll help. Just tell me what I need to do."

With that, Haku summoned all of the remaining magic within the seal to call forth his inner dragon. As the edges of his body began to blur and he began to shift, he managed two more words.

"Get on."

…

Snow continued to fall on them, the powder soft flakes landing in their hair before quickly melting away. Yuuko was standing now, running her hands across the worn Spirit Gate. Everywhere she touched, the white flakes simply fell away, revealing the cracked red paint. It was completely silent in this place, the only sounds coming from their breathing and the snow crunching under Yuuko's feet as she moved. Sen let her mother examine the gate as she leaned against the egg-shaped stone statue. She didn't even notice how cold and wet her legs were from sitting in the snow for so long. Right now, she could think of nothing other than the impossible choice she had to make.

Two worlds- each held people she loved deeply and couldn't imagine her life without.

How could she possibly ever choose?

"You said that this gate doesn't always work, right? Why do you think that is?"Her mother paused for a moment before adding, "Hypothetically, of course."

"I'm not really sure," she replied mechanically, still staring blankly ahead. "I asked Haku about it once, when I was little. I asked him why I was the first human they had ever seen, why humans didn't accidentally find their world all the time. He told me that he wasn't sure, but he thought that the Spirit Gate was only open at certain times of the year. He also thought there might be some type of spell on the gate to keep it hidden. But it seems like no one really knows."

"So if we were to pass through right now, what would happen?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. The Spirit World may be there, and it may not. And even if it was there, I don't know how coming back works. If we tried and were successful, you could be stuck there. When I was little, I'm pretty sure I was stuck there until my contract was terminated. But if you don't have a contract to work at the Bath House, I'm not sure if the gate would let you come back."

Yuuko simply stood at the entrance and stared into it, unmoving.

"Why does it sound like you're starting to believe me, mom?"

Her mother turned to face her, "The more you talk about it, the more real it seems. And the more I let it all sink in, the more believable it becomes. I'm a rational woman honey, but I do know that there are things in this life that we will never be able to fully understand. I know that there are things in life we can't explain, either. I know I was skeptical at first, but you're my daughter and I know you well enough to know when you're lying and when you're not." She sat down next to her daughter and grabbed her hand, still looking at the gate. "And right now, you're not."

Sen squeezed her mother's hand and put her head on her shoulder, "I'm so glad you believe me. I was scared I would never get the chance to tell you everything and you would think I just disappeared without a word."

"I'm glad you told me, Chihiro. But now you have to decide- what are you going to do? If this gate is as temperamental as Haku thinks it is, I have a feeling it won't wait forever for you to make up your mind."

Sen chewed her bottom lip anxiously, "When I was in the Spirit World, I kept wondering how it would work. I kept wondering how things would end here if I chose to stay there. I never thought I would see you or dad again, and it made me so heartbroken. But now… now I don't know! I love Haku, mom. I love him more than I knew I could love someone. I want to spend the rest of my life with him, even if that life is a short one. But the thought of actually leaving you and dad forever… never seeing either of you ever again… I just don't know if I can do it." Tears dripped onto her mother's shoulder. "But I waited for Haku for 13 years. And for the entirety of those years, I never felt whole without him. When I saw him again at the Bath House, even though I didn't remember him at that time, it felt right. I felt like I belonged there. I felt like I was home."

Yuuko sighed, resting her head on Sen's,"Chihiro, you know your father and I love you. We always will. If that place is real... if that man is real and you love him like you say you do, then staying here would be a mistake and we both know it. Your father and I had you for 23 years, and chances are that if things were normal, you would be getting married and moving away someday soon regardless. So I want you to really think about this, Chihiro- you said you waited for Haku for 13 years. You said all you had to cling to were the dreams of him, even though you never knew it was him. Is that what you want for the rest of your life? To be clinging to dreams and memories? Or would you rather be by his side?"

Sen knew exactly what she really wanted; she wanted whatever world had Haku. She may not have known that the river in her dreams had been him for 13 years, but she had still felt a deep, gouging loneliness whenever she was awake. She had only ever felt happy when she was with the river.

And a lifetime more of only dreams of Haku was more than she could bear.

…

" I always knew that Yubaba was cruel, but I didn't think she had it in her to actually try to kill someone! Especially Sen!" Rin managed, still in shock from everything Haku had told her.

Haku retied the sash of his kimono quickly, "I was just as shocked as you are. I knew Yubaba was planning to do something to Chihiro to punish us for what we did 13 years ago, but I never thought she would take it this far." There was a growl rumbling deep in Haku's chest. "And Yubaba will pay for this."

"Before we start plotting revenge, might we save Sen's life first?" A raspy voice called from the door of the cottage.

"Zeniba! How is she? Has there been any change?" Haku demanded, his voice commanding yet desperate.

"Luckily, no. She is still unconscious. Is this the weasel spirit you told me about?" Zeniba asked, stretching her neck to see behind Haku. "Don't be afraid, child. I am not my sister."

Rin hesitated for a moment before making her way to Zeniba, "You can save Sen, right? If we give her my blood, she'll be okay, right?"

The witch paused for a moment, "It's not quite that simple but that is the general idea, yes. Sen needs blood to recover, or she will undoubtedly die. But once we give her the blood, it will ultimately be up to Sen to return to us."

"Wait, wait, wait. What are you saying?" Haku could feel the panic welling in his chest. "Zeniba, you said that if I brought Rin here, Chihiro could get the transfusion and she would be fine. That is what you told me. You said she would be fine if we gave her blood. What do you mean it will be up to her to come back?"

"Haku, please. Why don't you both come inside and we can discuss everything," Zeniba pushed the door open a little more so there was room for everyone to fit through it. "But we are quickly running out of time."

With a determined look on her face, Rin nodded and marched through the door. Haku stood outside the cottage for another moment, his eyes searing with pain, "What's happening to her, Zeniba?"

The witch pulled Haku into a gentle embrace, "Listen to me. You need to be strong now, Haku. Yubaba may not be as powerful as I am, but she's angry. And anger has a way of weaving itself into magic. What Yubaba has done here won't be easy to undo; I can't even see all the magic she's left in that poor girl," she pulled away and looked into Haku's eyes. "I promise you that I will do everything within my power to save her life, Haku. But it really is up to Sen on whether or not she will wake up. I don't know what Yubaba did, but she made sure that there is nothing we can do to bring her back to consciousness. I know it's not what you wanted to hear, but it's the truth. So if you lose control now, if you break down, you will be of no use to anyone, especially Sen. Do you understand me?"

Haku clenched his trembling fists and looked away for a moment before sighing, "Alright, Zeniba. Tell me what I need to do to help Chihiro."

"Come inside, Haku. We need to get started."

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*AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please let me know what you think and thank you so much for reading!