AUTHOR'S NOTE: Be prepared for some serious feels, guys. I cried writing some of it, so I can only imagine how you all will feel!

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"And this," Zeniba held up a long, thin, clear tube tipped with a thin hollow needle, "is what I will use to extract your blood. I have another one for Sen as well, so we can get your blood into her. Yours will go into your wrist and hers will enter at her elbow. Your blood will go into this glass bottle," the witch motioned towards the bottle, "before it goes into Sen."

Rin chewed her lip nervously, "And humans do this all the time, you say? It doesn't seem super… safe."

"Well, I don't have the most modern human medical equipment," Zeniba admitted, "but I know how to use what few items I was able to get my hands on. Also, I'm fairly certain my magic will be able to help and ward off any typical complications or issues one might usually face during a transfusion in the human world. We certainly won't have to worry about infection or blood type compatibility. We also won't have to worry about the fact that we don't have all the equipment humans generally need; my magic will make up for whatever we lack, I'm sure of it."

"Will it hurt?"

The witch shook her head, "Not at all. I'll make sure to numb you completely."

"No, not me," Rin frowned, looking towards the table where her friend remained unconscious and unmoving. "Will it hurt Sen?"

Zeniba lowered her voice to keep Haku from possibly overhearing, "I don't think so. With her current state… I'm not sure if Sen can feel anything."

Tears formed in the corners of the weasel spirit's large onyx eyes. Her voice, though only a whisper, was clearly cracking as she spoke, "We have to save her, Zeniba. We can't let her die like this."

She closed her eyes briefly as she gently rubbed Rin's inner elbow, her heart aching in her chest, "I will do everything I possibly can to save her life… I just hope it's enough."

…

6 months later

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"Sen, would you please help your mother with the dishes?"Akio called to the top of the stairs.

"Yeah, be right there!" Sen replied, finishing up the last details of the dragon's mane she was sketching. She set down her pencil and pushed away from her desk. When she reached her bedroom door, she stopped and turned back to the drawing. Of course, it was a picture of Haku…that was the only thing she drew these days.

He didn't come to her in her dreams anymore, so this was the only way she could see him now.

Unwilling to let the deep, unrelenting agony of missing Haku consume her, Sen took a deep breath to compose herself before she made her way down the stairs. Besides, she would have plenty of time to break down and cry herself to sleep when her parents went to bed.

During the six long months that she'd been avoiding making a concrete decision on which world to leave behind, Sen had developed a talent for falling apart at night and being a perfectly functioning person during the day.

Sen knew she had to make a decision soon, but she still wasn't ready.

She didn't know if she ever would be.

…

"Has there been any change?"

Zeniba frowned, eyeing Haku over her tiny round spectacles as he entered her home in his now typical fashion. Every day for the past six months, he came to her and asked if there had been any change with Sen, and every day for the past six months, she gave him the same answer: "Nothing yet, but give it time."

Haku knelt next to the large bed where Chihiro resided and grabbed her delicate hand, pressing it against his forehead. He was so tired of Zeniba giving him the same answer every day. His heart was breaking more and more with each passing day that he was forced to sit at this bedside and do nothing. He was sick of it all.

"How much more time can we afford, Zeniba? Chihiro's been unconscious for six months… she has not so much as twitched in all that time! How do we even know if she can still come back? How do we know it's not too late?"

The witch sighed, setting down her knitting, "Haku, I know you're frustrated but—"

Unable to suppress it, Haku let out a deep snarl that resonated deep within his chest, "I am more than frustrated! Do you not understand that every day for six months, I have come to this house and held Chihiro's hand? Every day for six months, I have come to his house and fallen asleep next to her, holding her in my arms, desperately hoping that when I wake up, she will open her eyes. Every day for six months, I have felt her slip further and further from me so I hold her a little tighter at night in a desperate attempt to keep her here. How could you possibly know how I feel?" Haku squeezed his eyes shut, tears threatening to betray him. "How could you know how it feels to be able to hold her, smell her, feel her, and yet know that she won't wake up? How could you know how it feels to go back to my room at the Bath House and feel the traces of her there? I waited for her for 13 years, never actually expecting to see her again. And when she came back, I realized just how much my love for her had grown. I waited for her memories to return, and when they did, I thought… I thought…" Tears spilled freely from his eyes now, leaving wet spots on the bedsheets below him. He gripped Chihiro's hand tighter, dropping his head onto her slowly moving chest. Gentle sobs replaced the snarl in Haku's chest. "How long do I have to watch her like this, Zeniba? I can see her, touch her, kiss her… but she won't wake up. Her physical body is right here with me, but I don't know where her spirit is. Yubaba succeeded in finding a torture for me worse than any physical pain anyone could ever put me through."

Haku pressed his lips to Chihiro's palm, tears moistening her hand, "Where are you, Chihiro?" He asked her quietly between sobs. "Why won't you come home? Please don't make me wait anymore."

Zeniba removed her spectacles and shook her head sadly, "I'm so sorry, Haku. I've done everything I can to heal her, but her body isn't the problem anymore. I just can't seem to reach whatever Yubaba did to her spirit. I tried, I swear I did, but Yubaba was so angry when she wove this magic that even with my father's seal, I can't undo it. I have no connection with her mind, so I can't reach her no matter how hard I try. If I could just tell her what's happening, that her body is still here, maybe she would realize that wherever she is isn't where she has to stay."

"Her… mind?" Haku repeated slowly, realization dawning on him. His head snapped up and he turned to Zeniba. "You said you have no connection with her mind, so you can't reach her. But… what about someone who has a link with her? Could you use your father's seal to facilitate a connection?"

She thought for a moment, "I… I don't see why not. It would work if it were me trying to reach her, so it should work for someone else trying to do the same. Why? What are you thinking?"

For the first time in months, he felt something other than pain and hopelessness as he looked at Chihiro's serene face. He caressed her warm cheek with the backs of his long, slender fingers, his pulse quickening at the silkiness of her skin, "After she left the Spirit World all those years ago, I still wanted to see her. It may have been selfish of me, but I used my magic to reach out to her in her dreams. Almost every night for the majority of the 13 years she was gone, I visited her dreams in the form of my river. That's how I came to love her this way. I watched her grow up and I grew with her, and in that time we learned almost everything about each other. I never thought I would see her here again, so I tried to take advantage of the time I had with her. I wanted to remember every moment, every detail, so that when I was alone again, it would be bearable without her."

"Haku…" Zeniba's voice was barely above a whisper.

He gave a small smile as he remembered watching Chihiro grow from an awkward, bratty child into the smart, beautiful woman she'd become. Haku wiped his cheeks on the sleeve of his kimono and took a deep breath, the first vestiges of hope rekindling in his chest, "I was even able to keep visiting her dreams when she first came here, when she still had no memories of me." He turned back to Zeniba. "My point is: I think I could still reach her mind, with your help. With what Yubaba did to her, I am certain I could not reach her on my own, but with your golden seal, I think I could."

The witch hesitated for a moment, "I… I don't know, Haku… I'm just not sure if that's a good idea."

"What?" Haku set Chihiro's hand gently on the bed and went over to the table where Zeniba sat. He took the chair across from her, "You just said if you could reach her, you could tell her what was happening and maybe get her to come back. Why would it be any different if it was me?"

"While I can't deny that Sen would be more likely to return to us if it were you who reached her… what if she decides not to come back? Will you be able to let her go like that? Will you respect her decision and leave her be? Will you be able to come back here and let her body go, knowing there is no chance she will come back to this world? I may not know what magic Yubaba has used on Sen, but I do know that whatever Sen decides to do while in this state will be permanent. She will never be allowed to change her mind. Are you prepared for that?"

Haku extended his arm across the table and took Zeniba's withered hand in his, "I know it must be difficult for you to trust me with this after the way I've been acting the past few months. I know how I reacted today probably did not help any, either. But you have to understand, Zeniba, this is not about what I want anymore. At first, it was. When she first became like this, I wanted nothing more than to bring her back because I couldn't stand the thought of going on without her again; not after I had just gotten her back. And every once in a while, like today, I have moments of weakness where I become selfish and want her to come back to me because I love her. But in reality, while I would be overjoyed to have her wake up here with us, I would also understand if she chose not to. Of course I love her, and there will never be anyone else for me as long as I live. But right now, I can't stand the thought of Chihiro being trapped between two worlds because she will never be able to be whole or happy while she lingers in both. I don't know where her spirit is right now, but I'm willing to go find her and tell her that she has a choice. And if she chooses to not come back to the Spirit World, I will let her go. I will never stop loving her, but I will let her go."

A few tears glistened in Zeniba's eyes as she quickly cleared her throat. She slipped her hand from Haku's grasp and delved into one of the folds of her gaudy blue gown. After rummaging around for a moment, she extracted her father's golden seal from the fabric of her dress. She held the seal out to him, "I have no mental connection with Sen, so you will have to reach her on your own."

He took the little golden rectangle and gripped it tightly, "How do I utilize the magic in the seal?"

"You are tapping into my father's magic just by holding the seal in your hand. As long as you're holding it, you should be able to reach her the same way you always did."

Haku left the table and went back to the large bed that he had become all-too familiar with over the past six months. He sat on the edge of the bed and closed his eyes for a moment, sending a silent prayer to someone—anyone—for this to work. Then, as he did every night, Haku lied next to Chihiro and pulled the light blankets over them.

Zeniba shuffled towards the door that lead out of the main room of the house, "I'll give you some privacy," she said quietly, flicking her wrist towards the lights on the walls to put them out. Only the light from the fireplace remained as she closed the door behind her.

Once Zeniba was gone, Haku slipped his right arm underneath Chihiro and carefully pulled her close to his chest. He held her tightly against his body as he buried his face in her hair. "I will find you, Chihiro," he murmured softly into her ear as his eyes slipped closed. "I won't make you wait anymore."

…

She smiled as the warm, crystalline water surrounded her. She ruffled her hair, reveling in the way the moonlight danced off the surface of the water above her. Was it possible to feel so complete when just moments ago, she was crying herself to sleep? Where did the hole in her chest go? Why wasn't she feeling the inexorable agony and loneliness that she felt every night? Where was her constant sense of anxiety and dread? Where was her anger and regret?

In this place, it all seemed to melt away.

Chihiro couldn't remember the last time she felt like this; so happy, so free, so full of life. Why did she ever stop coming here? This place was her sanctuary, her refuge. It had been for 13 long years. Why would she ever stop coming here?

Her eyes snapped open as she remembered why she hadn't been here in so long.

Immediately, her heartrate skyrocketed. She began to hyperventilate as she looked around and recognized the river she was in. Tears stung the corners of her eyes as the pain and regret viciously ripped through her chest, tearing her open again. She wrapped her arms around her chest, desperately trying to hold herself together as she fell into a full panic.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God," she repeated, shaking her head as her voice quivered. "No, no, no, no, no. Please, no. No, no. Please, I can't. I can't take this."

"Chihiro?"

Her eyes snapped open again and her heart seemed to stop. She would know that voice anywhere. She would know that voice in a sea of a million others. That voice was part of her very soul.

"H…Haku?" She managed, her voice cracked and broken. "Is… is that you?"

The water swirled around her hair and limbs, "Of course it is, Chihiro. What's wrong? Why are you in so much pain? I can feel it. Please, talk to me."

Chihiro broke, covering her face with her hands as she sobbed uncontrollably, "I… can't… be… here…I… can't…do…this…"

"Chihiro, please," his voice became panicked as the water swirled around her in an attempt to comfort her. "Why are you so upset?"

"This is a dream," she cried, doubling over, "and when I wake up, it will be even harder to keep going. This is a dream, but I will spend the next few months wishing it was real. I can't do it again. I can't."

"This is not a dream, Chihiro," he soothed. "I'm really here. You're really here."

"No," she continued to cry, shaking her head, "I haven't been to your river, your real river, for so long. This is just another dream."

"What do I have to do to make you believe me?" Haku's voice asked. "There must be something that never happened here when it was only a dream of yours. Tell me what I can do to make you believe me."

Her voice was soft through the tears, "I never see you, the real you. I never see you in your spirit form."

"Then open your eyes, Chihiro."

Hesitantly, Chihiro opened her bleary eyes.

And saw Haku floating in front of her.

Her eyes widened just before she burst into tears again, "It is you!" She threw herself into his arms and sobbed into the curve of his neck. "Haku! I never thought I would see you again! I can't believe you're really here."

He wrapped his slender arms around her and buried his face into her hair, "You cannot possibly fathom how much I have missed you, Chihiro."

"Where have you been?" She cried. "I kept thinking you would come for me. I thought you didn't want me anymore!"

Haku laughed incredulously as he held her tight, "How could you possibly think I wouldn't want you? I have told you, Chihiro, you are everything to me. You are the only thing I ever wanted more than my name and my freedom. I've been waiting for you every day since..." But he stopped.

Chihiro pulled away to look at Haku, "Since what? Since I got hurt?"

He gave a small nod.

She put a small hand on his seraphic face, her bottom lip still trembling, "You've been hurting every day, haven't you?"

Haku didn't reply, he only bit his lip.

A few more tears leaked from her eyes, "I'm so sorry, Haku. I never wanted to hurt you, but Yubaba made this so hard for me..."

He furrowed his brow, "Where did she send you? Where are you when you're not here?"

Chihiro's eyes softened and became sad, "I'm at home with my parents."

Haku exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers as he closed his eyes, "Of course. She wanted to give you an impossible choice."

"Haku," Chihiro's voice was gentle as she pulled his hand from his face. Their eyes met. "Tell me about what's happening in the Spirit World. What have you been doing all this time?"

"Chihiro…"

"No, I want to know. Even if it hurts, I want to know," she pressed. "Please."

He sighed, caressing her face with his fingertips, "I still have to fulfill certain obligations at the Bath House, but every free moment I have I spend with you. You are still at Zeniba's house. She made a bed for you, to keep you comfortable while you healed, but she made it big enough to fit us both at my request. She takes care of you while I work, making sure you are bathed and using magic to keep your body fed and healthy, but I am with you every night. You are… still completely unconscious. Regardless, the first thing I always do when I get there is come to your bedside and hold your hand. Sometimes I talk to you, sometimes I sit with you in silence. Sometimes I cry, sometimes I get angry. It depends on the day."

Her eyes filled with tears again, but he wiped them away and continued in a hushed voice, "I sit with you until it gets dark, and then I sleep next to you. Sometimes I hold you close to me when I sleep, other times I can't bear to touch you because it hurts too much to know you won't wake up. When I get up in the morning, I make sure you are comfortable before I kiss you goodbye. Then I go back to the Bath House to work until I can return again."

She buried her face into his chest, her voice cracking as her heart broke at the thought of Haku hurting because of her, "You've done this every day since I…?"

Haku nodded, planting a kiss on the top of her head, "Yes. Every single day."

Chihiro could feel the hot tears threatening to make an appearance again, "I love you, Haku. I never stopped loving you, not once. I always knew I wanted to come back, I just didn't know how to say goodbye to my parents. But I knew, deep down, that you were the one I chose."

He froze, his muscles seemingly locking into place and his heartbeat quickening.

Alarmed, Chihiro pulled away to look into Haku's face. The look of pure agony he wore was almost too much for her. She put her hands on both sides of his face, "What's wrong? Haku? Haku?"

He remained frozen for a moment, his jade eyes burning into hers. Chihiro leaned in to kiss his lips, but he turned his head.

"Haku, you're scaring me! What's wrong? Why won't you let me—"

"Do you mean that?" His voice was barely audible. She couldn't see his face for the way his long sea-foam hair protected it, but she could see he was biting his lower lip.

"Mean what, Haku?" She reached for his face and when he turned back to look at her, she could see silent tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Do you really want to come back with me?"

His voice was so broken, his eyes so full of disbelief and pain, that Chihiro couldn't stand it. She threw herself into his arms and wound hers around his neck, resting her forehead against his. "Yes," she nodded vehemently, "I want to come home, Haku. I want to be with you; I've made my choice."

Haku slipped one of his hands behind Chihiro's neck as he pulled her closer, "Please, Chihiro, my love…"He whispered, tears still slipping from his closed eyes as he spoke only inches from her mouth. "Please never scare me like that again. I may be immortal, but there is only so much my heart can take. I never thought I would see you, conscious and awake, ever again. I thought I had lost you agai—"

Chihiro put her fingers against his mouth to stop him, "I'm so sorry, Haku. If you'll forgive me— if you'll have me— I'd like to spend the rest of my life making it up to you."

He laughed a little, "If I'll have you?" Haku gripped Chihiro's face and kissed her deeply, winding a hand into her hair as he welded her mouth to his. He kissed her again and again, his tongue first caressing her lips before delving into her mouth and dancing with hers. It had been so long since he'd been able to kiss her like this, his whole body felt like it was on fire. She tangled her hands in his long sea-foam hair as she melted into him. In the brief moments where he freed her mouth so she could breathe, he whispered onto her lips, "I would have no one but you, Chihiro. I love you and only you, always."

"So tell me… Haku…" Chihiro managed between his all-consuming kisses. Her breathing was ragged. "How do I… come home?"

Haku smiled, pressing his lips against the soft flesh of her neck, "Just come back through the Spirit Gate when you wake up, my love. I'll be waiting for you on the other side."

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