The past is in the past. Stop this.

He pleaded with himself. The last time he stood here he had lost something very precious to him. There was no way to retrieve it. No way he could possibly make it appear before him. No spirit has experience with losing something this valuable; none have ever dared to hang their treasured livelihood in the balance of something so volatile. The heart was a peculiar yet precious thing, and he went and lost it.

He cursed himself. If only he had known somehow. If someone had explained what love could do, what it could change. How could he defend himself against the only spell powerful enough to twist a spirit's heart from its owner? He was so young, far too young to understand what love was. And, spirits were not supposed to feel love.

Love was a dangerous, impulsive thing. It was never spoken of in the spirit world, for no one ever needed such a trivial thing. Everyone had material things to keep them occupied, something solid to hold onto. No one thought of any item that could be of more value than something that one could clutch in their hands. Except for one thing that was very real to spirits and humans alike: the heart. If another holds your heart, they hold your entire being. Your life would belong to them. And that is the thing that scares spirits the most. Life is a possession to spirits. They do not share lives with others. They live their lives for themselves. Most spirits guard themselves against anything that could threaten to take away what is theirs, especially love. But something changed the day that she appeared.

Humans were the only thing that brought love into the world. That's why spirits saw them as ugly, disgusting. Humans endangered the spirit's selfish way of life. And he knew she truly endangered his. But it didn't matter, he didn't seem to care about danger when she was with him. He would gladly offer his life to save hers. Strange sensations took over his body every time he thought of her. An ache in his chest lingered as he saw her smile in his mind. That's how he knew his heart was gone, that insufferable ache that pulsed in its place.

The meadow grass seemed to laugh as it was tickled by the wind spirits. They were the only ones audacious enough to travel so close to the gate. It loomed in the distance. Miles away its gaping entrance beckoned for him to step closer. The temptation was strong, but he resisted for the moment. It was the only known opening between the human and spirit world. Sometimes he wished it was sealed that fateful day.

His eyes narrowed as he saw the wind spirts dance without a care. Their transparent faces were gleeful, for they had no one to care for but themselves. They seemed to mock him and his internal turmoil. The sun shone radiantly over the endless sky. He could fly far away from this place, but the memory of her rooted him firmly to the ground. As he stared beyond the expanse of grass, his thoughts started to wander. I have to see her again. Somehow.

Lost deep in thought, he barely noticed the figure sprinting towards him. She was a rather tall spirit with billowy, brown hair and a smile that stretched across her face as she galloped through the meadow. Her feet slowed as she drew near him, stopping just behind him. He could hear the smirk in her voice as she spoke, "Aw, is the little, love-sick dragon yearning for his love?"

Without turning he acknowledged her, "What is it, Lin?"

"What in the world are you doing out here? Yubaba is practically screaming for you." She spoke a little too loud for his taste, but he could put up with it for the time being. He stood in silence until she stepped in front of him and crossed her arms, peering into his eyes as if searching for something.

"Yes?" He raised an eyebrow.

"You suck at conversations, Haku."

An amused huff was all she received in response. She rolled her eyes, for she knew if she pressed any further he would simply clamp his mouth shut. He was in one of his moods. So, she decided it was up to her to keep a line of discussion between them. Her eyes wandered the landscape as she walked to stand by his side. It was hard to see him still tied to this place after he had learned his true name. He had so much freedom at his fingertips, yet he refused to leave. That was so many years ago. Questions bounced around in her head like an angry swarm of wasps, stinging her until she thought of something to say to this stoic boy. She looked to him again and saw he was gazing at the gate. Something suddenly clicked in her mind and the swarm dizzying her thoughts dissipated.

"You should go to her."

She could see a silent tension forming in the young man's body as she finished her sentence. It all became so clear now. He was looking for a way to get through. He wanted her back in his life. He wanted to share it with her, maybe even give it to her. She didn't blame him, that girl was special. Even Lin was taken with her; she was her first real friend. Lin wanted her back too. They all did.

"Why are you so content with doing nothing, dummy?!" She slapped his arm, anger suddenly sprouting inside her. He purposely refused to fix his own problem and now it may be too late.

"Hey! You have no right to scold me like a child. I have my reasons." Lin was surprised to say the least at his sudden outburst. His eyes bore into hers, moisture lining his eyelashes.

For the first time, Lin was stunned into silence. She had never seen the river spirit weep.

"I thought I could separate myself from her if I busied myself with work. Labor is the only thing I can lose myself in. If I had left, I would've had nothing to do, no where to go. For years I've been trying to hide from my memories. I couldn't stand to think about those days with her…but memories like that don't seem to fade…" His voice strained and cracked against his wishes. He was not a sniveling child anymore.

"Do you really want to live without her?"

"That's what spirits do. She is not safe here anyways. A human could never be safe here."

Lin's ears perked up, "That's not necessarily true."

"Lin…I don't think that…"

"Here. This is came for you. " She snapped as she handed him a neatly folded piece of parchment. Her frustration was getting the best of her. She knew never to argue with him and yet there she was, bickering with him like a mother whose child refuses to listen.

Bewildered, he took the small paper and blankly stared at it. Lin's sudden outburst pulled his attention away,"I didn't read it, in case you were wondering."

"Only Zeniba would fold paper like this..." He looked at her in surprise.

"Yeah, that's why I didn't read it. I'm not stupid, Haku."

"How did you know it was for me then?"

"Well, I had Kamaji hold it up to the light in the boiler room..."

"Typical..."

"If I didn't do that then you would have never received it." She huffed and crossed her arms.

Silence overtook the pair, too anxious to speak to one another. Zeniba never wrote to anyone. Her magic could send telepathic symbols to anyone she pleased and summon them to visit her, but she never wrote.

After what seemed to be an eternity, the tips of Haku's fingers gently flipped the delicate letter open. He scanned the shimmering ink. It was still fresh, like she sent it in a hurry. Being careful not to smudge the elegant calligraphy, Haku read the message with trembling hands.

Lin saw how his face contorted as he glanced over the words. She was growing impatient, "What does it say?!"

His eyes widened and his head quickly snapped upwards, "I need to go."

"What? Now you decide to leave?"

"Read the letter after I am out of your sight."

"What is this about? Yubaba can't be kept waiting, you know." Lin laughed as she saw his rapid change in demeanor. He had something smoldering in his eyes. They glared at her with a passion she hadn't seen in ages. Only one thing could breathe that kind of desire into his green, sparkling orbs. Lin realized what the letter was about.

"She doesn't own me. She never has." He smiled, remembering the freedom he had almost forgotten.

"Now that's the feisty river spirit I know!" She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into a tight embrace.

Something shifted while she held him. Did he just growl? His broad shoulders began to sprout smooth, pearl scales under her hands, growing larger by the second. Looking down she saw his feet melt into talons that could cut the air itself. Lin then herd what seemed to be a chuckle, an extremely low, husky chuckle. Her eyes raised from the ground to meet with piercing sharp, jade ones. She was no longer staring at a conflicted young man, but at a graceful, larger-than-life dragon.

"It's good to have you back, Kohaku."

He bared his teeth in a toothy grin and shot his transformed body into the air, leaving Lin alone in the now twilight meadow.

"I'll cover for you!" She called after him. His tail flicked a small thank you as he sailed across the sky. "Now I have to deal with that cranky old hag…" Lin muttered to herself.

Eventually she watched him disappear into the horizon. She nearly missed the tiny piece of paper fluttering to the ground. Her hand shot out to scoop up the letter before it could land. She couldn't help but anxiously giggle as she skimmed the words that were ever so carefully crafted for Haku.

Haku,

You cannot go back on your promise. I will see to it that you keep it.

Definitely Zeniba. Old, cryptic Zeniba.

As Lin sauntered back to the bathhouse, she felt something strange form inside her. A mixture of hope and relief.

Zeniba will find a way. She always has.