And here is the final chapter. Once again, thank you for sticking with me for so long and I hope you enjoy this.
Chapter 17
Chihiro was in a state of disbelief. She couldn't believe that it was all over. It was almost too good to be true.
They all returned to the bathhouse, exhausted and sore but victorious and feeling good. Haku had not let go of her hand and she wasn't complaining.
When they got inside they were met with cheers from all the coworkers and any of the good guests that had stayed. Chihiro saw Sei in the crowd and broke free from Haku to run to her brother.
"Chihiro!!!" he cried, running to her with open arms. They met each other quickly, holding each for dear life. "Is it okay? Is everything okay now?"
"Yes, yes!!!!" cried Chihiro, clinging to him for dear life. "Everything's okay now!!"
Everyone was cheering and crying, hugging and smacking each other on the back. No-Face appeared from thin air, his arms full of the contracts.
"Sen!!!!" cried Rin. She ran over and hugged Chihiro tightly. "Oh, thank you so much Sen!!!!!"
"You're welcome, Morinji," laughed Chihiro.
"Wonderful job, Sen," said Kamaji as he crawled over to them. "I never doubted you for a second."
"Now then!!!" announced Yubaba, clapping her hands together. "I'm back and things are going to return to the way they once were!!!!!"
If Yubaba expected her employees to be grateful, she was in for a surprise. Every one of them glowered at her.
"Hey now!!!!" she snapped. "Need I remind you that I just saved you all?!?! And if it hadn't been for YOUR selfishness, then NONE of this would've happened!!!!!"
"We remember our names!!!" yelled someone. Yubaba began to pale.
"I want proper wages!!!" yelled another.
"I'm no slave!!!!!"
"Listen to my name!!! Hakan!!"
"Naotatsu!!"
"Yukami!!"
"Shinshuu!!"
"Let's not forget that No-Face has your contracts," added Zeniba smugly. "And he's MY helper, not yours sister."
"ALL RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!" yelled Yubaba. Silence swept the bathhouse. "You ungrateful scum!!!!! If you want free of me, then step up!!!! We'll do those damned negotiations NOW and I don't EVER wanna hear another complaint from you all AGAIN, GOT IT?!?!"
Once again everyone was cheering and everyone surged forward to re-negoitiate their contracts.
"Be right back," said Rin cheerfully, running to join the others.
"Aren't you gonna join them, Kamaji?" asked Chihiro.
Kamaji shrugged. "I never made a contract with Minori. Besides, what use else do I have in this world other than in a boiler room?"
"…This is the weirdest video game I've ever played," said Sei.
--
"You're leaving?!" cried Chihiro. She'd been surprised when Rin had pulled her aside and upstairs to her room. And Rin's sudden proclamation took her off guard.
"Yeah," said Rin over her shoulder. "Yubaba offered me a raise if I stayed, but I decided to end my contract and collect my wages. I told you, remember? That I wanted to ride the train elsewhere to some town, right? Well, no time like the present."
"But…" Chihiro was at a loss for words. "But must you leave now?"
"If I stay, I might change my mind." Rin shoved her belongings into a small carrying bag. "And if I stay, Yubaba might scam me into another contract."
"But…we're having a party now!! And don't you wanna say goodbye to everyone?"
Rin simply shrugged. "I've been saying my goodbyes to the girls for years. They already know I'm leaving; some of them will be coming with me." She finished her packing and checked her inventory. "I think…yeah, I'm good." She got to her feet. "All right, I'm ready to go."
"But so soon?" Chihiro didn't want her to go. She knew this is what Rin had always wanted, but the thought of saying goodbye to her was incredibly painful.
"The train will be here soon. If I don't hurry it'll leave without me." Rin grabbed hold of her hand. "C'mon Sen, come see me off."
Chihiro wanted to protest more, but Rin gave her no time to argue. Soon they were rushing through the bathhouse. Other workers yelled out goodbyes to Rin and well-wishes. Rin was right; they were all prepared for this too.
Then they were outside. It was nighttime and the area was still mangled from the day's attack, but neither girl gave it much thought. They heard the whistle of the train.
"Hold the train!!!!" Rin yelled to the others girls on the platform; Chihiro counted four others she'd worked with years ago. They had to run to make it to the platform as the train pulled up. The girls obliged Rin and stalled with the conductor, shamelessly flirting with the transparent ghost.
Both Rin and Chihiro stopped to catch their breath, but not for long. Rin stood up straight and grinned brightly. "Well, this is it."
Chihiro straightened, tears springing to her eyes. "Rin…"
Rin pulled her into a hug. "I owe you big, Sen. This wouldn't have happened without you. You're the greatest friend I've ever had." Her voice was breaking and Chihiro could feel her tears soaking into her hair. Chihiro choked and hugged her friend tight.
"Hurry up, Rin!!!" called one of the girls.
Rin quickly let her go. "Well…see you around."
"Yeah," said Chihiro. "I hope…I hope you're happy."
"I am. I hope you're happy too." Rin gave her cheeks a pinch and hurried onto the train. She happily gave her ticket to the conductor and joined the other women. The train soon started up and went off.
Rin opened a window and stuck her head out. "Goodbye Sen!!! I'll never forget you!!!!"
"G-Goodbye, Rin!!! Morinji!!!!" called Chihiro, waving wildly to her. She stood there on the platform until the train completely disappeared from sight. She knew she would miss Rin, but she also knew nothing made Rin happier than finally getting away.
--
When Chihiro returned to the bathhouse, she went in search of Sei. But before she found him, she stumbled upon Shinano and Haku, who were talking to each other privately. She stood off to the side, out of sight but not out of earshot. She knew it was rude, but she wanted to hear what they were saying.
"My son," said Shinano proudly, putting a hand on Haku's shoulder. "I want you to return to our world with us."
"Really?" said Haku. "But I'm not a real river spirit anymore. I don't have any rivers."
"That doesn't matter to me or our family. You're alive and that's what matters. Your coming home won't disrupt anything of our world just the same as it didn't disrupt this world, since you are a dragon and of a river."
"But my river—"
"Everything will be fine, I promise. Now, will you come home with us?"
Haku took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Chihiro knew how much this meant to him, but hard it was as well.
Then Haku spoke. "Yes. I've always wanted to go home."
--
The celebration continued for a few days, complete with free food and sake. Chihiro was pleased to see that Sei was enjoying every minute; he didn't seem homesick at all. And Chihiro herself wasn't exactly in a hurry.
But…but she knew they couldn't stay. She knew they would have to return home soon. But she hoped with all her heart that she could return and see everyone again.
Then it happened. Just as dawn broke one morning, Shinano addressed everyone.
"I believe," he started. "That we dragons have overstayed our welcome."
"Nonsense, you're more than welcome here!!" said Yubaba. "Especially since you've paid for your free drinks!!!"
Shinano shook his head. "I don't think we should stay a day more, lest we cause this realm more chaos. We should return to our world as soon as we can."
This was met with silence. Chihiro felt her chest tighten at these words. When the dragons left, they would take Haku with them.
Finally, Zeniba spoke, "You're right, you should return. But we're very appreciative of what you've done for us."
"I understand," said Shinano.
"And…" Zeniba turned to look at Chihiro. "You need to return home too, Chihiro."
Chihiro swallowed a lump in her throat, but she forced a smile. "All right. But I can come see you again sometime, right?"
But Zeniba and Yubaba shook their heads and Chihiro went cold.
"Sen, this isn't your natural world," said Yubaba. "You belong in the Human World, not the Spirit World. Your being here disrupts the balance."
"But…but I'm a Guardian!!"
"Nevertheless, you still don't belong here just the same as I don't belong in your world."
"Remember what I told you?" asked Zeniba gently. "Being a Guardian doesn't give you special privilege. I can't travel freely between this world and their world because of my status."
Chihiro looked down at Sei, who was curled up at her side fast asleep. "You mean…when I leave I can't ever come back?"
"Not until you become a spirit yourself," said Yubaba.
"Oh…" Chihiro knew she should've thought about this. Didn't they already warn her? But it didn't make the pain any less. There was so much she could've done with her time here. She could've said goodbye to Rin a lot better, for one thing…
She looked up at everyone around her. Her spirit friends looked back her, all of them looking sad. Even though they knew better than her, it still hurt them too.
She closed her eyes to block her tears and took a deep breath. "I understand. We'll leave today as well."
"Don't go so soon!!!" wailed Boh, starting to cry.
"No, I don't wanna cause anymore problems here. Besides, my parents are probably home and worried sick about us." That was only half of it, though. Haku was leaving that day and she didn't know if she could stay much longer if he wasn't there.
"So when will you leave?" asked Zeniba.
Chihiro looked down at herself and looked over Sei. They both still had the clothes on their backs from days before. "I think we'll leave right now, while Sei's asleep. With any luck he'll wake up on the other side and think this was all a bad dream."
"Yes," said Zeniba softly. She went over to Chihiro and gave her a big hug. "You're a wonderful girl Chihiro and we'll miss you greatly. But know we will always be there with you, as you'll surely be here with us."
Chihiro nodded and hugged her back. "Thank you for everything, Granny."
Boh was next for a hug, swooping down picking her up into his arms. "I'm gonna miss you so much, Sen!!!!" He was crying hysterically, large teardrops soaking Chihiro. She was afraid she'd start crying from all this, but she somehow remain composed.
No-Face was next, materializing behind Boh. He didn't seem to know how to hug, but Chihiro wrapped her arms around his shadowy body anymore. He made awkward grunting noises and slowly embraced her back.
When she let him go she was pulled into another hug, this time by Kamaji. Hugging him was like hugging a spider, but she didn't let it get to her. "You take care of yourself, Sen."
"You too, Kamaji."
Everyone came around to hug her and say goodbye to her, except for some of the dragons. Chihiro noticed Haku was hanging back as well.
"Well…" Tomoko stepped forward reluctantly. "You saved my brother, so I guess I'm grateful to you."
"You guess?" asked Chihiro warily.
Tomoko sighed heavily and hugged her loosely. "Thank you for saving Kohaku, Guardian Chihiro.
"You're welcome." Chihiro patted her on the back and gave her a smile.
As she went back to collect Sei, she knew someone notable had not approached her. She was about to pick up Sei when two cards were shoved into her hands.
"Free passes," said Yubaba. "For your brother and you. When you become spirits, spend a night here on the house."
Chihiro smiled warmly and took the passes from her. "Thank you, Granny." The passes dissolved in her hands, but she knew they wouldn't do her any good at the present.
Yubaba sighed heavily and pulled her into a quick hug. "I do owe you for saving my bathhouse, even after everything that's happened between us. I'm grateful and I thank you for your hard work."
Chihiro really did feel like crying then. But she held in her tears and smiled at Yubaba. "Thank you for everything, Granny."
Yubaba's face twisted up in thought. "I think you said that before."
It was the final goodbyes. Chihiro took Sei into her arms and headed for the front doors, everyone shouting goodbyes and well-wishes to her. Her chest felt so tight that it was getting harder to breath.
Someone fell into step beside her. "I'll say goodbye to you at the Gate."
Haku. Chihiro only glanced at him and didn't say a word. She wanted to say many things as they left the bathhouse, especially since this would be their final goodbye. But nothing came out. And they walked in silence through the town, gradually rebuilding itself, and towards the steps.
They reached the steps and she saw the green plains she'd crossed as a child. This would be the last time she crossed them.
"Here you are," said Haku very quietly. "I don't think I need to warn you this time."
"But you have to promise you won't look back, not until you reach the end of the tunnel."
Chihiro clung to her sleeping brother, wanting to stall the moment anyway she can. "…You kept your promise, Haku."
"My promise?"
"That we would meet again."
"Will we meet again sometime?"
"Sure we will."
"You promise?"
"Promise."
Understanding cross Haku's face, but he looked incredibly sad. Chihiro looked back towards the plains, unable to look at him anymore. "Only now…we won't be able to meet again." The words choked in her throat.
Haku said nothing. Very gently, he took Sei from her arms and set him down on the steps. Then he pulled her close, kissing her on the lips.
Chihiro clung to him, unable to stop her tears, sobbing through the kiss. After a few moments they broke apart and just hugged each other.
"I-I wish…I wish…" she couldn't put it into words, but she knew deep down that she didn't want this. She didn't want this to be their final goodbye. But neither of them had a choice.
"I know, Chihiro," said Haku, his voice hoarse. "I feel the same way." He hugged her a little tighter. "I love you."
"You're my greatest, truest friend, Chihiro, and I love you."
Chihiro had to speak because she knew she would never get this chance again. "I-I love you too, Haku."
They stood there for a few more minutes, holding each other and pouring out their pain. Neither of them wanted to let the other go, but they knew they didn't have much longer.
Finally, they let each other go. Chihiro scrubbed at her face with the sleeve of her sweater and went to pick up Sei. She turned to face Haku, though more tears came out of her eyes. "I'm glad I met you, Haku. And I hope—I really hope that you'll be happy now."
"Thank you, Chihiro," said Haku, smiling at her. "And I hope you'll be happy too."
Chihiro didn't know then if she'd ever be happy again, but she nodded and smiled at him. Then she turned and started down the steps. She reached the grass and started walking across the plain. The temptation to turn around and look at him one last time was strong. She forced herself to close her eyes as she walked, choking quietly on sobs as she held Sei.
She crossed the plains and reached the tunnels. The wind swept past her as she went inside, but still she did not turn around. She entered the main area of the station. It had been swamped with spirits the last time she went through here, but now it was empty. And still she did not turn around.
She walked down the final tunnel, unable to keep in her tears, her sniffles and soft sobs echoing the tunnel. But still she did not turn around.
And finally, she was on the other side. She saw the two-faced statue covered in moss.
And then she finally turned around. The place looked as it did the last time she left, covered in vines and moss and looking unkempt. The Gate was no doubt closed. She wanted to run back inside, but she stood her ground.
"Bye," she said softly, turning back around.
It took her a while to get home through the woods. Her heart was heavy, but she had enough sense of mind to worry about her parents. She'd left a horrible mess when she ran off to save Sei. If they'd arrived home before her, what would they make of the mess?
Sei started stirring as she left the woods and climbed up the hill towards their house. His eyes opened fully as she reached their back fence. She half-expected to see their glass door in ruins, but it looked…fine. "…Where are we?"
"Home now," said Chihiro, smiling down at him.
"Chihiro!!" came a familiar cry from inside the house.
Sei's whole face lit up. "Mommy!!!" he jumped out of Chihiro's arms and climbed over the fence. "Mommy!!! Mommy!!!!"
Chihiro laughed a little as she climbed the fence and followed Sei into the house.
"Oh, where have you two been?!" demanded their mother, though she hugged Sei tightly. "We just got in and the house is empty!!!"
The house looked completely undamaged as well, as though the attack by Haku had never happened. Chihiro rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand. "I went to take Sei out for ice cream."
"At nine in the morning?!" asked their father, laughing a little. "I'd like to meet this ice cream maker!!"
"It was so cool!!!" gushed Sei. "We were inside this video game world and there were dragons and old ladies and this guy with ten arms—"
Their mother laughed and ruffled Sei's hair. "I think you've been playing your Gameboy too much." She glanced up at Chihiro. "Has he given you much trouble."
"Not at all," said Chihiro. She stretched out her arms. "I'm gonna go take a nap."
"But Chihiro—"
Chihiro didn't wait for her to finish. She ran upstairs and into her room. She took off her sweater and hung it up in her closet. Then she walked over to her bed and fell flat on it.
It felt wonderful to be home, to be laying in her own bed without having to look over her shoulder for a demon. But things weren't so simple for her anymore. She was a Guardian of that Gate, but she couldn't pass through it again.
"I miss you already," she murmured softly, burying her face into her pillow.
--
But life went on for Chihiro. She finished her summer homework and returned to school for the fall. Her friends were interested to know where she'd been for two weeks, since she hadn't answer their calls or their text messages.
"My parents decided to invite me along with them," she lied smoothly.
"Ah, so THAT'S why you're so miserable!!"
"Yes, that's exactly it." She buried her face into her arms.
Sei was having a much better time than her about the whole thing. He couldn't stop talking about his captivity to their parents or his friends. Though his friends were interested at first, they quickly grew tired of him talking about it every single day. As Chihiro predicted, nobody believed any of his stories, except probably some of his friends.
Even if she was Guardian of the Gate, she still wanted to make sure. So she dug up her parent's lease and read it through. What she saw gave her a shock.
Her name was on it. Signed on every line as the owner of the house. She rubbed at it with her thumb as though that would make it go away. It didn't, of course. Then she got some white-out to see if that would get rid of it. But the paper completely absorbed the white-out into itself and her name stayed intact.
So her name was on the lease. That meant the house was hers. Wouldn't her dad be so thrilled about this? She decided to leave the issue for another time and reburied it amongst her father's papers.
Chihiro tried to keep herself occupied in that first month. But it was so difficult for her. She couldn't be happier to be home, but the spirits were her friends. And unlike before, when she'd been ten, she didn't have the reassurance that she could see them again.
They were gone.
One day, she couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't focus on her English homework. She pushed aside the worksheets and walked to her closet. She pulled out her sweater and put it on, hugging it tightly to her. Her other clothes from that adventure had already been washed except for her sweater. And hugging it made her think that she was still there, amongst her friends…
Something hard brushed against her leg. Startled, she looked down to see her pocket bulged out. She'd taken her wallet out already. Then what…
She reached inside and pulled out a small jar. It was a quarter full of water. Why was there a jar full of water in her pocket? She didn't remember taking water home with her.
"Perhaps these will be very helpful to us."
Her heart stopped. This wasn't water; this was supposed to be Haku's scales. Zeniba had put them in a jar for her, but they'd all forgotten about them. This little bit of water was Haku!!
Excited, she swished the water in the jar a little bit, unable to believe what she was seeing. Haku was still there with her, even if it was just in a little jar.
She froze. Something seemed very odd about it. She stopped swishing the jar. The water had played near the bottle when she'd pulled it out, but now it looked…fuller. She shook up the bottle and held it up. Now it looked half-full. She shook it up as hard as she could and then checked it. Now it was completely full.
Was it…regenerating itself?
She went to her desk where an empty glass sat. She opened the jar and poured the contents inside. It came up short in the tall glass. She took one of her pens and started stirring the cup. Before her eyes the volume of the water increased drastically in the cup, rising higher and higher until the water was just short of the brim.
Rivers never end because there's moving water in them. And if the water keeps moving…
She ran from her room. "Dad!!!!!!"
Epilogue
"Okay, it's ready!!" called her father from outside.
"C'mon, let's go!!" cried Chihiro. She threw on her coat and ran outside.
"You're so strange, Chihiro," said her mother, shaking her head. "Out of all the things you could've asked us for Christmas…"
"This was the only thing I wanted," said Chihiro over her shoulder. She plopped into the snow and ran towards her father, who was standing in from of something covered in a black tarp.
"What a weirdo," said Sei, not even looking up from his new PSP.
"Everything's all set," said her father proudly, wiping at his forehead. "You sure know how to drive your father crazy, Chihiro."
"Just start it up!!!" pleaded Chihiro.
"All right. Ladies and gentleman!!! I give you…Chihiro's fountain!!!!"
Her father pulled the tarp off. A huge pond six feet long sat there full of water. At the head was a makeshift waterfall. Her father turned to her. "Why don't you do the honors?"
Chihiro nodded and reached down to pressed the button. A loud gushing sound greeted them as the waterfall began to spew water. In reality, water was being sucked up a channel to make it seem like it was falling off the waterfall. But Chihiro couldn't ask for anything more.
"Hooray!!" cheered her mother, clapping for her.
"It looks cool!!" said Sei, finally looking up.
"You had some odd requests, though," said her father. "Like using a specific type of water. It's just a pond, after all."
"But it's my pond," said Chihiro, smiling broadly. "I think I'll call it 'Kohaku Nushi'!!!"
Her mother stilled and looked at her in shock. "Why would you call it that?"
"I think it's appropriate!!!"
"Chihiro…you may not remember but you almost drowned in a river called Kohaku."
Chihiro shrugged. "I'm all right now, aren't I?"
"But—"
"Aw, leave it alone," said her father. "Besides, with this done now the rest of us can get ready!!"
Chihiro looked down into the water. Even though it was nighttime, the full moon was out and she…she thought she saw the glimmer of a tail in the water.
She felt a tug on her arm. "C'mon Chihiro, we need to go to the shrine."
"I think I'll stay home Mom and enjoy my pond."
"You wanna ring in the New Year alone?" her mother's eyes darkened. "You don't plan on throwing a party while we're gone, do you?"
"No, no!!!" Chihiro held up her hands. "I just wanna enjoy my gift!!!"
"Just leave her," said Sei from his PSP. "It'll be more fun without her."
Chihiro narrowed her eyes at Sei. So soon he forgets the trouble she went through to save him. But she tried not to let it get to her. "You guys go on ahead. Seriously, I'll be all right."
They all went back inside. Chihiro watched her family bundle up and she kissed them all goodbye. She stood there in the kitchen for a few moments until she heard their car leave the driveway. Then she pulled out two mugs and started preparing for hot chocolate.
Minutes later she was walking back outside with two steaming mugs and a small lawn chair tucked under her arm so she wouldn't have to kneel in the snow. She got herself ready and settled down. She set the extra cup down right next to the pond, silently praying none of this effort was going to go to waste.
"I hope you like it, Haku," she said softly, taking a sip of her cocoa.
She was startled when a transparent hand came up from the pond and cupped her face. She was even more startled when a transparent Haku came up partially and kissed her on the lips.
"I love it, Chihiro," he said warmly, smiling at her. "You've restored my body."
Chihiro stared at him stunned. "I-I can't believe it really worked!!"
Haku laughed and took a seat on the edge of the pond next to the cup, the other half of his body submerged in the water. "Of course it did. It was a brilliant idea. I may be a spirit, but I use to have a physical form here. When you took my scales, a part of my physical being back home with you, it became its natural form of water here. And since I'm a river spirit, with water constantly flowing through it…well, you helped to regenerate my body and now I live here, in your pond."
"I-I hope it's not too small," said Chihiro fearfully. "Your original river was much bigger."
"Why should I complain? Now I have a real place in my father's world. Besides…" he turned to smile at her. "Now we can see each other whenever we like."
"Yeah," said Chihiro, smiling at him. "That's right."
They both sat there and talked for a long time. Even though neither of them had gone back to the Spirit World where their friends were, Haku had some news about them. Everyone was doing much better and Yubaba's business had picked up greatly, thanks to tales of vanquishing a demon from there.
And Minori…as far as he knew she was still imprisoned. If the monogram seal didn't kill her, then there was still the box to contend with. She couldn't possibly get out.
Chihiro felt so much better than she had in a long time. She'd missed each of her friends, but not so much as she missed Haku. And now he was here. She gave him back his physical body and so now he could exist within her world, on her house's property. With the waterfall fountain flowing, it stimulated the rush of a river. And even if it ever stopped, Haku's water existed there as his body. No one would dare destroy it, not if she could help it.
And it was her house. Someday she knew her parents would want to move elsewhere, but she would stay. She had her responsibilities as a Guardian to take care of. And she couldn't think of anything that would make her happier more than being by Haku's side. So long as she lived there, they would be together.
They talked for so long and so deeply that they didn't notice the uproar from the town. Only when the town's clock sounded and deafening cheers echoed around them did they realize what was going on.
"Happy New Year, Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi," said Chihiro, raising her cup to him.
"Happy New Year, Chihiro Ogino," said Haku. "And many more."
Yes, everything would be all right.
--
This is the end. Thank you all for sticking with me for so long. I truly appreciate it.