Author's note: I'm back after a while of no writing. I have one other fic on here that is an Ella Enchanted fanfic that I wrote in 2016. You can check it out if you want. I recently rewatched some of my Studio Ghibli movies and Spirited Away is my absolute favorite. There are a lot of stories on here that imagine Chihiro and Haku reuniting and I have always wondered what that meeting would be like. A really well written one is called Little Sparrow by a writer called Traidy, I recommend that one too. But, here is my take on what time apart has been like for our protagonists. By the way, if you like this, want more, or have a suggestion, please leave a review.

Chapter 1: His Promise

The dragon sat by the dried river bed. The steps and stone frog had grown mossier and the sun was in it's noon position in the sky. He was lost in his daydream, a memory from years ago. He looked down at his hand and swore he could still feel her hand in it.

Will we meet again sometime?

Sure, we will.

Promise?

I promise. Now, go and don't look back.

He would come out here around ten in the morning and sit here until noon every day. He had promised that they would meet each other again, but that hadn't happened. He was what appeared to be a 13-year-old child when they met, even though he was much older. She was just 10. A scrawny plain little girl then, but she had taught him so much and had given his name back to him. His mind wandered as he thought of how much time had passed in the human realm. She would be 18 now. Nearly grown and going about her business. He had known her parents would've forgotten everything since they had been turned into mindless pigs during their stay in the spirit world. He wondered if she had forgotten, or maybe excused it as a wild dream when she arrived on the other side. He began to picture her, the ten-year-old Chihiro. Wide, scared eyes, skinny legs, and round face. He grinned to himself as he remembered her ponytail and hair tie Zeniba had given her. Did she still have it?

He was interrupted from his reverie by a hand on his shoulder. Then, came the voice.

"Well, dragon boy, are ya going to stay out here all day? Or are you going to attend to your duties?"

He stood up and looked down at the yuna addressing him. Lin hadn't changed much. She made it her job to check in on him and come get him if he had been at the river bed too long.

"I was lost in thought," he answered. "Don't you have tubs to scrub?"

She raised one eyebrow and cocked her head to one side. "Done already. I don't care if you are the over seer and Yubaba's manager. You're still a kid to me and need looking after. You probably would've been our here another hour if I hadn't thought to come get you."

He let one side of his mouth smile slightly. He had changed a lot over the years. He was no longer the cold and calculated henchman Yubaba controlled. Chihiro and unknowingly broken that spell when she squashed that slug and later gave him his name back. Yubaba couldn't control him anymore. However, he was still bound to the spirit world since his river had been filled in and he knew nothing else except for the bath house. So, he had worked out an open arrangement with the bath house witch. She wasn't so thrilled at first, but she eventually agreed. She always needed the extra help and Haku agreed to provide protection if an unfriendly 'guest' entered the bath house without permission. He was all business at the bath house, but he showed himself more friendly and compassionate. Ad eventually Lin grew to tolerate him and later became a close friend. She was someone he could rely on for ideas, honesty, and friendship. At times she was motherly in her interactions with him.

"Do think she'll find a way back to us, Haku?" Lin looked out over the meadow.

"I have don't know that she even remembers us," he replied. "Let's go. We have work to do before the guests start pouring in."

They both turned to make their way to their job. Lin looked deep in thought. She broke their silence as they were passing the shops and food stalls. "What would you be considered age-wise in the human world, Haku?"

He pondered for a few seconds. "I guess I would look like a young adult to them, although I am much older as a spirit. I guess I would be in what they would consider early 20's. Maybe 20 or 21? Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering how old Sen might be. I bet she has grown." She still referred to her by the name Yubaba had given her. Haku's silence hinted that he wanted to stop talking about it and so she dropped the subject.

They arrived at their destination and entered. She reached up and tussled his hair in that motherly way of hers. He twisted his face and began to smooth it down once again as she chuckled to herself. He no longer wore it cut in sharp angles as he once did, but it was a little longer, closer to his shoulders.

"Master Kohaku?" It was a child yuna tugging at his sleeve. He knelt down so he could hear her better.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Master Kohaku, we are all out of rose scented bath salts. What should we do?"

"I'll take care of it. Go tell your partner I will fetch some more and will be back before we open." The little girl bowed and thanked him. He watched as she ran through workers and turned a corner. He went and told the foreman that he had to get some bath salts and would be back before opening time. "Tell Yubaba so she doesn't have a fit looking for me." He exited the building again and transformed into his dragon form. It was quicker this way for the place he had to travel to and he enjoyed viewing the land from the sky. He took off quickly to complete the errand for the little girl.