Aside from the stacks of boxes that littered the floor and one solitary piece of furniture-a comfortable bed with blue sheets-the room was utterly bare. No pictures adorned the walls, there was no desk, no chairs, no knick-knacks anywhere. At least not yet. Chihiro lay quietly in the aforementioned bed, a goofy smile plastered on her face despite the state of her new room. Her family had just arrived at their new home a couple hours ago, and had only managed to set up their beds and a few other essentials before collapsing with exhaustion.

Chihiro sighed and pushed herself up gently to turn off the light before plopping back into bed and closing her eyes softly. Memories of the bathhouse and the Spirit World drifted lazily across her tired mind. She recalled her adventures there, the good and the bad alike, but one moment in particular played over in her mind repeatedly. She fondly recalled her last few minutes in the Spirit World with Haku, those precious moments that had filled her with so much hope and love. Had it really only been a few hours since she had crossed over from that magical place back into the human world? Her longing to see him again made it seem as though it had been far longer.

Hours dragged by as she lay there smiling, snuggled against her pillow, until finally sleep came and overpowered her senses.

~~~    

Haku sat in Yubaba's office, staring at the witch pointedly. She returned her apprentice's gaze with a light smirk playing on her large lips.

"So, you want to be relieved of your duties? What about the contract?" She asked slowly, rapping her fingers on her desk. Her numerous jeweled rings caught the light from the lamp above her and reflected it onto Haku's disgruntled face.

"Yes, I want to be relieved of my duties. I no longer wish to be your apprentice or serve under you. I must leave this place; I have something very important to do. I promise I'll make it worth your while if you grant me my freedom and destroy the contract that binds me to you," Haku responded.

Yubaba studied the boy warily before replying. "I'm…intrigued by your offer, but what I need is some feeling of security. You always were a selfish little thing, how do I know you aren't giving me a false promise that you don't intend to keep?"

"I always honor my promises," he said with a stern conviction that surprised the old witch slightly. I hope you know that Chihiro. I always keep my promises, and I will keep my promise to you…Haku thought to himself, willing the girl to hear his thoughts, no matter how far away she was.

"Alright, it's a deal," Yubaba cackled after a moment's hesitation. "But if you defy me, there will be consequences for you, very grave consequences," she continued, her voice dropping to a dangerous, low whisper as she leaned over the desk towards Haku so close that he could feel her stale breath on his face. Haku sat in quiet determination, never breaking his stare on his employer's face. Yubaba leaned back, and with a snap of her fingers, Haku's old contract appeared and then burst into flames, and a new one was created in its place. Haku's green eyes glanced over the parchment. When he was satisfied with the terms of their new agreement, he signed his name, "The Kohaku River."

Shortly after leaving the witch's office, Haku took the form of a graceful silvery-white dragon, and launched himself into the sky. He scales glistened under the soft light of the stars as he glided under them. He had begun a journey that would take him far beyond the Spirit World and into the Dream World, a place where he hoped he would find the means to fulfill his promise to Chihiro. A promise that he wanted to keep more than anything he had ever wanted before.

~~~

It was a month later when Haku and Chihiro were reunited, though not in the way Chihiro had expected they would be.

~~~

Author's Notes: Ok, so the first chapter isn't great (sorry), but I'm working on it, and I hope it'll get better with time. There will be a plot, I promise, as well as some excitement, and of course some romance too. This is my first fanfic, so reviews and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Oh yeah, and all standard disclaimers apply, as in, I do not own the movie "Spirited Away," I'm not making any money, etc., etc.