Disclaimer: Spirited Away is owned by the genius Hayao Miyazaki and by Ghibli Studios. I am merely a fan of said movie and I do not gain any profit or whatsoever from making this story.

-OoO-

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

-OoO-

'We interrupt this program to bring you... COURAGE! The Cowardly Dog Show!'

"Chihiro, aren't you a little old to be watching cartoons?" Yuuko asked kindly as she sat beside her daughter.

Chihiro shrugged but continued to watch as the cartoony pink dog frantically ran and panicked all over the place as he tried to save his darling owner from a creepy fox-looking character.

"It's educational!" Chihiro pointed out defensively. "See? This episode is teaching us to not trust strangers so easily."

Yuuko smiled at her daughter's humor, but grabbed the remote anyway. "Well, alright. My mistake then. But you've seen this show a couple of times already! I need to watch the news."

Chihiro muttered an 'okay', and Yuuko immediately changed the channel, just in time to hear the jingle that signalled the start of the news. Every story was the same as always: prices shooting up, politicians uncovering dirt against their opponents, and superstars announcing their newest relationship statuses.

The sixteen-year-old yawned and eyed her mother warily. "Gee mom, haven't you seen this show a couple of times already?"

She pointed at the television, where another celebrity was telling the paparazzi that she was divorcing her third husband because said man was allegedly having an affair with a colleague.

Yuuko laughed but didn't reply. Instead, both mother and daughter continued watching on as the 'Star Patrol' portion of the news finally finished. The topic that soon followed, after the commercial break, was the weather forecast.

Apparently, it had rained nonstop for two days in the west, which resulted in a heavy flood. Experts said that the area had always been prone to such a natural disaster, seeing as it was once a pathway for a river.

Thankfully, there were no casualties, as the people in the area had already been warned earlier. But the raging waters were strong enough to damage the apartments built around the place.

"Donations," the on-field reporter said, "are greatly appreciated. And one group even made a petition to restore the river."

Then, the reporter gestured to a young woman and the camera immediately focused on the beauty.

"Here we have Gozen Eboshi, the founder and leader of the 'Restore and Change', otherwise known as the REACH Program, to tell us what exactly are the group's intentions and plans."

The young, but enchanting, woman smiled prettily at the camera. "Yes," she spoke confidently, "the group is actually asking for everyone's kind help. We all know that the Kohaku River –"

"Kohaku River?" Chihiro wondered out loud, and she turned to her mother. "Why does it sound so familiar?"

Yuuko flinched, eyes wide in alarm as she regarded her daughter. "We... had an outing there once. When you were little."

"Really? How come I don't remember anymore?"

If anything, Yuuko looked even more uncomfortable. The older woman immediately turned the television off and stood up. She dusted off imaginary dirt from her pants and looked at her daughter coolly.

"You were just a child back then. Now come, we have to prepare dinner."

Chihiro stood up and resisted the childish urge to turn the television on again and demand that her mother explain. There was just this... intuition of hers that claimed something big happened during that vacation, and Chihiro was determined to find out.

"But Mom—" the girl protested, but Yuuko gave her a warning glare.

"Chihiro, drop it. And we really have to prepare dinner. You know how hungry your father can be after work."

Yuuko was already making a beeline for the kitchen in haste, leaving her daughter standing there. Chihiro pouted, and she secretly vowed to herself that she would find out, come what may.

The young girl nodded to herself before she reluctantly followed her mother to the kitchen.

-OoO-

"Get a move on, you lazy soots! Put your backs to it!" Kamaji bellowed, as every soot in the area heeded his call and began scurrying around to help. The old spider nodded in satisfaction, before he too picked up a wheelbarrow and filled it with rubble.

"Fighting again, Kamaji?" Rin questioned smilingly, her hands occupied with today's meals.

Kamaji grunted in affirmation as he watched the sootballs scurry hurriedly to Rin. The sable spirit laughed and handed the bowl to the boiler man before giving the sootballs their own share of meal.

"I swear, these sootballs are trying my patience, Rin! They don't listen to a word I'm saying!" Kamaji grumbled while stuffing his mouth with food.

Rin rolled her eyes and grinned lopsidedly.

"That's because you nag all the time, Kamaji. I'd get tired too if I get yelled at all the time!" Rin defended, thus making all the sootballs cheer for her. "Oh, and by the way. I just found out my real name today."

Kamaji raised a brow. "Did you now?" he asked and at Rin's nod, Kamaji gave her a thumbs up. "Good for you! Should I start calling you by your real name then?"

"Nah, too long. I'd rather be called Rin. But it's good that some of my memories are coming back to me," Rin replied casually, but internally, she had a reason for not telling Kamaji her real name.

After all, she knew that Kamaji, and everyone else for that matter, would have a blast if he knew that her real name was simply 'Rinrin'. Oh yes, they'll never let her hear the end of it, Rin was sure.

"Yes, the memories are important, of course." Kamaji readily agreed. "I don't have my name yet but I do remember being a pirate. And I think I had a family too, and we managed to explore this very unique castle..."

When the spirit mass attacked the bathhouse, it destroyed most, if not all, of the contracts that Yubaba stored inside a secret compartment in her office. Now, the employees were starting to remember, bit by bit, and although they were no longer bound to the witch, all of them stayed and were now currently working hand-in-hand in restoring the bathhouse to its former glory.

Rin opened her mouth to reply but was cut off when Yubaba screamed a NO.

Everyone turned their heads, and sighed collectively when they saw Yubaba fighting with Zeniba. About what, however, only God knows. The twins arguments were a routine by now, and all the workers were no longer interested with the two witches' never-ending battle.

"You think by now they'd get along," Boh murmured as he ambled his way to Rin and Kamaji, with No-Face and Yu-bird tagging along with him.

Although still a child, Boh was no longer spoiled and ignorant. He no longer believed in the 'germs story' told by his mother, and was now at the stage of discovering the world. Unfortunately, and much to Yubaba's horror, most of Boh's 'adventures' always resulted in him covered in dirt, mud, and sweat.

The witch would always shriek at the sight and reprimand her little boy to stop, only for the scenario to rewind the following day.

Behind the baby, Yu-bird buzzed and No-Face nodded.

Yu-bird was still in her mosquito-like form, and it was pretty obvious to everyone that she preferred it compared with her original one. Plus, it was much more convenient flying around as a mosquito rather than a large bird with sharp talons. At least, in her tiny form, people did not mind if she landed on their shoulders to rest.

There was a sound of spells clashing soon after, and everyone sighed once more as No-Face slithered his ways to the witches, clearly intending on separating the two... again.

And speaking of No-Face, although he had not returned to his form, he was slowly getting there, now that he was staying at the bathhouse without having to be consumed by greed since everyone was too busy with working. For one, his tentacle-like arms had become shapely and defined. Fingers, long and pointy, were starting to form as well. He also grew a thick mop of hair, brown and unruly, and Zeniba guessed that he too was slowly remembering his old life.

"Just stick close to the bathhouse, and I'm sure you'll get there." Zeniba once advised him optimistically. No-Face diligently followed the advice.

"Man, these two are never getting along, if you ask me," Rin bluntly commented as another blast was heard. Boh and Yu-bird could only sigh, but Kamaji shook his head.

"I don't know, but if you ask me, I'd say they're on the right track," Kamaji commented and raised a brow when the other three gave him an incredulous look.

"The heck are you smoking, old man?"

"Oh, don't tell me you haven't noticed, Rin. But don't Yubaba and Zeniba look a bit younger to you?"

Rin did not look convinced, but she did humor the old spider and turned to face the witches.

Although they still looked and sounded like old women, Kamaji did have a point. Their wrinkles were starting to disappear slowly, and their noses were not as gargantuan as before. Plus, their gray hair, still locked in a tight single bun, had turned oddly glossy and smooth.

And if one were to look a little bit closer, yellow strands, like gold, of their hair could be seen.

"I'm right, aren't I?"

The sable spirit merely shrugged. "Not much, actually. I mean, they're witches Kamaji. I'm sure they found a spell to make themselves look younger."

Kamaji wanted to retort but kept it to himself. He knew that Rin would never admit that he was right; the girl was pretty stubborn like that. Instead, the spider spirit addressed Boh, who was still looking at his mother fighting his aunt, as No-Face valiantly tried to separate the two.

"Boh, where is Haku? Have you seen him?"

The baby thought before shaking his head in reply. He passed the question to Yu-bird, who also replied in a negative.

"My money's on the barrier. That love-struck lizard's probably sulking there and waiting for Sen to come back," Rin replied smartly, a silly grin on her face.

"Or he could just be around and actually heard the whole thing."

Everyone jumped at the sound of Kohaku's voice before they all turned to him. He was casually standing there, arms crossed and scowl in place. He slowly made his way to the group, before his gaze went to the still-battling witches.

"Has this been going on for quite some time?" He asked, referring to the fight, and was given a couple of nods as reply.

"Pretty much," Rin sighed and continued. "Why? Need to talk to either of them?"

Kohaku shrugged. "Not really," he said before giving a smirk, his eyes glowing in mischief, "but I am quite bored. Want to bet, Kamaji?"

Instantly, the spider's ears perked up and he leaned in closer.

"What sort of bet are we talking about, Haku?"

"I'm betting on Zeniba to win this round. If I guess it correctly, you get to do all my chores for a month. If I lose, I do all the work instead."

"Sounds fair," Kamaji murmured, stroking his moustache. "But I am betting that No-Face will manage to stop the fight before things get out of hand."

Boh and Yu-bird protested, loyally rooting for Yubaba. The boys, and Yu-bird, sealed their agreement with a handshake, leaving Rin to roll her eyes at them.

"Tsk. You guys are toast if Yubaba ever finds out about this." The sable spirit mumbled under her breath.

-OoO-

It was due to her constant pleading that convinced them. Although not so proud of what she had to do, Chihiro was glad that she managed to talk her parents into coming here at the newly reinstated Kohaku River.

There was so much work to do but Chihiro could also see that the members of the REACH Program were doing their best.

All of the members were working hand-in-hand, from picking up the trash littered all over the place to replanting tress. Some, mostly the younger ones, were assigned to give out some flyers to visitors, who came to see the progress.

One girl, a pretty little thing with hair tied in two pigtails, gave Chihiro a flyer shyly. The two ladies spoke briefly before the girl was whisked away by one, enthusiastic boy wearing a big captain's hat.

Chihiro smiled as she watched the two kids leave. Beside her, Akio scoffed.

"Hippie kids," he muttered, eyeing the young girl's vibrant yellow blouse and puffy pair of pants with distaste. "Better not trust them, Chihiro. You don't really know what they'll do with the money."

Chihiro scowled at her father and placed her hands on either side of her hips. "Dad, I just talked to that 'hippie kid', and she told me that any kind of help is greatly appreciated. She didn't even mention money when she meant by help!"

"That's how they reel you in, sweetheart. First, they act like innocent saint and the next thing you know—"

"What's going on here? You two look like you're ready for a debate!" Yuuko suddenly intervened, hands occupied with ice cream cones.

She handed one cone to her daughter who took it gratefully, but not before sticking out her tongue at her father. Akio laughed at Chihiro's childish antics and patted the girl's head affectionately.

"Really now! What is going on in here?"

"Dad thinks it was a waste of time coming here. He says all these people are just scammers or something!"

Akio was about to reply, but his wife gave him a dirty glare, which silenced him. Then, turning to their still-pouting daughter, Yuuko touched the girl's shoulder, earning her attention.

"You know how much of a miser your father can be, Chihiro. Don't mind him. He's a grumpy old man anyway."

Chihiro snorted before letting out a loud laugh. At the sight of Akio's scandalized look, Yuuko could not help but giggle along with Chihiro. Akio blinked before he raised his hands in mock surrender.

"You're ganging up on me!" He fake-sobbed before turning around and dragged his feet on the ground. "Fine! If my family doesn't need me, I should just help in the digging."

He said it in jest but unfortunately for Akio, one of the workers heard him and gladly handed Akio a shovel, much to the latter's shock.

"Thank you sir! Your help is very much needed and appreciated!" The worker smilingly said and ushered Akio to where their group was starting.

Akio shot his wife and his daughter a pleading look, but both looked away innocently, as if not noticing the man's plight. Akio grunted, knowing that his family really was ganging up on him, before he began shovelling.

When Akio was a good distance away, Chihiro and Yuuko once again shared a laugh.

"Geez, karma worked fast! But now I kinda feel sorry for him." Chihiro laughed, wiping the tears in her eyes.

"Oh, don't! You and I both know that he is in need of a good workout, Chihiro." Yuuko supplied, and the two laughed once more.

As soon as their laughter died down, Yuuko turned to look at the river, gaze distant and clouded as she remembered that terrifying event once upon a time.

Unbeknownst to the older woman, she gave a loud sigh, making her daughter turn to look at her.

"What's up, mom?" Chihiro asked curiously.

"Nothing. I just... I was remembering something, that's all."

"Will you tell me what it was you were thinking, mom?"

Yuuko smiled sadly. She knew what her daughter wanted the moment she proposed a trip to the Kohaku River, and being the stubborn girl that Chihiro was, there was no doubt in Yuuko's mind that her daughter would refuse to leave until she hears the truth.

The older woman knew that much because her daughter got this headstrong attitude form her mother, after all. And with that thought, Yuuko sighed once more before turning to Chihiro and told the girl the whole story.

"Your father and I were worried." She recalled sadly. "We looked everywhere for you. We never gave up."

Chihiro nodded as her mother sniffed.

"So just imagine our surprise and our delight when we found you, three hours later of searching, by the shore. You were smiling back then when I thought you'd be inconsolable. And when I asked you if you were alright, you gave me this big grin and told me..."

Yuuko paused to look at her daughter.

"You said the Kohaku River spirit saved you."

-OoO-

That night, as they arrived home, Chihiro headed straight to their attic, searching box after box for something. She ignored her father's complaints about his back hurting, and she only gave a noncommittal grunt when her mother called her for dinner.

She was searching hopelessly for something, and yet, she did not even know why. The story her mother shared with her previously tugged at her heart, and now, there was this... want, this desperate will, to remember.

There was a boy, she recalled. But whatever happened to him? What was his name? How did he look like? How did he even save her when the current was too strong, as her mother said? Was he really the spirit of the Kohaku River?"

So many questions she did not know the answer of. How frustrating!

She opened another box and looked, but what she needed was not in there. Then again, it had been too long ago and maybe her parents had thrown it away already.

But even with that possibility, Chihiro continued her search, not minding the dust in her hands and the cobwebs sticking in her hair.

Her search remained fruitless, and just when she was about to lose hope, she opened one final bpx and fount it.

Her little pink pair of shoes.

Chihiro gingerly took it and examined it. Then, without knowing it, tears rolled down endlessly. She did not even bother wiping the fat tears. They just kept coming and coming, much like the memories she had forgotten but now remembered.

-OoO-

In the end, there was no winner.

Although Kamaji was correct in his bet that No-Face would be able to stop the witches, the old spider was still punished by Yubaba the moment the latter found out about the whole betting agreement.

Even Boh and Yu-bird received a punishment as well, and now, both were upstairs, cleaning the baby's room.

"Told ya it was a bad idea," Rin gloated as she entered the room, arms full of used dishes. "By the way, here's another batch. There's still more, actually."

Kamaji's form of an answer was a grunt as he proceeded to wash the plates. He gestured for Rin to put the soiled ones by the side, because he was still not finished yet with the first batch.

Rin eagerly placed the items carefully, before she let out a tired sigh and began massaging her sore biceps. "Man, this is troublesome! Where the heck is that dumb lizard now?"

The old spider shrugged as he continued his work. "Zeniba called him for a talk. He hasn't come back since."

"Well, he better hurry up! He knows you need all the help, old man. You can't actually use your army of soots for this!"

To prove her point, one sootball actually went to Kamaji's side and lifter one of the plates. But the moment it touched the water, the sootball's tiny arm disintegrated, making the little guy scamper away from the sink in haste.

"I think it was important." Kamaji intoned. "Zeniba looked a bit worried when she called him."

Rin hummed in reply, and silence followed. After a while, Rin spoke. "You think it's about Sen?"

"Perhaps. I just hope it's good news and not ba –"

"Excuse me," a little frog servant piped in, "but I was asked to fill in Master Haku's place in the meantime." He hopped toward Kamaji, but stopped when he saw Rin.

He froze in place as tiny beads of sweat flowed in his forehead.

"I... uhh... we-well... me..."

He stuttered incoherently, making Rin raise a brow. The sable spirit was about to ask what the heck his problem was when something clicked in her brain.

She realized that it was the same frog she punched days ago! Heck, the little guy still had a bruise on his cheek as proof!

"That is... I was told... uhhh... stuff..."

"You know what? Save it. I have work to do." Without missing a beat, Rin swiftly left the room, leaving Kamaji and the frog spirit.

The latter sighed in relief as soon as the sable spirit was gone. He then dragged a stool and placed it beside Kamaji, and once he was safely settled, the two began a mechanical routine of wash and dry.

"She's scary." The little frog declared fearfully.

"Mhm, that she is," Kamaji wholeheartedly agreed as he methodically dried the washed plates. "Ah, but if I may ask. Do you know why Zeniba needed Haku?"

If the frog was shocked by how Kamaji casually called Master Haku, he did not show it. Instead, he took a moment to think before he nodded.

"Yeah, the Madame sent Master Haku on a mission."

"A mission, you say? What kind?"

"Well, if I heard it right," he passed a plate to the old spirit who took it. "I think it was a retrieval mission."

-OoO-

Her legs burned, but she did not care. Instead, she continued to move forward, only stopping for a moment to look back and speak to her parents.

"Come on! We're almost there!" Chihiro excitedly called out to her parents. She hastily turned around once more before her father and her mother could catch up or ask what she wanted to show them.

"But I'm tired, and my back still hurts!" Akio wheezed as he tried to catch his breaths. "Honey, what is wrong with our daughter?"

Beside him, Yuuko looked confused as well, but unlike her husband, she just chose to stay quiet.

After all, if their daughter wanted to surprise them, well, Yuuko was not going to spoil it by constantly complaining and whining like a brat. And besides, a little exercise would not hurt anybody, right?

"Guys, I found it! Come quick!"

"This is what I wanted to show you guys!" Chihiro exclaimed, pointing at an ugly, moss-covered statue. Yuuko blinked in confusion, and Akio stared at Chihiro in disbelief.

"We came all the way here for this ugly thing?" Akio said in a mix of dismay and bewilderment.

"No," Chihiro replied enthusiastically, "not just that. We have to get inside this tunnel!"

Akio now looked positively lost, and he wondered, for the nth time, if maybe their daughter was experiencing some sort of mind damages due to the accident that befell her. Or maybe this was a side effect from all those drugs the doctors pumped into her system when she was still unconscious?

Either way did not sound appealing to him, and Akio immediately sought his wife's intervention. Sensing the waves of Akio's desperation, Yuuko was quick on her feet as the woman stood by Chihiro's side and gave the tunnel a disapproving stare.

"Are you sure Chihiro? It doesn't look so safe," Yuuko spoke, and as a soft gust of wind blew, the older woman hugged herself. "It almost feels like it's pulling us in."

"Yeah, it does that." Chihiro said quietly but moved inside, despite her parents warning her not to. "Please, mom, dad. I need you to remember this too. It's important."

Akio still seemed unconvinced, but Yuuko followed her daughter, which earned her a smile from the younger girl. Pretty soon, Akio joined his family, and Chihiro simply beamed at them before clutching their hands while telling them to watch their step.

-OoO-

He stood, facing the barrier that separated him and the other world. Although his face looked passive, his fists were clenched so tightly that he almost drew blood.

Beside him, his mentor sighed.

"Relax," Zeniba coaxed him, but the boy remained rigid. "You're powerful enough for this, especially now that your river is slowly coming back to life."

Kohaku sighed softly. "True, but I have been separated from it for so long. I'll need to re-establish my ties with it."

"You young ones today are so pessimistic!" Zeniba said as she shook her head sadly. "Don't you want to see Chihiro again?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then do it! Show me that you meant every word you said to her, Haku. Overcome this barrier and see her again."

"You are really into this, aren't you?" Kohaku said with a small smile on his lips before he turned serious once more. "Thank you Zeniba. For everything."

"Think nothing of it. Now go, and be with the one who holds your heart."

Kohaku nodded solemnly before he faced the barrier once more. He slowly closed his eyes and concentrated on his task. He released all of his power and thought of Chihiro – her voice, her laughter, her smiles, their kiss.

He still had his eyes closed, but he could feel the barrier beneath his fingertips, gradually but surely unravelling.

-OoO-

"When we moved here, dad got us lost and we ended up bumping into this place," Chihiro started as she moved, taking along her parents.

They were now inside what looked like a train station, before they stopped at the mouth of another entrance.

"We explored around for a bit, and mom even suggested a picnic because the place was just so beautiful."

Akio raised a brow but Yuuko was clinging on to every word that Chihiro was saying.

"You guys found a working restaurant, and even when no one was around, you began eating..."

"Chihiro, what are you –"

"The meat was so tender and delicious, I couldn't stop, even if I wanted to," Yuuko suddenly whispered, cutting off her husband's sentence.

Akio stared disbelievingly at Yuuko, but his wife looked dazed as she stared at the entrance.

"After that, things... things just started getting blurry, but I remembered leaving this place. And you were clinging on to me so tightly..."

Chihiro nodded, almost tearfully, and gave her mother a hug. Yuuko fiercely returned the embrace, looking like she too was controlling her already damp eyes.

"You guys were punished by a witch. She turned you into pigs, and I was forced to work for her so I could free you!" Chihiro sobbed as she buried her face against her mother's bosom.

"Really? You did that for us?" Yuuko asked, and she lifter her daughter's chin so they could see each other eye-to-eye. "Oh, my brave little girl!"

Both mother and daughter were tearing up, but Akio was still a little wary. He could not remember any of this, so he crossed his arms and looked at his family sceptically.

"Pigs? A witch?" He asked. "Seems a little far-fetched, Chihiro. You were such a scaredy cat back then, so there's no way you could have done all that by yourself, if it were true, of course."

Chihiro laughed and brushed away the tears with the palm of her hands.

"I didn't!" Chihiro said truthfully as she gave her father a small smile. "I had help from friends I met along the way. I had Kamaji, Rin, Boh, Yu-bird, and even Zeniba!"

Then she turned to the entrance and smiled fondly.

"But most of all, I had help from someone very dear to me." She moved to the entrance and touched the thin air, as if expecting a barrier there. "He was my guardian, and he always looked out for me, even when I was just a kid."

"He saved me. Not just at the bathhouse, but even before that! He saved me when I was very little. On that day I drowned in his river, he carried me to shore and never left my side until I was reunited with my parents."

"And his name... is Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi."

Bits of glasses broke from where her fingers touched, and a bright light surrounded the whole area. A gust of wind blew so strong that it almost blew everyone away.

Yuuko screamed, and Akio moved to protect his wife and his daughter.

But before the man could reach Chihiro, the wind stopped, almost as abruptly as it first started. The bright light disappeared as well, whereas Chihiro remained standing where she was.

However, this time, she was not alone.

Someone had reached for her outstretched hand and gave an experimental squeeze. A light chuckle was heard.

"You remember," that someone said as his deep emerald eyes focused on the whimpering girl in front of him.

"Of course," Chihiro replied breezily with a big grin. "No magic is strong enough to stop me from remembering you."

Kohaku smiled as he gathered Chihiro in his arms, tucking the girl under his chin. Chihiro, meanwhile, sighed happily as she melted in his embrace, before she moved and tilted her head up.

Seeing her intention, Kohaku quickly leaned in and captured his love's lips in a soft kiss. Gently, carefully, they moved just a little bit close without breaking their intimate contact, until nothing else could even come in between them.

And perhaps, nothing will ever come in between, because even beyond the darkness, both of them still found each other, their feelings for the other remaining intact and strong, overcoming the barriers that wanted to separate them.

-OoO-

"Wha... What is going on here?!" Akio spluttered angrily, watching as his only daughter kiss this stranger in front of them.

His over-protectiveness kicked in, and Akio was sure that he would beat this boy up. No fancy lights and sound effects are going to help him once Akio gets a hold of him, that's for sure!

He moved to separate the two, but a gentle touch on his arm stopped him. He looked, and found his wife glaring at him. When he raised a brow, Yuuko shook her head and sighed softly.

"Don't. I'm sure Chihiro will explain later."

"But honey!"

"No buts. Or else, you're sleeping in the couch tonight."

Akio grumbled but stood in his place, earning him a smile from his wife.

"Fine," the man acquiesced, still looking at the two teens that were now, finally!, finished with their kiss and were just staring at each other intimately. "But I'm still setting some rules here! I don't care if he's some magical creature! He's not touching my little girl again until I say so!"

Yuuko could only roll her eyes, before she planted a tiny kiss in her husband's cheek.

-OoO-

Oh my God. This moment has finally come. Now I can finally click the "Complete" button for this.

Anyway, here's the last chapter, because a lot voted yes for it. I hope I delivered it well. Oh, and I know a simple "THANK YOU" is not enough to show my gratitude, but THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Everyone's support was overwhelming and I'm thankful for that!

Plus, I'm also thankful for some others who became my chat buddies. Lol, you guys know who you are and let me just say that you are AWESOME! And to my Guest reviewers, especially to Death. I can't really send you guys a private message containing my gratitude, but I hope that my simple messages here in the author's notes can compensate.

AGAIN! Thanks so much for everything guys! Now excuse me while I cry a river in my room.

LASLTY

Shameless plugging time! I am also starting on another story, but this time it's a NejiTen (Naruto).

Why am I starting another fic, you ask? Because the plot bunnies are biting me, that's why. Oh and if you do have some free time, check it out!

FRUITY, OUT!