Chihiro had awoken earlier than Haku that morning. A faint pink glow from the sunrise tinted her pale skin as she leant against the trunk of a tree at the edge of the clearing. Her teeth held her quivering bottom lip in place as she fought back sobs, tears rolling down her flushed face. Her pregnancy was beginning to sink in, much deeper than the day before. 'I can't let him see me like this,' she told herself, wiping away bitter tears with her tiny hands. 'He'll only feel guilty.' She was happy after all. All that Chihiro had ever wanted was to spend her life with the one she loves, with him. No matter how many happy thoughts filled her head, she couldn't stop the waterfall of tears. The situation was far from ideal, and overall, she was just a young girl, and she was scared. 'How do I get home to my parents?' she thought. 'How can I deal with giving birth without my mother by my side, and what if Haku doesn't want this family as much as I do?' She sobbed into her hands, muffling any noises she made so she didn't wake her lover. The girl sobbed and sobbed until the sun had risen fully, and then she wiped her tears, stiffened her expression, and returned to Haku's side.

"Good morning," he yawned, arms outstretched to the morning sky.

"Morning," Chihiro stroked his soft black hair with the palm of her hand and smiled at him. The two shared a kiss, and Haku said:

"I think it's time to set off and see Zaniba."

Through paths shaded by ivy leaves and meadows dotted with daisies, the two shot through the air. Chihiro gripped Haku's mane tighter than ever, she had more than one life to protect now. On a small island surrounded by calm water, the long, white dragon landed with a thump on the soft ground. The girl let herself slide off him gracefully. Haku transformed back into his humanoid form and took Chihiro's hand. He noticed it was shaking. "I know that you're worried Chihiro," he smiled at her lovingly, "but I promise that I'll do anything to make this easier for you, I'll always be by your side." Chihiro grinned, feeling a sense of comfort at the river spirit's words. The two reached a small, wooden house in the centre of the island. Haku knocked on the door eagerly.

The moments seemed like hours as Chihiro anxiously waited for the wooden door before her to open. She grasped Haku's sleeve as she heard plodding footsteps approaching the door. "Just a second, just a second, i'm coming...!" The two heard the flustered voice behind the door, and the sound of a key fumbling in the lock. "Hello," a short, large headed, elderly woman stood in the open doorway, mouth agape as she saw the two together.

"Hello, Zaniba," Haku spoke politely, bowing his head to the old woman. Her huge mouth twisted up into a dazzling smile.

"Haku!" she shouted, "and ...Chihiro! What are you doing here!?" she flung her arms around the two of them and squeezed them as hard as she thought they could handle. "It's so good to see you!" Chihiro gasped and sunk down to escape the tightness of the hug, both Haku and Zaniba glared at her in shock as she grasped her stomach.

"Granny!" she cried, "I'm so happy to see you but please, not so tight!"

"I'm sorry, dear!" Zaniba apologised, reaching out to grasp Chihiro's shoulder again. "I've missed you, please, come in."

At a small, wobbly, wooden table Haku and Chihiro sat on wonky chairs. They grasped at china cups of jasmine tea that Zaniba had prepared for them in a fuss. "It's so lovely to see you two together again," she cooed, dusting around the table with a pink feather duster. "And it's so sweet of you to come and visit your old granny!"

"Thank you," Chihiro smiled. It had been so many years since she had seen Zaniba, and it hadn't dawned on her until this moment, just how much she'd missed her. "I'm so happy to see you again, granny." The elderly woman lowered herself into a wooden rocking chair and pulled out a long pipe from the pocket of her dress. She grabbed a match from her side and sparked it. "No!" Chihiro cried, immediately clapping her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry but could you... could you please not smoke around me!" Zaniba eyed Haku, who gave her a slight nod.

"I'm very sorry, dear," she sighed, putting out the match.

"I'm sure you've sensed it by now Zaniba," Haku said, his tone low and serious, "you know we're not just here for a casual visit." The grey haired woman scratched her head.

"What do you mean, sense it?... Sense what?"

"I mean... you ..." Haku let his sentence trail off, and both Chihiro and Zaniba shot him a worried glance.

"Well, spit it out boy," Zaniba glared at him, furrowing her wrinkled brow.

"I thought that you would have been able to sense it, surely..." he reached his hand out and touched Chihiro's arm, in turn she jumped slightly.

"Sense it? Are you trying to be mysterious Haku?"

"No, I... I thought that you would have definitely sensed it as soon as you touched her..." Haku sat frozen, his face painted in confusion. Zaniba rolled her eyes and looked over to Chihiro.

"Please dear, tell me what he's talking about."

Chihiro gasped, her hair standing up on end. "Well you see, granny..." she began, desperately digging for the confidence to tell her. "I'm ... I have.."

"She has a child inside her," Haku interrupted Chihiro to save her the anxiety. Zaniba seemed to freeze for a second. Her expression was motionless, her body was completely still. The only sound that could be heard was the whistling of the wind against the wooden walls. It was eerie. Suddenly, without warning, a piercing scream broke the silence like a swinging hammer.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?" Zaniba's hair flew upwards as she launched herself out of her chair and towards Haku. He yelped as the woman's eyes burned just inches from his own. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!?" she yelled, "A SWEET, INNOCENT GIRL LIKE HER, AND YOU... YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF HER!?"

"No, no!" Chihiro pushed the older woman backwards and stood between her and Haku. "I promise you it wasn't like that! What happened that night, well... it was my idea!" Zaniba seemed to calm a little, her fists unclenched. "I love Haku, and he loves me, ok?" Zaniba drifted backwards into her seat, still staring Haku down with unforgiving eyes.

"It's true," Haku admitted, "we love each other. We're starting a family together, and nothing can change that now." The old woman looked from Chihiro to Haku suspiciously, narrowing her bulbous eyes.

"Well, I must say that I had expected better from the two of you," she huffed, "I had expected that you would have waited until Chihiro was older to act out such behaviours!" She tucked the stray strands of hair behind her ears. "But if you're both happy and willing, then I suppose that i'm happy for you." The couple sighed in relief. "And you, Haku!" she extended a wrinkled finger toward him, "Of course I couldn't sense the child, what you're sensing is the connection between yourself and him!" She tutted at Haku, "Of course, I can sense him now though, now that you've told me, i've been able to narrow in on the energy."

"Him?" Chihiro asked,

"Yes, him." Zaniba smiled, "the child you carry inside of you identifies with a lot of masculine energy, so we should call it 'him' for now." Chihiro nodded in agreement.

"Granny," she began "what we really needed to ask you about, is my... situation. You see, whilst i'm pregnant I can't travel back to the human world."

"Oh..." Zaniba's face became etched with sadness, "Haku hasn't told you..."

"I don't have anything to tell," he hung his head in shame. "I don't know anything about this situation. I don't know how to bring Chihiro's parents here, and I don't know how to send her back, or contact them either." The old woman opened her mouth as if to speak, but slowly closed it again, standing up to pace around the room. The lovers looked at each other with curiosity.

"I just..." she began, "Well I just don't know exactly how to tell you." By now, both Haku and Chihiro had become worried, the young woman could feel her heartbeat increasing, her palms becoming warm and moist. "Oh, you two..." Zaniba looked to be on the verge of tears.

"Please..." Chihiro begged, "the stress i'm feeling can't be good for the baby!" Zaniba snapped herself out of her rut, and came to kneel down before Chihiro so they were face to face. She looked deeply into the soft, brown eyes and told her:

"It's going to be hard to hear, but... you can no longer come and go from the spirit world as you wish."

"I know tha..." Zaniba interrupted Chihiro with verbal force.

"No dear, I mean even after the baby is born. You must pick one or the other, forever."

"WHAT!?" the two lovers yelled in unison, jumping up from their seats.

"Now calm down you two, let me explain." Zaniba spoke as Haku and Chihiro bit their lips. "The reason that you've been able to come into the spirit world so easily, Chihiro. It's that the child that you and Haku carry must have been destined to be the next river spirit. You were destined to be his mother. Now that has been fulfilled, after his birth you can't return to and from the spirit and human world any more." Tears began to well in all of their eyes as she spoke. "Destiny and love are powerful things, and you can't simply wish for them to change. You do however, always have a choice."

"A.. a choice!?" Chihiro sobbed.

"What choice!?" Haku mirrored her panicked tone.

"Your child is destined to be the river spirit, to dwell within the Kohaku river until the next nanase haruka arrives. However, if you leave this world Chihiro, you can take your son, and the two of you can have a normal, human life together."

"But if I go back then..."

"She'll never be able to come back to the spirit world again!?"

"I'm afraid that's right," Zaniba sighed, "It's a choice that only the two of you can make, but it's either one or the other, after this birth you will not be brought here again Chihiro. If you choose not to let your son become the next river spirit, then another will one day, far in the future, take his place. However it will not be a child of yours."

"What!?" Chihiro cried.

"Oh dear, let me make you some more tea," Zaniba was beginning to become way too flustered, "I can explain more if you'd like..."

The two lovers were almost silent on the ride back home, trying to take in the information that they'd been told. When they landed back in the meadow with long grass, Chihiro slumped to the floor. Haku, in humanoid form, held her in his arms. "Its going to be ok," he told her, "I promise you." Chihiro let herself sob quietly into his chest, grasping at the fabrics of his clothing.

"I'm not going to leave you," she let the tears trickle from her eyes like heavy raindrops on a slanted window. "I can't possibly do that, and take your son from you, never!"

"Chihiro," Haku took her round face in his hands and stroked her cheeks gently. "I won't stop you, maybe it's better for the both of you..."
"What!?" Chihiro pushed Haku away, a horrified expression on her face. "You mean, you don't want us to stay with you!?"

"No! It's not that at all," Haku shrieked, "It's just that... just.."

"Just what!?"

"I know what it's like to be a river spirit!" he told her forcefully, grasping her tiny, soft hand in his desperate grip. "It's lonely, Chihiro, it's a long life, full of responsibilities. I love you! I only want what's best for you and the child, I want you to be happy and fulfilled and i'm afraid that I can't do that for you!"

"Don't be so... so stupid!" Chihiro scolded him. "There's nothing in this world," she took his hand with both of hers, "that could ever make me, as happy as you." Haku frowned and looked away.

"How could you know that, you're so young, you have a family and a life and I only have this river right here. I'm not worthy of you."

"I don't care," Chihiro took Haku into her arms. She pressed a gentle kiss onto his cheek, and his face flushed red. "I love you, I love you and we're going to make this work ok?" Haku let out a stifled sob. "I don't know how yet, but we're going to make this all work, I know there will be a way." Haku leaned in and kissed Chihiro deeply. The two let their arms snake around each other's bodies passionately. "I will never leave you," she whispered into his ear fiercely. The young woman pushed her lover down into the ground with her loving kiss. With her legs at either side of him, she tangled her fingers in his soft, black hair. "I am yours," she breathed between their kisses, "and you are mine." Haku dug his fingernails into her back gently as he held her as tightly as his body would allow him. "I won't accept what Zaniba said, we'll find a way around this together, and we'll find a way to bring my parents here, or to bring you back with me."

"Ch...chihiro," Haku blushed as the girl pressed herself against him. She let her long, brunette locks fall at either side of his face, and her body moved against his rhythmically.

"I love you, figure this out."

"I love you too." Haku's breathing began to deepen as the woman's small frame rubbed against his own. She rocked her hips back and forth against him. "Chihiro, if you keep doing this... i'll feel all... y'know..." She smirked and looked into his eyes longingly.

"I know."