A/N: Okay, this is a Spirited Away one-shot that probably won't develop into a story but we'll see. I love this movie so much and I finally decided to write something for it. This is a HxC story but it takes a lot of plot exposition to get there. Don't worry, the reason for it is to give you a bigger emotional feel at the end.

Disclaimer: If Spirited Away was mine I would animate myself into the story and smother Haku in hugs.

It had been fifteen years since Chihiro left the Spirit World, fifteen long and lonely years. She would never forget the day she won her freedom from Yubaba. It had been a long and rigorous journey, but she did it. Chihiro had made so many friends along the way. They all had helped her and shared her pain. She had to grow up quickly at the young age of ten, but she got through it thanks to her friends. The moment Chihiro's parents turned into pigs she never thought she would see them again. She cursed her dad for wanting to "explore" the area. Why couldn't they have just stayed in the car? The new house was only up the hill. Of course, her parents wanted to get to know the place better. By the time they could realize danger was right in front of them, it was too late. After the whole experience though, Chihiro couldn't have been happier that they stumbled upon the entrance to the Spirit World.

When the family got settled into their new home Chihiro thought of nothing else. She made a few close friends at school but something was always missing from her life. It seemed that the ordinary world lacked the element about the Spirit World she loved so much. There were always new spirits to meet at the bathhouse. They were all so interesting and had strange looks to them. The one thing about that place Chihiro didn't regret leaving was Yubaba. She definitely had enough of that witch. After a while, she was able to deal with Yubaba's outrageous demands. Lin's attitude towards other workers gave her a laugh, and Kamaji's stories about the bathhouse always made her happy. Whenever Chihiro felt bad she would go down to the boilers and watch the soot spirits carry coal. Yes, she had learned that helping them do their job would end up in chaos.

Chihiro also wished she could see Zeniba again. Without Zeniba's help there would have been no way to save her parents. Yubaba had just been too strong. She was also glad No Face wasn't really evil. He just wanted some friends, like she did. So, Chihiro went to school and became a perfect student. Other children always went to her for help, but to her dismay they only used her. Very few people actually talked to her because they liked her. Most just wanted answers on homework and tests. Occasionally, she got the blame for cheating. When Chihiro got home she would help out her mom, do her homework, and finish her chores. Her favorite time was when she had nothing to do. During this time she would take out her binder with all her "memories."

Over a period of fifteen years Chihiro had saved multiple magazine articles on wandering spirits, the paranormal, dragons, and just about anything that involved creatures of fantasy. She had also taken up drawing and painting. Most of her pictures represented scenes from the Spirit World. Because Chihiro couldn't tell anyone, not even her friends, she would put her thoughts in the form of art. Over time Chihiro filled her binder with "memories." Of course, this binder was kept secret. How was she going to explain the reason for keeping things about spirits? She wasn't some crazy or depressed person who was obsessing over life after death. It was just these articles made her feel better. She had an emptiness inside that seemed to get bigger as time went on. It wasn't until her twenty fifth birthday that she realized what it was.

Chihiro had come home from one of the best colleges in the country for her birthday. High school wasn't as much fun for her as she thought it would be. She had some bad experiences with schoolwork and with guys. Multiple people had asked her out but most ended up being weirdoes or still just wanting answers for work. Some of the girls were really mean too. It seemed they couldn't accept the fact that some people were smarter or prettier than they were. So they had to make everyone's life worse, especially hers. In college it was different. There were less cliques and everyone actually wanted to be there. Plus the people were too smart to act like babies, which was a drag sometimes. Uptight people can be a real pain. Chihiro had gone home with her two closest friends, and her parents threw her a small party. After dinner she decided to take a walk to the river near by. She told her parents she wanted to go by herself to "reflect on her life."

When Chihiro got to the river the sun was low in the sky. She sat down on the side of the bank and stared at the water. Being a person who doesn't lie often Chihiro seriously thought back on her past years. She remembered getting the doll she wanted when she was five, having to move and going to the Spirit World at ten, getting trashed in a food fight and getting blamed for it at fifteen, being accepted into her first choice college at twenty, and now sitting here at the side of the river at twenty five. All these wonderful and not so wonderful experiences had happened to her but there was still that empty feeling in the pit of her stomach. Chihiro clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. What was this emptiness? It wouldn't go away! Then, it hit her like a brick wall. She remembered…

Chihiro ran to him. "Haku!"

"Let's go!" He grabbed her hand.

"Where are my mom and dad?"

"When you passed the test they woke up on the human side of the river, they are there now."

"There's no water here. I can walk across now."

"But I can't go any further, just go back the way you came. You'll be fine. You have to promise not to look back, not until you've passed through the tunnel."

"But what about you? What will you do?"

"Don't worry, I'll go back and have a talk with Yubaba. I'll tell her I'm going to quit being her apprentice. I'm fine, I got my name back."

"Will we meet again sometime?"

"Sure."

"Promise?"

"Promise. Now go, and don't look back." Her hand slipped away from his, and she never turned back.

Chihiro burst into tears. After the years went on she forced herself to stop thinking about Haku. She had never truly forgot him. He was always there in the back of her mind. When other people around her were in relationships and getting married, she never paid attention. She had blocked it all out of her mind. It wasn't until this very moment she realized how much she missed him and those years of not seeing him caught up with her. One may think a ten year old may not know of love, but after she left the Spirit World, she did. She truly loved him. Maybe that was the reason she blocked him from her mind. Maybe she did it so she wouldn't feel the pain and sorrow she was feeling now. This was the emptiness, the loneliness she felt.

Chihiro got up and started to shake from sobbing. "Ha-ku. Why? Why did you, did you…"

The sun was about to set and it was getting cold out. Her parents would worry if she wasn't home soon, even though she was twenty five. Chihiro tried as best as she could to compose herself but it wouldn't work. All she could do was stand and cry. A huge gust of wind blew by her. After a few moments she felt a presence behind her. She was ready to turn around and take out whoever was there if she needed to.

"Chihiro."

Oh, there was no way. She was going insane.

"Chihiro."

Okay, maybe she wasn't going insane. "Haku."

"Yes?"

Chihiro jumped and turned around. There he was, just standing there. He had grown much taller. His hair was still cut straight in the front but at an angle at the bottom and was slightly longer. He still had a thin frame but was more muscular. The one thing that didn't change were his eyes, those olive green eyes. She could stare at them all day. He had turned from a very handsome boy to a very handsome man. Wait, she was dreaming again…or not. If she hadn't thought about him until right now maybe he was real.

"Haku, is that you?"

"Well, I think so."

Chihiro reached out and touched Haku's face. Her fingers met his jawbone and traced a line down to his chin. "You are real," she whispered.

Chihiro dropped her hand and stared at him. She wanted to be happy but something just wasn't letting her.

"Chihiro, what's the matter?" Haku asked in a silky voice.

"Why didn't you come?" she whispered.

"I had…"

"Why?" she snapped.

Haku had a hurt look in his eyes. He knew she'd be this way. "It took me a little longer to leave Yubaba then I expected. Then I had to go back to my world. Tracking you down wasn't as easy as I thought."

"Do you know how alone I've felt all this time Haku? How many nights I couldn't sleep because I was wondering where you were? All the school dances and events I didn't go to because it didn't feel right being with another person? How wrong I felt saying yes to some other guy?" By this time, Chihiro was crying again. She had squeaked out her last few sentences. "Didn't you know I loved you?"

Haku felt his heart shatter. He had caused so much pain to the one person he cared about more in the world. He was on the verge of tears as well.

"Chihiro, I'm so sorry. I tired, really I did."

"You promised Haku, you promised you'd be back."

"I did. So now, I'm here."

Chihiro's train of thought stopped abruptly. He was here. He was standing right in front of her and all she could do was be angry at him. Well, he had made her upset, but she could forgive him.

Haku walked up to her, took a finger, and whipped away the last tear that fell down her face. "I'm sorry."

"I know, I am too. I just got a little caught up in everything."

Haku lifted her chin and kissed her. She kissed him back. Chihiro then felt the need to tackle him, which she did. Haku was taken by surprise so he fell on to his back. He started up at Chihiro. "You're so beautiful."

"You don't look too bad yourself."

Haku smiled. "I love you too."

Haku got up and helped Chihiro up. Chihiro took his hand and closed her eyes. "I've wanted to hold your hand again for a long time, don't let go too quickly."

Haku chuckled. "I'm okay with that."

"How am I going to explain to my parents about you?"

"We'll come up with something. I'm going to have to take you back to meet my family as well."

Chihiro's face lit up at that comment. "Hey, I'll say you're my boyfriend from college!" Haku blushed. "What, you're not okay with that?"

"No, it's fine."

"So how did you find me after all this time? You kind of conveniently came at the right moment."

"What, you think I planned getting here right after you said my name?"

"Well, you're a spirit, it could happen."

Haku shook his head. "I'm just glad I'm finally with you again."

"Me too Haku."

Chihiro and Haku walked slowly back to her house hand in hand. She was sure that she wouldn't leave his grasp again for a long time. Finally, the emptiness deep inside had been closed. He had kept his promise and came back just like he said all those years ago. How could there possibly be a better birthday present?

A/N: I'm done! I had to re-watch a few sequences to get stuff just right. I REALLY hope that was enjoyed. I would so appreciate it if I got feeback on this, it's my first Spirited Away fic and it took a lot of thought and consideration. I'm so glad I finally wrote one. Original plot lines are getting hard to do but I did it! Sorry, I had to use that way over used flash back but I think it really added to the story. It's such a fantastic scene to watch as well. So please please please review and please no flames, please?