Sitting on a rock beside a river, Haku looks at his image on the water. Gone is his long dark green hair and green eyes, replaced with short white hair and gray eyes. He doesn't look like himself at all. That's good. Lin should not recognize him or his plan would fail.

Speaking of that white fox Lin, Haku can tell she's been opposed to the idea of traveling with him and Jaariko. Of course, he could just take her and torture her to tell them where she is going and where they are hiding Boh, but Haku knows well that he won't get the answers that he wants. Lin traveling so casually and without care means either she is willing to die with the information she holds or that she, too, is in the dark -- merely following vague instructions.

Should he just trail behind Lin and her companion, silent and discreet? Impossible. Though a weaker spirit, Lin is strong enough to notice that they're being followed.

Should he just capture one of Yubaba's minions then? No. That old witch is clever enough not to reveal her hideout to just anyone.

It'll be hard to locate her.

It'll be much easier to hold Boh hostage to make sure she shows up. And, how satisfying it'll be to see the horror and worry on Yubaba's ugly face as she sees her beloved Boh in Haku's deadly grasp. He had spared the son before but he's not sure if he could spare him now.

"U-uhm... Haru-san," a female voice wakes him up from his thoughts. It is the brown-haired human Lin calls 'Senko'. Shyly, she offers him a white wet towel. "You might want to wash your wounds and wipe your-- uh-- dirt with this."

For a moment, Haku just looks at her. Not because he doesn't want to have a conversation with the girl, but just because he wonders why the human is so important to Lin that she sought her out and now escorts her to the spiritual realm. He has already seen her before, remembering seeing her in the house of the Hashimotos and shedding her tears for the dying Sayuri. Why is she even here?

She is also a reason why Haku wants to join the two in their travel. He needs to learn what is special about this particular human. And at their encounter in the forest, as the brunette bowed at him and looked into his eyes, the grim melody inside his heart seemed to slightly weaken. Why? And now that he looks at her, he is suddenly reminded of his own river. He is reminded of home.

"I'll leave it here," Senko places the wet towel beside him, on the rock where he is sitting at. But before she leaves, he speaks.

"Thank you, Senko. Here." He gives her a handful of red berries cheerily and with an easy smile. "I picked them earlier. Aki doesn't like them and I cannot eat them all. You can share them with Rinko." The girl smiles back as she accepts the berries with her hands. This Senko needs to do something to her human scent. Lin might have already given her something before to prevent her from disappearing inside the spiritual world but it isn't enough to mask her scent. She needs to eat more of their food or she'll fail in her disguise and attract human-eating spirits to come to her and eat her. That won't do. Haku's gut is telling him that he needs the girl alive.

After saying thank you, Senko goes to Lin's side and chats with her, giving her some of the berries.

Jaariko strides his way to him, repeatedly wiping his face and his arms with a towel given to him by Lin. "I don't like this, Haku-sama."

"AKI!" Haku quickly looks at the two girls and is relieved that they didn't hear how Jaariko said his name. Lin is smelling one of the berries and test tastes it before letting Senko eat.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Hak-- I mean, Haru." His tone is hushed. "As much as I am willing to do anything for you, but these! These dirt and wounds scar my true beauty. I cannot take it. Why must we appear in such a form?"

"We need to play the part. We need to convince them that we're weak spirits doing their best to find a magical stone. Showing up to them clean and unwounded makes our story unconvincing."

"I understand. That also means no using of powerful magic near the two." Jaariko -- Aki -- uses the towel to wipe at the dirt on his clothes. "No beautiful lady would take me seriously now. Appearing as a weakling. Oh! My heart hurts. My poor, poor heart."

Haku wants to tell Jaariko to shut up but he doesn't need to, because the tengu himself stops talking as he feels Lin's presence come closer to them.

"Are you two done resting? Can we keep going now?" Lin's lips are slightly frowning.

Jaariko almost gasps. "Wonderful lady, aren't we supposed to camp here during this night? The path is dark and it's dangerous to travel at this time."

"No. We don't have much time to waste. Our parents need to be healed quickly or they will soon die. We'll keep going now. Follow us if you want to." She turns her back to them and walks away, Senko matching her steps.

Jaariko looks at Haku and sees him already on his feet, determined to trail behind the girls. The tengu sighs and joins the group.

They go into the rows and rows of tall trees that stretch high up into the heavens. Vampire bats hung on the trees' branches -- incarnate of humans' destructive vices that seem to start with a bite, a sip, and then more and more until it sucks the human dry. This forest, though already lies within the spiritual realm is too close to the human world that it gives birth to different forms from humans' darkest thoughts and feelings. The wolf from earlier was formed from humans' anger -- one that is so big that it becomes out of control and gobbles up a man whole.

Holding hands, the two girls lead the way. This side of the forest gives off a most putrid smell that even spirits refuse to pass by here. Haku and the others cover their noses and quickly walk through it until they reach a muddy ground.

"No. No. No. Don't tell me we're going to walk through that next!" This is the first time Haku sees the tengu so dirty. The creature has always been particular about how he looks.

Haku looks at the soft soil in front of them. This muddy piece of earth was formed from hatred.

Lin places one hand on her waist. "You and your brother told us that you two had scoured this entire forest in search of a magical rock. Surely you didn't miss this particular place."

The tengu frowns. "We might have missed this."

Lin arches a brow. "I see. Then it's good we're here. You can go through here and look for what you would like to find." She goes behind the tengu, puts both of her hands on his back, and pushes him towards the muddy ground. "The fastest way is the straight way. Senko, come on!"

"Y-yes!" the girl replies, hurriedly stepping on the mucky earth.

Haku does the same. One step. Two steps. Three steps. Fo-- The river god suddenly cannot lift one of his feet. It remains stuck on the soil underneath. No matter how much he exerts all his godly power to pull back his foot, he cannot lift it. Then he starts to slowly go down. He knew that even gods and spirits dare not to venture into the darkest parts of the dangerous forest, because, really, who can win against the darkest and deepest thoughts and emotions? But he thought he could. Isn't he mighty and powerful? He tries to get his foot back but it still won't budge.

Damn!

A warm hand reaches for his arm and helps him pull himself from the mud.

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He seems to be fragile, Chihiro thinks as she watches Haru-san look at his own reflection on the river.

Yes, he had bravely defeated a big wolf and rescued them from danger, but there is something about him that makes him look... somehow lonely. So she is happy to offer him her towel and to receive a couple of berries from him. She remembers her mother. She loves going with her and her father to picnics. They would search for a nice place and eat deliciously made sandwiches while adoring the beauty of the site. Yuko had always dreamed of picking berries and eating them but she thought she could not recognize the edible ones so she gave up. 'I'm eating freshly picked berries, ma. I'm searching for your and father's cure so please wait for me. Please.'

Soon they go back to the woody part of the forest. The smell is so awful that she almost vomits. When they reach a mucky ground, Chihiro is thankful that it isn't as odious here. Aki-san is reluctant to thread through the mud but Meilin-san pushes him through it.

"Senko, come on!" Meilin-san shouts so she can hear.

"Y-yes!" the girl replies, hurriedly stepping on the muddy earth. To the strangers traveling with them, she's Senko now, a spirit looking for a cure for her parents -- not far from the truth. She just hopes that the two boys believe their story. Curiously, she looks behind to glance at Haru-san. Her eyes widen when she sees him being stuck in the mud. And he's not just stuck, he's sinking into it!

Alarmed, Chihiro quickens her steps through the mud, holds onto the boy's arm, and helps him pull himself from the mud. But the leg still won't budge. Chihiro panics. Haru-san is already thigh-deep in the mud.

She searches for Meilin-san to ask for help but a thick fog has enveloped them, hiding them from their friends' sight.

"Oneechan (big sister)!" she calls for Meilin-san but doesn't hear her answer back.

Realizing that it's now or never, Chihiro plunges her whole arm and half of her face into the mud and digs for Haru-san's leg. "Pull!" she tells him and he does. Good. A little bit more. She plunges again and, with all her strength, pulls Haru-san's feet. "Pull!" They both do. Another try. "Pull!" They successfully pulled Haru-san from the sinking mud. The purple hair tie she has around her dirty wrist is tingling once more.

She's so glad Haru-san is now safe. She wipes her face with her shirt and breathes a long sigh of relief.

The fog is cleared and now they see their companions.

"Sen!" She hears Meilin-san. "What on earth are the two of you doing playing in the mud?"

"We'll be right there!"

She extends her muddy hand towards Haru-san. "Come on?"

He ignores her and walks through the mud alone.