A/N: Blah. I am in a horrible and depressed mood. My flat iron broke, and my monkey head I made in art exploded in the oven. I woke up this morning and my right eye was all swollen with fluids so it hurt to open it. (You guys are lucky I have a working left eye and I can touch-type!) I have a B+ in Journalism and all is not well. :( Bleh. I'm sad.

On Another Note: This chapter is still pretty slow, I'm just developing the characters more before we have to say goodbye to them. (When Chihiro goes to the Spirit World) We jump into the plot line, I believe, next chapter, unless I decide to have more cryptic dream chapters. :D

After that, Chihiro will reunite with her beloved Haku shortly. So don't get mad at me for his prolonged absence. :)

Under the Weather

Sunlight crept into the small white room, leaving vertical stripes of light on Chihiro's otherwise, flawless skin. She turned to her side and made a small groaning sound, obviously finding displeasure in the position she turn to.

Sleepy eyes fluttered open slowly as the brilliant sunlight made direct contact with her closed eyelids. She shut them closed as the sun burned her eyes and made them water slightly. She rubbed her eyes furiously as she sat upright in her bed. Chihiro opened her mouth and let out a big yawn as she read her alarm clock.

10:47 PM

Her yawn grew louder as she stretched out. She closed her mouth, still looking slightly dazed. She began to move her mouth up and down, noisily smacking her lips together. Her hair was in a disoriented mess, pieces of hair sticking up, and some lying across her face, while the majority was in a big, fuzzy knot.

She moved her big purple comforter to the side and swung her legs over to the other side to try and escape the urge to close her eyes and sleep again. She slowly got up, legs wobbling slightly.

She exited her room, not bothering to mess with her physical features at the moment. As soon as she shut the door, the delicious aroma of food filled her senses. As if being dragged by the smell, her feet led her to the kitchen.

Her mother could be found there, pouring orange juice into a cup, and placing a plate filled with food on it.

Chihiro took a quick glance at the plate, noting her mother made her two Sunnyside-Up eggs, a piece of toast, and two chocolate chip pancakes smothered in thick, brown, sugary syrup.

She strolled up to her mother and placed a kiss on her cheek, silently thanking her for the food. She gently placed her hands on her mother's shoulder, and then placed her head delicately on her hands. Her mother acknowledged her by patting her hand forlornly.

Chihiro could tell that Yuuko Ogino really missed her husband.

She sat back down into her chair and ate her food in silence. She poked at the egg yolks until they burst and she swirled ugly yellow patterns with her fork. She contaminated her pancakes with the thick yellow liquid, but she ate them anyways. She took a sip of her orange juice every now and then, swishing it around her mouth to remove the fuzzy slippers feeling on her teeth.

After finishing, she brought them over to the sink and rinsed the dishes off. She wiped it dry and placed it into the oak cabinets.

11:31AM

She found her mother lying on the couch fast asleep. Her mother didn't really like to do much anymore. She mostly slept and did her motherly duties. She cooked and she went to work. She never wanted to go shopping or go on a picnic anymore so Chihiro left her alone most of the time. She didn't want to contribute to anymore of her pain.

---

Chihiro smiled satisfactorily at her image in the mirror. Her hair was down and it cascaded to the middle of her back, the russet locks shining under the fluorescent lighting. She scratched her eyebrow and she admired her translucent white and jade green nails in the mirror. It shone in the light just like a dragon scale. She flashed a smile at herself before she left the bathroom.

Before leaving the house, Chihiro approached her mother again and placed a kiss on her cheek. Yuuko didn't stir from her slumber.

She scribbled a note on a piece of paper.

Mom, Sakura and I are going shopping for clothing for the Nadeshiko Festival. Then we're going out for ice cream with Yamato. Be back later!

She left the house, sliding the door close gently to not disturb her mother.

---

"Chihiro! This is the most perfect place to buy your kimono!" Sakura squealed in absolute delight as her emerald eyes scanned over the entire store.

There were rows upon rows of clothing, from formal to traditional to casual. The outfits on clearance were placed on a shiny steel rack, while the more expensive ones were hung up near the top of the store, hanging gaily above the rest. Sakura went starry-eyed as she spun around in enjoyment, hands pressed firmly upon her cheeks.

A large sweat drop formed on Chihiro's head from her friend's ludicrous behavior but she chose to say nothing. She had gotten used to it, but sometimes, the brunette could be a little much.

Like a chubby child in a candy store, Sakura started to run up and down the aisles, hands running through the garments as it raced past them. She stopped every now and then, taking a kimono from the rack and pressing it against her body. When she decided that it was unworthy for her, she placed it quickly back in the rack, and continued her search.

Chihiro trailed far behind her, taking in her scenery more slowly. She took a look at everything, deciding that some of the kimonos were absurdly colored. Who would wear a sage green and squash orange kimono with a brilliant purple sash? She took a quick glance at the price tag and smiled. That's what she thought.

Chihiro turned to her friend to tell her of her absurd discovery, but her friend had managed to find a more fantastic discovery.

Sakura came out from behind the rack, clad in a vibrant orange kimono. She wore a snow white shirt underneath, and to finish it off was a red satin sash tied in a perfect bow on the back. On the bottom of the kimono were silhouettes of butterflies colored the same red as the sash. The sleeves were long and modest and her hands barely poked out from the mass of fabric. Sakura bore a smile on her face, obviously pleased with her discovery.

"You look nice." Chihiro smiled softly at her friend, surprised that she had found a dress so quickly. Usually, they spent hours in a store trying to find the perfect dress for her because, hey, shopping was a sport too!

"And Chihiro... I found one for you as well!" Sakura flashed her a toothy grin and grabbed a hold of her friend's hand. She dragged her to the dressing room, shivering in delight at her find.

---

"I'm surprised; you guys actually got here on time." Yamato smirked at them as they sat underneath a large shady tree. Sakura swirled her ice cream around in her cup and she returned the smile. She took a generous scoop of her vanilla ice cream and placed it in her mouth, leaving in the spoon. She replied with a muffled I know.

Chihiro nodded in agreement, not bothering to touch her chocolate and vanilla ice cream. She always liked the split, but she did not feel up to eating any today. She felt sick.

"Chihiro... Are you okay?" Yamato's soothing voice pierced through her thoughts, and his clear blue eyes stared at her in concern. She gave a meek nod. She knew he knew she wasn't alright, but he chose not to say anything. He eyed her for a second longer before he turned his attention back to Sakura.

Sakura gazed at her in worry but said nothing either. Chihiro had been acting weird this past week... She chose to believe she was PMSing, but she knew that wasn't it. Instead of questioning her, she continued her conversation with Yamato, glancing at her brunette friend every now and then.

Chihiro didn't feel good... She had a nagging feeling in her stomach. Like she had forgotten something important. But all she could remember was a voice... An old woman who had something important to tell her.

She stared at her ice cream, lost in thought. The line that separated the vanilla and chocolate ice cream become undefined as it slowly melted into each other...

"Sen... The border to the Spirit World will close after the Winter Solstice... You have till midnight that night to cross..."

Chihiro listened to the information dazedly in her head. She felt like she was going to vomit.

"Sen... You must cross while the line to our world is still indeterminate! It is very important Sen!" A large protruding nose poked at Chihiro side. She stared in stupor at the large head that was clad in gaudy jewelry. Her eyes hurt from the bright colors so she shut them closed and turned away.

"Zeniba! What are you doing?!" A loud voice boomed through the room, furious. She could feel the nose retract from her being in surprise. Chihiro collapsed to the floor, the voice still reverberating through her head, leaving her a giant headache, "You can't use that kind of magic on her while she is conscious!"

The voice was smooth and masculine. Chihiro recognized it but her head hurt too much to tell where she'd heard it from.

"Haku! You don't understand how long it took me to contact her without you! This is my chance! She'll remember what she's told when she's in a conscious state!" Chihiro's abdomen stirred, causing unpleasant feelings to surge through her body. Their argument served to make her feel worse.

"A mortal is incapable of handling all that magical stress..." Chihiro could feel the presence leave her, "Their worldly state compensates for the large imbalance of their homeostasis by making them sick Zeniba! You could have killed her!" The voice died down and she went numb.

"Chihiro... Please wake up..." She could feel her body being shook slightly. She moaned in exasperation as her eyes fluttered open. She could feel her hair being stroked by calloused hands... Yamato.

"Zeniba... and Haku..." Her voice was weak and she coughed as she spluttered out the words. Yamato hushed her to silence as he continued to stroke her hair. Sakura placed herself next to him and grabbed a hold of Chihiro's hand in comfort. She leaned heavily against Yamato and sighed.

"She's being haunted by them again Yamato... I don't know what we can do for her anymore..." Her voice was quiet. Chihiro heard her words, but it did not register in her brain. She only had one question in her mind.

"Sakura... When is the Winter Solstice?" Yamato and Sakura eyed her in surprise. Yamato decided to answer.

"It's the night of Nadeshiko Festival." Chihiro gave a small nod, the ill feeling from earlier returning to her.

---

A/N: Well I hope you like it! I updated faster because when I'm depressed, I type. When I have no homework to type, I write my stories. :)

Please review! See? Reviews do make me update faster. :D