Chapter 1: Guilty Conscience

"Come on, Chihiro, lighten up."

Sixteen year old Chihiro Ogino glanced up at from her lap at the sound of her friend's voice. "Stop saying that," she muttered softly, peering out of the subway window to her right. She felt sick to her stomach, as if any moment she'd start throwing up. She felt like she deserved it though; she wasn't supposed to be out this late at night, especially without her parent's permission.

Mina groaned, rolling her eyes. "Ever since we left your parent's house you've been such a downer." She smacked her friend's arm lightly. "Come on, cheer up!" Tonight was supposed to be about having some fun and cutting loose.

Chihiro smacked the girl's leg, not taking her eyes off the window. She could barely see a thing in the dark of the night, but it was much better than looking at her friend's faces. "Ow!" the girl yelped, holding her leg. "Chihiro-"

"Mina, leave her alone," a male voice uttered across from the two girls.

Both teens looked up; Chihiro couldn't help but smile faintly, while Mina scowled. Takashi was like a big brother to Chihiro, always looking out for her and making sure she didn't get into trouble. Although, she couldn't help but find it odd that he was accompanying both of them downtown tonight. Takashi didn't seem like the kind of guy to really sneak out late at night. But then again, all teenagers did it at some point, she supposed.

Mina on the other hand thought Takashi was somewhat of a nuisance, always ruining her fun. The fact that he was tagging along only meant that their enjoyment would be short-lived. "Fine," she groaned. She'd stop interfering.

The brunette smiled softly and winked at him before looking back out the window; she owed him one. Mina loved to prod, whether people liked it or not, and Chihiro wasn't in the mood for any of it tonight. The churning in her stomach was starting to grow with each passing minute, and her friend's meddling wasn't helped with that one bit. She glanced down at her lap and took her phone from her pocket, checking the screen and her messages for maybe the eighth time since she snuck out. No messages or missed calls. Perfect, she thought. What her parents didn't know wouldn't hurt them. She just prayed that they didn't check under her covers to reveal a ton of plush toys underneath the blankets.

Her cell phone suddenly vibrated with a text, her heart jolting along with her body as she jumped up from her seat. But then she saw a familiar name and calmed down a little, taking her seat as she glanced around. Everyone was staring at her now, even Mina. Don't worry, the message read, tonight will be fun. Promise. :)

Promise…

Chihiro typed back, If you say so. She still wasn't too sure that she would end up enjoying tonight, even if she would be with her two favorite people in the world. She sat back as Mina checked her watch. "Just a few more minutes," she announced. "Then you can stop freaking out and start having some fun." She nudged Chihiro teasingly with a sly smile. Chihiro just rolled her eyes. I'd be having more fun at home, she thought, fully aware that she was lying to herself.

The train stopped at around 11:30 sharp, right on time. "Finally!"Mina cheered, bolting up. She pulled Chihiro off the train with Takashi behind them, the biggest grin plastered onto her heart-shaped face. Chihiro wondered if her face could really stick that way. It'd honestly be creepy to see her friend angry with that kind of happy expression on. She shuddered as Mina pulled her away from the crowd of people. "Is your brother here yet, Takashi?" she asked.

The brown haired male glanced around the station, looking for a slightly older version of himself. "Nah," he declared, shaking his head. It was normal for Katashi to arrive late. It wasn't much of a surprise to anyone.

But it was more of a disappointment to Mina. She let out a groan. "Wonderful," she muttered, taking a seat on one of the many benches near the walls. "Could you call him and tell him we're here?"

Takashi gave her a look. "Since when does my brother ever answer his phone, Mina?"

The girl rolled her eyes and sighed, slouching into her seat. "So I'll have to wear this coat for how much longer?" Mina and Chihiro had dressed themselves in coats so no one would see their outfits. Going on a train this late at night with shirts as revealing as theirs without covering up wasn't such a good idea, especially since they were going downtown. This only made Chihiro wonder for maybe the tenth or eleventh time tonight: Why am I going along with this?

Takashi shrugged lightly, his black button down shirt lifting light to see his white belt. "A few minutes…maybe hours…" He smirked. "I think it's a good look for you though. It gives us and other guys a break from seeing your ass crack."

Mina jumped up and went over to punch her friend, but was pulled back by a pleading Chihiro. "Guys, don't fight!" she cried. "Can't you two get along for once!" They fought nearly every day for the dumbest reasons. Chihiro couldn't remember one time when they didn't fight together. She was pretty sure that they even fought one another telepathically. It would probably explain why she would randomly scowl when the three of them were together and silence shrouded over them for what seemed like an eternity.

Takashi nodded his head lightly. "I'm sorry, Chihiro," he said faintly.

Mina pulled away from her friend. "He started it," she muttered, rubbing her shoulders. "But I won't hurt him for your sake." She glanced at Takashi. "I wouldn't want to hurt your precious Takashi," she sneered, glaring at the boy long and hard.

"Stop it," Chihiro ordered sternly. "I'm sick of you two fighting! Can't you just get along for one night? That's all I'm asking!" She was getting fed up with their nonsense, and the churning in her stomach had grown as they bickered.

Both teens went silent at that, glancing at each other before looking in opposite directions. Chihiro let out a frustrated sigh. Why do I even put up with you two? she thought. She glanced at her side and blinked when she recognized the tall brunette strolling towards them with a lazy gait. She grinned softly. "Our ride is here."

Takashi followed her eyes and grinned when he saw his older brother. "Nice of you to finally show up," he teased, giving his brother a tight bear hug when he was close enough.

"Oh, I came a while ago," Katashi admitted with a sly grin. "I just wanted to see how long it would take before you and Mina started fighting. By the way, thirty seconds is your new record."

Takashi glared at his brother, but he was already moving onto Mina, putting an arm around her waist and bringing her in close. "How you doing, Mina?" he asked softly.

"Great, now that you're here," she said softly, a little glimmer in her dark sapphire eyes. Oh lord, Chihiro thought, shaking her head in disbelief. She's going to be all over him tonight. She wasn't quite sure, but she had a hunch that Mina and Katashi had something going on behind Takashi's back. The last thing Chihiro wanted was to be brought into it.

Katashi let go of Mina and grinned at Chihiro, giving her a tight squeeze. "Long time, no see, Chi Chi," he whispered in her ear, using the same nickname he'd given her when she was ten.

The hair on the back of Chihiro's neck stood up. "I told you," she warned, "don't call me Chi Chi." She hated that pet name so much, but didn't mind too much when Katashi called her by it. It sounded sort of…sexy, she could say. Mixed with the scent of his expensive cologne and faint cigarette smoke, the boy seemed even more irresistible than Mina claimed him to be.

He let go of the sixteen year old, looking at all three of them. "Ready to have some fun?" he said, his chocolate brown eyes locking with Chihiro's. All but one nodded confidently, the brunette just barely bobbing her head up and down. He smirked. "Then let's get going." He lead them up the stairs of the subway station and over to his sports car. The girls climbed into the back while the boys took their seats up front. The engine purred as Katashi ignited the car, and the four were off and heading downtown within minutes.

"No looking back until we get there, got it?" Mina ordered.

"Yup," Katashi said, teasingly readjusting his mirror and winking at the two girls.

Mina shrugged off her navy coat, revealing a black halter top that seemed to tie in three different places, leading down to her navel. Chihiro's eyes went wide. "Wow Mina…" she breathed. "That's a really nice top…" She looked amazing in it, and the girl suddenly felt ashamed that she wasn't wearing something as extravagant as her friend.

Mina grinned. "Thanks." She took a comb from her jacket pocket and bent her head, exposing her back. Chihiro's mouth dropped at that; the top was backless except for a few strings tying together at her lower back. She glanced in the mirror, pretty sure that Katashi was ogling her. But to her surprise, his eyes were glued to the road ahead of him. He caught the girl staring and winked, making Chihiro blush and duck her head. Mina glanced over at her when she finished combing her pitch black hair. "Your turn," she announced, gesturing to her torso with her blue comb.

Chihiro blinked and glanced down at her coat. She slowly unbuttoned the black coat, putting it off to the side. Mina's eyes widened and she grinned. "You look hot!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands happily. The top was what Mina would really call cute. But Chihiro had developed greatly since the last time they went out, which was probably the beginning of the year. Now the girl had a full bust, and curves. The top of the shirt had a checkerboard design that ended about halfway down her ribcage, the rest of the fabric plain black, with a thing black belt wrapping around her waist.

Both girls glanced into the rearview mirror to see Katashi's eyes dart back to the road. Chihiro glanced down at her chest and quickly ducked down, covering herself up. Please tell me he didn't see anything… She'd never been one to attract that kind of attention before. She'd worn this top a few times, even around Katashi. But his eyes never widened like that, nor did tiny beads of sweat line his forehead like they did now.

Takashi glanced over at his older brother. "Something wrong?" he asked, genuinely concerned, as if he didn't know what was going on.

"I'm fine," Katashi said, nodding reassuringly. He sounded slightly defensive and he was rather quick to answer. Chihiro glanced up into the mirror. Those tiny clear beads were starting to grow….

Mina didn't seem to notice either. She took a miniature compact from her pocket and twisted the top open, revealing clear glitter. She dabbed her finger in it and swiped it lightly across her chest and neck. She grinned when she saw Chihiro eyeing her and dabbed her finger again when she was finished. "Your turn."

"No, I'm fine," she said. She didn't really like glitter that much.

"Come on! We used to do this all the time!"

"Yeah, in summer camp when we were twelve!" That was probably the last time Chihiro had ever touched glitter. A year after that, Mina had discovered that glitter wasn't only used for arts and crafts. "I don't want any glitter."

The raven haired beauty scoffed. "I don't think you have a choice in the matter." She unbuckled her seatbelt with one finger and edged closer to Chihiro. The brunette flailed as her friend began showering her in sparkles, pushing her away. "Stop it; you're getting it all over me!" Mina cried, trying to dab some on her friend's chest. Chihiro glanced in the mirror as she pushed Mina away, blinking when she saw that Katashi looked…anxious, like he was dying to look in that rearview mirror. Before she could ask if he was alright, she was pushed back by her friend and doused in body glitter, feeling violated by the time it was all over. She now had glitter on her bosom, neck, hair, and even a little bit on her face here and there. Mina giggled. "You look like a pixie."

Chihiro glared at her. "I am going to kill you after tonight, Mina!"

"Fine. As long as you cut loose tonight, I don't give a damn." She grinned.

"If you two are done fighting, can you please be quiet?" Takashi asked, annoyed.

"Sorry Takashi…" Chihiro muttered faintly, sitting back. Mina sealed the glitter container and buckled herself in without uttering a word. Chihiro was actually impressed; she couldn't believe her loudmouth friend wasn't putting up a fight for once. Is there a full moon out tonight?

After minutes of awkward silence, occasional glances in the mirror, and endless blaring of horns at ignorant drivers, the neon lights of Python came into view ahead. Out of her peripheral vision, she could see Mina grinning from ear to ear. She'd been talking about this club all week, and now they were finally going to find out what made it so worthy of being blabbed about.

"Your face will stick that way," Takashi stated, noticing her sinister smile. "Then everyone won't be able to make out with you in the bathroom." The corners of Chihiro's mouth tugged slightly at that. Even though she and Takashi didn't go out much with Mina to parties and raves, word spread fast on what happened while she was there. And every rumor was just as outrageous as the next.

Mina's smile didn't falter. "Tease all you want, Takashi," she stated. "Nothing you say or do can bring me down."

"You're right. You're not that easy."

Chihiro let out a smirk, causing Mina to stare daggers at her. She instantly stopped and hung her head without saying a word. Once Katashi parked, they all got out and followed behind him as he went right up to the bouncer. Chihiro couldn't help but notice the snakeskin pattern on his beefy, right arm. It looked almost life like, and his eyes even glowed a dull yellow color. She gulped; maybe this wasn't such a good idea. But before she could suggest they go back, the bouncer unclipped the red rope and moved out of their way, letting them inside. Chills went down her spine as her friend whispered in the eeriest of ways:

"We're in."

Disclaimer: I do not own Spirited Away.