Chapter One: Longing

Chihiro stared out into the sky, just like she often does when thinking about her times with the dragon seemingly made of her imagination. And just like all of those times, she often wondered if he missed her just as much as she missed him. Her heart ached even when there was a mention of being in the sky on a plane, talking about a river or a stream that had nothing to do with her, going across a bridge on a car. It was like her life evolved around him, and not just him; the Spirit World as well.

She missed Rin, Kamaji, Zeniba (read: Granny), the soot balls, No-Face, and even Yubaba! She missed them just as much as she missed Haku.

Chihiro closed her eyes in pain. It just wasn't fair! Didn't he say he would take her away from the Human World? Didn't he say that he would meet her again? Didn't he promise her?!

Unknowingly, tears threatened to break through her eyelids. She clamped down on her bottom lip, the pain momentarily helping her forget the Spirit World. And just as quickly forgotten, it was just a quickly remembered.

Sniffling, Chihiro watched as a cloud covered the sun, letting the world submit to darkness. The birds still sang, though, not letting something as trivial as a lack of light to make them stop. It was still in the middle of the day, why should they obey the rules of no light? It wasn't time to go to sleep yet.

Chihiro sighed in longing. She just wished she could go back and see what took them so long. Did they forget about her? Were they stuck there? Was Haku…? Was Haku happy she left? She prayed to God that he wasn't. Because she wasn't happy she left.

"Chihiro, honey! Please come downstairs! We have a surprise for you!" her mother yelled up to her. Chihiro sighed and wiped her eyes. It was no good to let her parents know that she was upset. That would only upset them.

She made her way down the stairs, not pausing or even glancing at the many family pictures covering the wall. It was just like her mom to put up pictures of the family. Part of her wondered if she did it to show off how wonderful of a family she had to her guests. Chihiro wouldn't put it past her.

Yuuko and Aiko smiled at their daughter when she arrived downstairs. Aiko was carrying a giant picnic basket. Yuuko's smile dropped a bit when she saw her daughter's red eyes. She was crying again. Maybe this was just what she needed.

"Chihiro, honey, we're going on a picnic," Aiko announced, grinning broadly. He failed to notice her daughter's teary expression.

"Now, I know you may find it less than exciting, but wait until we show you where we're going!" her mother almost squealed. "It's been a long time since we've been there, almost eleven years! Come; let's go out to the car."

Chihiro tried not to notice the way her mother said 'our' car instead of 'hers'. Chihiro's own car was in the driveway, not having been used since she came to visit her parents on her college break. Oh, how she missed driving it.

She followed her parents out to 'their' car, getting in the back seat and staring out the window again. Yuuko put the big picnic basket in the back seat as well, entrusting her daughter to look after its contents.

Chihiro decided to drift off. Her parents would wake her when they got to this "special" place.

Chihiro woke to someone shaking her and calling her name softly. She blearily opened her eyes, not quite adjusting to the brightness of the sun. She blinked a couple of times and looked about, her eyes widening when she saw the familiar double faced statue covered in moss and the rundown train tunnel made of plaster.

For the first time in a long time, Chihiro smiled. It wasn't just a smile, though. This smile was filled with unknown happiness and longing that Yuuko wondered just what this place meant to her.

Quickly getting out of the car and grabbing the picnic basket, Chihiro walked—almost ran—up to the entrance of the tunnel, noting the way her feet made clonking noises against the dirt covered ground. "Well?" she asked when her parents were watching her with slight amusement. "Aren't you coming?"

Yuuko laughed and nudged her husband, jogging to catch up to her daughter whom was skipping through the entrance with ease. Aiko chuckled and walked calmly, knowing he would catch up to them eventually.

When he walked out of the other side, blinking and putting the sunglasses that he stashed in his pocket on, he saw his daughter laughing and twirling around in delight, his wife following her lead. Aiko shook his head, chuckling once more. Oh, how nice it was when they were all together and happy.

"Come on! I want to show you guys something!" Chihiro yelled, running up to the dried out river bed. Yuuko and Aiko followed, hastily catching up to their daughter. When they got to the little restaurants, Chihiro grabbed both of their arms. "Please, do not eat any of the food you see. We have our own, okay?"

Yuuko nodded, smiling, and Aiko shrugged. When Chihiro and Yuuko both glared at him, he put his hands up in the 'Whoa Nelly' gesture, and nodded heavily. "I got it," he said, wanting them to stop looking at him like that.

"Good. Now follow me. While you were eating here last time, I explored a bit and found an old building. It's a bathhouse," Chihiro said hastily, still holding onto her parents' arms. They laughed, following their daughter.

Yuuko gasped when it came into sight, leaning slightly into Aiko. "Wow," he breathed, staring wide eyed at the giant building glaring down at them in the sunlight. It was very ornate, the elaborate gold trimming giving it an expensive outlook. This place was probably for all of the royals and wealthy.

"Wow is right," Yuuko agreed.

"C'mon! We have to hurry before sundown," Chihiro said, walking forward again, one hand still holding onto the picnic basket.

"Why sundown?" Aiko asked, jogging to catch up with her. Yuuko followed, still staring up at the intimidating bathhouse.

"Because…" Chihiro sighed, not knowing how to explain it to them. Freaking out like she did as a kid gave her the impression that her parents would have heart attacks with all the shock they were about to endure. "Just because. It's more beautiful. Plus, there's someone I want you to meet."

Aiko glanced at his wife, worried. Someone? Or something? Yuuko stared back.

They followed Chihiro across the bright red bridge, wondering what was going on. Chihiro knew exactly where she was going—the boiler room. It would take a while to get their, but she knew how to. She followed the memory of Haku showing her the way.

Eventually, they arrived at the stairs that led down to the boiler room. She swallowed nervously eyeing the broken one down the middle of the long staircase. Oh, this would not be pleasant.

"Chihiro, why are we here? I don't think this is very safe," her mother told her, taking her hand.

"Relax mom, I've been down here before. C'mon," she said softly, leading the way. She didn't feel as much fear as before because she's already been through it, but she did feel fear for her parents. They haven't done this before, and who knew if the stairs would hold them up?

She calmly walked down the stairs, trying to not show her fear through her body language. They couldn't see her face, so she freely it show there. She heard the quiet clunks of her parents' feet, the wood creaking beneath them.

She swallowed again.

When they finally made it down the stairs, she let out a sigh of relief she didn't know she'd been holding. Her parents were almost shaking with fear, but it was worth it to see Kamaji and Rin again.

She smiled and hurried at the thought.

She opened the boiler room door with ease, slipping though the short hallway of steam before coming across the wood floored room, whose walls were covered with drawers of different herbs. There were no soot balls carrying coal in a steady stream back and forth to the fire, and there was a lid over the fire. Kamaji was also sleeping, occasionally grunting and shifting in an uneasy sleep.

"Follow me," she whispered to her scared parents, eyeing the sleeping, what they hoped was, man. Aiko and Yuuko followed their daughter across the room, amazed that the floorboards under their feet didn't creak once.

Chihiro took off her shoes and socks, leaving them on the floor near the edge of the step. She scooted as close to the edge as possible, poking her head down and looking into one of the many dark holes that housed the soot balls.

"Psst," she whispered. "Guys, it's me! Sen!"

The response was immediate. All of the soot balls squealed and ran out to greet her, jumping up and down, covering her hands and feet in soot. She laughed loudly at their excitement. "I've missed you, too," she said merrily, squiggling her toes underneath them, making a new round of squealing go up.

Kamaji grunted and stirred, blearily opening one eye. "Hey!" he growled out. "What do you think you're doing, human!"

Aiko and Yuuko grabbed onto their daughter, backing up in fear. Chihiro laughed. "Is that anyway to treat your granddaughter?" she teased, ignoring how her parents looked at her with astonishment.

Kamaji blinked, peering at her over his big black sunglasses. The soot balls squealed happily at her, jumping up and down. Seeing their reactions and adding the way this human called him her grandfather, only meant one thing.

"SEN!" he bellowed out happily, all six arms coming out and grabbing her. He picked her up and pulled her to him, hugging the life out of her. She laughed and hugged him back. "Oh, I've missed you so much, you little rascal! Look at you! How long has it been, hm? We have so much to catch up on. You're all grown up! What a beautiful young woman you are now. Oh, and guess what? Yubaba isn't in control of the bathhouse any longer!"

Chihiro laughed at the old spirit's happy rambling. She gently pulled herself away from him. "I've missed you, too, Kamaji. That's great news! I'm sure all the workers are happy. Jeez, it's been eleven years!"

"Wow, it's only been five here," Kamaji said, setting her down back near her parents. "I can only guess who these two are. You must be Sen's parents. How do you do? I'm Kamaji."

Her parents stared at him with wide eyes. Chihiro laughed. "Kamaji, my real name is Chihiro. Chihiro Ogino."

"What a pretty name," he commented. "Alright, Chihiro, what brings you back here?"

She grinned. "A picnic."

Kamaji grunted out a laugh. "Have you eaten any food of this world yet?"

Chihiro gasped, a hand flying in front of her face. As she looked, she could already tell she was fading. "Kamaji," she said urgently. "I didn't eat anything. Do you have—"

"I'm already on it," he said, picking up his bowl. "I'm sorry, it's leftovers from dinner. But it will have to do," he added, setting it down in her hands. She quickly picked up a small piece of chicken, popping it in her mouth and eating it.

"Mom, Dad, you have to eat this or you'll disappear. Hurry!" she urged, putting the bowl in her dad's hands.

"Chihiro, honey, are you okay? Why are you freaking out?" Yuuko asked, putting her hand on her daughter's shoulder. Only to have it pass through her. Yuuko screamed, looking down. Her feet were disappearing, too.

"Mom, hurry," Chihiro said, pushing a piece of chicken into her mouth. Yuuko swallowed it, looking down to see if anything happened. She sighed in relief when she could no longer see through her fingers. Aiko ate something as well, seeing the same effects on himself.

"What's going on down here!?"

Yuuko screamed again, turning around to face a woman climbing through a small door. As the woman stood up to her full height, she only reached Aiko's shoulder, but she towered over Yuuko. She was the same height as Chihiro.

"Kamaji, why are you harboring human's again?" she demanded of the six armed spirit.

"Why, she's my granddaughter. Stop being so tough on her, it's only her second day here," he said simply.

It clicked in the spirit woman's head. "Sen!" she yelled, grabbing the girl in a bone crushing hug. She had the exact reaction Kamaji had.

Chihiro laughed. "Rin, it's so good to see you again!" She hugged the spirit woman back as tight as she could.

"I know! Tell me about it! What are you doing back here? Oh, I've missed you!" Rin hugged her again. Then she held her out at arms length. "Jeez, look at you! You're all grown up, I see. It's good to see that you're still the same dopey girl that came here before."

Chihiro laughed again. "I've missed you, too. And I wasn't a dope! You said so yourself!" Chihiro paused. "How's it going with the new bathhouse head?"

"Oh, him? It's going well. He doesn't make us his slaves, if that's what you're asking. I think you know him, too. You know, ugly white and green lizard. He's just as dopey as you are. Almost every two months, though, he goes and tends to a river. He's still there, but he's coming back today. You might meet him." Rin smiled again, a teasing glint in her eye.

"Wait…" Chihiro said quietly. She put two and two together and came up with one-point-six. "What are you talking about?"

"C'mon, Sen, you know who I'm talking about," Rin played. "He's all weird looking. Green hair that goes down to here," she put her hands on her shoulders, "acts all cold and mean, but is really just lonely. He turns into this great big lizard. He's probably one of the most powerful spirits in the Spirit World. Don't you know him? He might've been Yubaba's apprentice once."

That was when it clicked. "WHAT!? Haku runs the bathhouse!? How—when!?"

Rin laughed. "Whoa, slow down girl. Right when you left, he broke off his apprenticeship with Yubaba and went looking for his river. You know how you said it was destroyed? Well it wasn't. It was just moved. He went to it and found it winding throughout the mountains and into the ocean. It was just a little stream when he found it, so he wasn't that powerful. But when he helped it along, let fish into it, crustaceans and some mermaids as well, it grew thrice its size and is now as healthy as ever. And because the river is powerful, so is he. You have to remember, they are one and the same."

Chihiro blinked at Rin. That was a lot to take in. "Wow," she breathed. Rin laughed again.

"Wow is right, Sen. Oh, just wait until he gets back! He'll smell you everywhere in the bathhouse and probably take the thing down when he can't find you. Oh, to see the look on his face when he sees you." Suddenly, Rin took her hands, all humor gone. "Listen to me, Chihiro," she said softly. "Now are troubling times for Kohaku. He's not the same dragon you once met. He's about to be forced the role of Spirit King, and you know him. He just wants to live peacefully, without any mishaps.

"This role of Spirit King will be hard on him. He'll be stressed and angry a lot. Especially since it's mating season for him soon, too. You know his temper. The stress of being Spirit King along with the stress of mating season will make him set off on even the smallest of things. I suggest you tread carefully. Remember, he may yell and growl at you, but he will never hurt you." Rin smiled again, tucking a stray piece of hair behind Chihiro's ear.

"He would never hurt the person closest to his heart. He's loved you since the day you fell into his river, the big meathead." Chihiro laughed at Rin's insult. She sniffed.

"Thanks for the warning," she muttered gruffly.

"Ahem," said a voice behind them. It was Yuuko. She was staring at them politely.

"Oh, Rin, this is my mother and father, Yuuko and Aiko. Mom, Dad, this is Rin. She's one of the people that helped me a lot last time we were here. She helped me save you guys."

Aiko and Yuuko stared at her as if she suddenly grew another ten heads. "Saved?" Aiko asked.

Chihiro facepalmed. "I'm so sorry. I forgot to tell you what happened the last time we were here."

Rin grinned evilly. "Yuuko, Aiko? The last time you were here, you were both turned into pigs."

There was a moment of silence. "Um, what?" Yuuko asked. Chihiro sighed and smacked Rin on the side of her head.

"OW!" Rin yelled, ducking half-heartedly, rubbing her temple. "What was that for!?"

"For telling them like that! Jeez, you don't have a soft bone in your body, do you?" Chihiro sighed heavily. "Mom, Dad, I know that this is hard to believe, but you guys were turned into pigs. That's why I told you to not eat any of the food here. You did last time, and that was why you were turned into pigs. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, but would you have believed me if I did?

"You probably would've sent me to the funny farm. I had to show you this place first, and then you wouldn't think it so bad."

"Chi," Yuuko said. "What are you talking about? I certainly don't remember being a pig."

"Mom, do you remember when we got back from our little trip here and the car was jacked and the movers already got to our house?"

"Yes…"

"Well," Chihiro said sheepishly. "That was because we were here for a few days. You were turned into pigs and were given memory spells to erase your memories."

"Wait, what you're saying is true?" Aiko asked suspiciously. Chihiro nodded. All remained quiet for some time. Then Rin broke the noise.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm up for some breakfast," she said merrily.

Chihiro laughed. "Yeah, that sounds great. Hey, Rin, why did you come down here when everyone was supposed to be sleeping?"

Rin grinned at her as she started opening the small door. "I always come down here this early to feed the soots and Kamaji. And anyways, I heard a racket down here, so I decided to check it out. Aren't you happy I did?"

"Yeah, actually," Chihiro grinned. She turned and waved happily at Kamaji, who in turn grinned and waved back. "I'll come by to see you later. We have so much to catch up on, huh Grandfather?"

"We certainly do, Granddaughter. And when you see Master Kohaku later on, tell him I need to talk to him about the supplies down here. They're getting dangerously low." Kamaji turned back to his roller, barking out orders to the soot balls.

"Will do, Kamaji," she said, following her parents and Rin without a backward glance. Now onto breakfast.

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I know, I know, Haku isn't in this one yet. But he will be in the next one! I hope you liked this chapter; it's my first time writing for Spirited Away. Please read and review to tell me how I did! Thanks so much! :D