She was spacing outside the window beside her. Not even aware of her surroundings. Chihiro still remembered the day she left the bath house and was free from Yu-baba. After they got home, the movers had already placed everything in the house. Her parents were confused, because they didn't realize they were gone for several days.

Chihiro hadn't thought about her life at the bath house in a long time. Every now and then she would stop and think about it; how No Face was doing with Granny Zeniiba, if Rin ever boarded the train, if Kamaji was still as stubborn as ever, and especially how Haku was doing. She thought about him more than anyone there. She always wondered if he ever escaped from Yu-baba. She wondered what he was doing, if he was okay... It would worry her since she hadn't seen him for 5 years. but she always told herself he was strong enough; even against Yu-baba.

A familiar face of a teenage girl with short black hair bent over in Chihiro's face, calling her name.

"Chihiiiirroooo! You there?"

Chihiro jumped back in her chair dramatically in shock. It was her friend, Marika Ayanokouji. "Mari-chan you scared me." She sighed with relief.

"Whaaat? I've been calling you for about a minute or two now." Marika got up in Chihiro's face again... It was her weird way of expressing her concern for her.

Chihiro leaned back more the closer Marika got to her. "S-sorry..."

Marika sighed. "You always do this every once in awhile. What is it that you get so caught up with?"

"I-It's nothing!" Chihiro quickly and nervously responded. She had a bad habit if speed talking when she was nervous.

Marika and Chihiro's head turned when they heard the laughter of a teenage boy walk in the classroom, followed up by several 'Good Mornings' from his classmates. He was tall for a Japanese boy, his hair almost shoulder length and bleached out. He seemed to be very popular with the girls. His name was Shiratori Yamada.

Marika looked at Chihiro, who was staring at Shiratori. She grinned. "Is that who you think about every so often?"

Chihiro turned to her nervously. "No no no!" She waved her arms furiously in front of her face before hiding in her shoulders. "That's not it..." A slight blush fell upon her cheeks.

"Yeah right. Liar" Marika stuck her tongue out at Chihiro before getting up to go greet some of her classmates.

Chihiro really wasn't lying. But what was she supposed to say to Marika? That she went to a spiritual realm where her parents were turned into pigs, her name was changed, a river spirit that saved her life years ago that turned into a dragon help her get out and she was worried about him? Not going to happen.

Though it was true Chihiro had a crush on Shiratori for a long time. They were really good friends when she first went into her new elementary school. She was a little unique and odd to the other kids. And because of that, she was picked on quite often. Shiratori befriended her, and after that they did everything together, everyday. She started crushing on him big time when they got into middle school. But something strange started happening. He started pulling away from her and leaving her behind. By the time they got to 8th grade, they stopped talking completely. Even so, she still had a crush on him. It was something she couldn't help. Even in her current time, she wished it would just go away. But even Chihiro knew it wasn't that easy.

Chihiro stopped wearing her hair up before they graduated elementary school. Shiratori kept bugging her to wear it down. He claimed she'd look prettier. And for most of the time, she was able to reject his demands. She didn't want to stop wearing the headband, because Granny Zeniiba gave it to her. But once she realized she had a crush on Shiratori, she started growing her hair out and wearing it down. She started using the hair tie as a bracelet instead, and hasn't changed it since.

The teacher walked in the room and all of the students scrambled to their seats, shushing each other as he began to speak. Chihiro slipped back into daydream. She didn't really care about morning announcements.

-

Chihiro was walking home after school Marika had parted with her since they lived in opposite directions. Meaning Chihiro was by herself again as she walked to her house. Since it was in the middle of nowhere, the walk took a while. But she didn't mind. Even though she was impatient.

The sound of bicycle wheels pulled up next to Chihiro. It was Shiratori. Chihiro jumped in surprise when he was going at her pace.

"Hey..." He smiled at her.

"... Hey." She responded awkwardly.

After a few seconds of silence, Shiratori broke the ice. "So uhh... I was thinking maybe we could... Hang out sometime... Maybe this weekend. Like old times."

Chihiro was nervous and happy at the same time. But she was also having mixed feelings. Her and Marika were the outcasts of the school and he was the most popular guy.

"What's in it for you?"

"Well thats harsh." He laughed to himself. "Though I didn't expect any different... I guess I have been kind of a jerk to you for the past few years."

"Couldn't have said it better myself."

Shiratori furrowed his eyebrows and pulled his bike in front of her. "And that's why I'm asking to hang out with you. I've been thinking about it and I really want to be friends again."

Chihiro looked away. "Oh yeah and what about your popularity?"

He looked down at his feet, slightly ashamed. "That doesn't matter to me... Not anymore at least." He smiled at her again. "I wanted to apologize to you. I feel like it's parially my fault you became slightly anti-social. I'll come pick you up sunday afternoon." He laughed before taking off. Chihiro didn't even have time to answer.

Even so, her heart was thumping too fast to even think straight. First she was walking, then she was skipping, then she was running. Running with a huge grin her face that said love all over. She ran through the woods to her house, laughing in excitement and complete ecstasy from the bottom of her he-

"Sen"

The sound of a deep voice echoed through the forest, ringing in Chihiro's ears and sliding down her spine leaving chills. Slowly, she turned her neck to the left; staring deeply into the forest.

'That name... That was my-' Chihiro shook her head vigorously. "I'm hearing things..."

"Sen!"

The voice shouted this time, but it didn't sound like the voice she heard the first time. It sounded like...

"Sen. Come this way- Chihiro."

...Haku's?!

Chihiro saw a sprite of light in the forests. She dropped her school bag and ran towards it, unable to fight the feeling of being drawn to it. The sprite moved all around the trees. Chihiro kept following it like a puppy due to curiosity. She became less of a scaredy cat and more of an explorer after she left the bath house.

Running downhill after it, hope sparked in her heart. Maybe... Maybe Haku was trying to meet her? After all of these years. When suddenly, she tripped over a tree branch and tumbled down the hill, falling on a road. She let out a scream from pain and shock. She sat up, groaning and looking up, only to see the path that led to that exact spiritual realm. She recognized the rock in the way and the round entrance. It was the entrance to that abandoned amusement park.

Chihiro helped herself up, holding her scraped up arm as she limped towards the opening. She stopped in front of the rock and let the cool breeze coming from the cave embrace her. It was the same feeling she had when her and her parents first discovered it. The same breeze that was pulling them in. She reached her arm out slowly to the breeze, as if she was turning into a mindless zombie with no control over her body. Maybe it would be nice to see them all again, to see Rin... How Kamaji was doing... To see Haku-

No!

She snapped her eyes open and shook her head. "I can't go back in there. Haku told me to never look back." Even though she so desperately wanted to go back in, she just couldn't. She turned on her heel to leave only to stop and scream at a body two inches away from her face. She fell backwards on the rock, looking up at a tall, pale boy with short white hair and dark grey alluring eyes. His face was emotionless, and his eyes slightly narrow. He was wearing the same looking garments Haku and the others used to wear, only black with white silk. He stared down at her.

"Who- Who are you?" Chihiro asked him suspiciously.

He continued to stare without an answer. He only reached his hand out to her injured arm.

Chihiro moved it out of the way. "Answer me!"

After seeing her reaction, slight surprise shadowed his eyes. He kneeled down respectively in front of her. "I'm sorry,"

"For what-?"

A sudden whip of wind came at her, completely passing the stranger. It wrapped around her violently and spun quickly like a small tornado. Chihiro started to choke from not being able to breath. Her last winks awake were of the boy holding onto her in the tornado. She finally passed out.