Summary- After Chihiro's adventure in the spirit world this went normally. There was only one big change and that was the little girl's confidence had got strikingly up. Her parents asked her what had happened to make her change and she told them, like a good little girl, of her adventures. At first her parents shrugged the odd happenings off as a simple child's imagination. However as a year went by and she was still referencing characters from her wild dream as though they were real her parents started to become concerned. They had gotten her a Therapist but she still insisted that these imaginings we're real. By the time Chihiro turned twelve he parents were at the end of their rope.

A/N- Hello! This is a prequal to Searching for Spirits, it'l give more of a background as to how she lost her memory.

Disclaimer- I do not own Hayo Miyazaki's creations.

"I swear it's true! I swear! Damn it why does no one understand this?"

Sure I was only what, twelve? Sure cuss words were not the best of things to leave my mouth but I figured when everyone thinks your insane who cares?

Yes In the words of my therapist I was not mentally sound. For some reason beyond my control I was being taken to a "Happy-camp" by force.

"I would still like to know why I'm being taken to a mental institute." I near yelled as the straight jacket came on.

"It's not a mental institute, it's a camp. One of the men in white insisted.

"I've been to camp; you don't need a backwards jacket!"

As I was piled into the back of a black beat up mini van I got my last fleeting glance at the once new house.

Immediately I went quiet as I saw my mother hunched into my father's chest. I felt tears well up in my sockets as I realized that this was probably the last time I would see this house or place again.

Or that boy as my shrink had called the river spirit.

I kicked the bottom on the driver's seat, which was now the only act of violence I could perform. The men in white quickly ceased my feet lest I try to hop out the window and make my escape.

I wasn't insane, just stupid apparently.

So I had a fairy tale adventure, it was the truth and I was being taken away for talking about it. To think, all those years of believing that if I told the truth good things would happen was a waste.

"It's true." I mumbled stubbornly.

I glared at the driver, he seemed uncomfortable under my eyes and I took a moment to enjoy his discomfort.

"Things like that cannot happen sweet heart." One man holding my legs said.

"My name's not sweet heart." I told him bluntly never taking my eyes off of the driver.

"Chihiro," He apologized.

The man beside me was my shrink, he was a gaunt old looking man and he was getting more and more agitated as the drive went on.

I looked to him with hard brown eyes, I may have just been a kid but my fake adventures had taught me a lot.

When I got back my parents told me I was acting different, more confident. They asked me why and I told them, unaware that the more I referenced it like it actually happened the more they would think I had lost my marbles.

My gaze landed back on the driver who now and then would glance in his rearview mirror to see me and quickly glance back in front of him.

"You really should watch the road." I told him, he didn't give me a reply.

My house faded out of sight, taking the silhouettes of my parents with it, I would miss them. I was angry at these people for taking me away from them, and angry at them for letting these people do it.

I boiled on that thought for a moment.

"So it all began with the move here, I was less than happy about it and my parents we're trying to cheer me up."

"Oh don't start this again." The man behind me pleaded, he'd heard my story a million times. He kept asking me if I still heard Kohaku's voice in my head, which I didn't.

"My parents turned into pigs from eating the spirit world's food." I continued.

Miles rolled by as I recounted my adventure in the spirit world. The men around me were less than enthused but I was enjoying my trip down memory lane. I told the story with a smile as I remembered the warmth of every one and every thing.

"It was then that I remembered his name. Kohaku, he was the river spirit that helped me when I was very small." I beamed this last part as we entered the drive of a large hospital.

"Finally." I heard the driver whisper under his breath. I gave him one last glare before I was pushed from the car.

"You know if I stay here too long my friends will start wondering where I am." I said bluntly, I knew that didn't matter but it was worth a try.

"The one's from the spirit world? I'm not too worried." One man said in a mocking manner to which my therapist scolding him.

"No. the one's from school." I replied, which silenced him more that my therapists scolding.

"C'mon Chihiro lets get you checked in." The brown haired man at my side said as the other left to take care of some other business.

My shrink wasn't old, old, he just looked old. Too many trips to the hospital maybe, either way he looked like a one point of time he would have been attractive, however now he was just sunken.

Briefly I wondered what happened in his life to make him that way; his red hair was already graying.

When we got to the counter in the hospital I was let free of my jacket and stood still as he checked me in.

The receptionist at the desk smiled politely at me when my name was mentioned, I gave her a scowl in return.

I didn't feel like being polite.

From there the woman behind the desk led me onward. My therapist left and I was following behind the brunette woman who was definitely much taller than I was.

When we got to my room I was expecting something that resembled a castle dungeon complete with chains on the walls and a wooden bed that had leg and arm holds.

I was surprised to find out that it wasn't like that at all, well except for the bed's leg and arm holds. The room was almost unbearably stark and white but it came with a night stand and a comfortable looking bed at least. The only odd thing was there were no windows.

"Unfortunately the rooms with windows are only for the more experienced guests." She said it like she actually believed I was a guest here.

"Why are there two beds?" I questioned.

"Oh, you have a room mate, her name is Kiki, and she's a real charm. She's probably with the others; it's free time right now."

There was free time in a mental institute?

"If you want we can go meet her. Your clothes will probably arrive around noon so you have some time before you can unpack."

"I brought clothes?"

"Your parents packed them for you." She was still smiling and that was starting to bother me.

"Do I get a choice? About meeting this Kiki person I mean." I said unenthused.

"Well, yes. I'm going to be giving you a tour and explain the rules but you can meet her on your own time if you want."

So I was going to be orientated, perfect. Just what I wanted a tour of an insane asylum that I wasn't supposed to be in, in the first place. This was my first guided tour and it had to be under these circumstances.

That was just peachy.

"Woo." I said half heartedly.

The nurse just giggled at me and started the tour. First she led me down the corridor we had started in.

"These are the wards chambers, the fancier the room the more improvement your making, it's an honors system."

I looked around and it was like she said, as we got further down the doors got more colorful, there were name plates on some and even dry erase boards.

As we got to the end of the hallway we approached a stairwell that went down, we followed it and when we got to the bottom in opened into what looked like a camp rec room.

"This is the free time area. There's a basketball court outside and some picnic tables, all of these privileges are also based on honor system as well. The more progress you make the more you can do." She explained as I looked around at the people. "Right now you won't be able to go outside unsupervised or use the vending machines."

So I was in jail? Great, I thought as much. We went past that large room and into another one.

This was smaller and held only a stand that looked like a large toll booth with three windows. On the other end of the room was a giant dry erase board that held what seemed like a thousand names on it.

"This is where you'll get your medicine, if needed. Depending on what you need its open at breakfast lunch and dinner." The nurse said nodding to the other women who seemed to be setting up shop inside their booth.

The nurse showed me the cafeteria and several of the "classrooms" there was an auditorium with a bulletin board showing all of the patient's names and the progress they had made.

"It's a team effort here. We all look after each other." Said the cheery nurse as she noticed me examining the board.

"What if I don't want to be part of the team?" I mumbled to myself. She didn't seem to hear me since she just kept walking.

The last place she led me was into an office. It was lavishly decorated and the furniture was all covered in the same fabric that squished when she told me to sit down.

"The head therapist needs to check you the rest of the way in. Don't be nervous sweetie; I'm sure you'll like it here."

As she shut the door behind her I reflected over the fact that she was the second person who knew my name to call me sweetie today.

I was beginning to think that these people were just too lazy to remember it when an overweight man in a blue casual business suit strolled in from a door in the back of the room. I met his gaze defiantly.

"Hello Chihiro." He said in a booming base.

I didn't say anything.

"I just want to ask you a few questions and answer any that you might have before I let you go and meet the others." He continued because he realized that I wasn't the "Hi how are you" Type.

I still didn't say anything.

"My report says that you think that you had a spiritual journey?"

"If that means I went to the spirit world then yes, and I don't think that I did, I did." I said stubbornly.

"Of course. Now do you see any of the people you met there on a regular basis?" He asked in a tone that said he wasn't tired of listening like my shrink was.

"No, there not in this world, why would I see them?"

"Oh so they stayed behind then?"

"Sort of, it's not like they went on the journey with me. I found them there."

Maybe if I got this guy to believe me I could go home.

"Are you sure this wasn't a dream Chihiro?"

There it was again, that's the first thing my shrink asked me.

"It wasn't a dream. I came back with bruises."

He regarded me and the scribbled something down in his small leather bound notebook. I narrowed my eyes at him, what information had I given him that was relevant?

"How did you get those?" He asked calmly.

"Well I didn't just go and sit around now did I? I'm kind of a clumsy person anyway."

"Chihiro. I understand if this is a make-believe game that you played with your friends, but at some point the games have to stop you know."

"It's not a game, or a dream. Why do all of you think that I'm making things up?" I said now getting mad.

"Well, things like this don't happen in our world. All of that is just fairy tale." He kept an even tone of voice.

"Well then I had a fairy tale! What's the big deal?" I was close to tears I was so angry with these peoples stupidity but I wasn't going to let them know that so I held them back.

"Why are you so insistent about this story of yours?" He finally asked.

I was quiet for a moment, not sure whether I wanted to tell him or not. He didn't seem like my other doctor, his temper was even and he didn't act or look like he was at the end of his rope.

So I told him. "Because, someone very important to me from that world told me that he'd find me again. He promised." I looked down at my lap while I said it, I wasn't sure what my face looked like and I didn't want him to know either.

The room was silent for a moment as he wrote. Finally he asked. "Do you have any questions for me?"

"When can I leave?"

"As soon as your better. Is there anything else?"

"No."

He told me that lunch was about to start and after that I didn't have anything to do until dinner because I couldn't go to class until the next day. Kiki was supposed to be my buddy but I hadn't met her yet.

The smiley nurse came back to lead me to the cafeteria and as we walked she babbled about the ins and outs of this place again. She threw in a couple more sweeties and pretty soon I decided that I didn't like that nick name.

This new life was going to take a while to get used to, I wasn't sure that I wanted to, but I knew at that moment that it was going to be an interesting experience.