Chihiro woke up groggily to the sound of her phone's relentless vibrations. Sighing heavily and rubbing her eyes, she flipped her phone open, wincing at it's bright light.

"Chihiro are you awake yet!?"

"Answer me!"

"I swear you're not still sick ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ"

"ANSWER ME MISS"

"You still haven't told me about your school-

Chihiro snapped her phone shut, chucking it at the foot of the bed and buried her self under the blankets, trying to get a few hours more sleep, when there was a large knock at the door.

"Chihiro! Wake up! It's time for school!"

Chihiro sighed irritably as she rolled into a ball. Could no one just leave her alone for a few moments in the morning!?

"Chihiro I'm coming in!" Without even a moment's pause, Chihiro's mother came striding into the room and peeled the blankets off Chihiro-ball despite her reluctance.

"Hey!"

"Up you get missy. You've already missed 2 weeks of school, I won't let you fall behind anymore than this!"

"But I'm still sick." Chihiro protested, imitating a cough that even she realized was all too fake. Her mum rolled her eyes, folding up the blanket and dumping it on the end of her bed.

"It's either you go to school normally Chihiro, or otherwise I'll send you into the actual classroom myself to make sure you go."

"Alright, alright I'll go." Chihiro groaned hurriedly as she shooed her mum out of her room.

"Let me get changed first, I'll be down in a minute." Chihiro's mum looked partially offended as she got pushed out of the room.

"Are you embarrassed at being seen with me at school? Or are you still angry we moved again?"

"I have no time right?" Chihiro sighed in exasperation as she tried to shut the door, pausing for a moment before it clicked shut. "And yes, I'm a high schooler now, of course I'd be embarrassed being seen with you." She added curtly, before forcing the door shut again.

"Such beautiful weather! You'll be thanking me soon that I dragged you out!" Chihiro merely grunted as she stared blankly down at her phone which was miraculously still vibrating.

They mostly – or all belonged to her old best friend from middle school; Yuuki, who she had not seen since she had moved schools yet again due to her father's change of work.

"I promise that we'll be best friends forever!" Yuuki had said upon the two's growing friendship. But what good was such a friendship, if they couldn't even meet or see each other at all?

Liar. Muttered Chihiro to herself as she scrolled down the messages.

"What? Did you say something?" Chihiro shut her phone without answering any of them and decided to stare out the car window silently. Her mother frowned as she peered at Chihiro through the car's reverse mirror.

"Is something wrong Chihiro? Did something happen at school? You at least never used to be this against going to school."

Chihiro's shoulder drooped. What was going on? She contemplated momentarily of telling her mother the real reason of her reluctance in going to school, immediately waving it off. Telling her mother would probably result in a bigger fuss than she was already in, which Chihiro wished to avoid at all costs.

Instead she forced herself a sad smile. "I just miss Yuuki and the others."

"So it is that. Of course. I'm so sorry Chihiro, there's nothing we could do!" Chihiro scoffed inside. They could have just left her at her grandma's place as she had suggested, then none of this would have happened.

"But you know, something new might happen here! New starts are always an adventure! You have to think positively! Besides, this new school is much more famous than the country one you used to go to." They pulled up in front of the school gates as Chihiro reluctantly clicked her seat belt off and she slid out of her seat.

"Thanks mum."

"Honey you sure you don't want me to go with-" Chihiro slammed the car door shut as she smiled and waved good bye and rushed off to the building, sighing in relief as she heard the car pull away.

Over the few years, her mum had indeed become warmer than she once used to be, paying more attention to what she did, and sometimes, too much. Maybe it was due to her guiltiness of always flinging Chihiro around because of business trips? Anyhow, she sighed as she slipped out of her shoes and reached for her school slippers, immediately yelping as she felt something prick her. Sucking her finger, she carefully peered into her white slippers which had remained untouched for a duration of 2 weeks, and gasped as she dropped them with a clatter.

From the slippers fell 4 or 5 thumbtacks and beside it a letter. She knew she shouldn't have, but her hands reached for it as she unfolded it, her hands beginning to shake as read aloud its two letters.

Get Lost!

Chihiro sighed. She thought that maybe by staying at home from a few weeks, that the others would forget her thin existence, but with this new 'surprise' that had been waiting in her shoe-box, she now knew that it was impossible.

Of course she couldn't tell her mother this – that she was getting bullied at school. And the reason? Something far beyond her abilities. Maybe she should just tell her, and then they could maybe move again? Or at least should she hide somewhere until the school ended and keep pretending to her parents that everything was fine…?

No. She slapped her cheeks and shook herself as she carefully removed the thumbtacks from her slippers and chucked the letter in the entrance bin.

She had ran away for so long now, she couldn't do so for ever. She had to find a way to clear the misunderstandings, and running away was not anywhere near any one of the resolutions. Mustering her strength, she strode towards her classroom through the empty hallway, and after taking a deep breath, slid the class door open.

Immediately she felt 30 pairs of eyes look up to her as she crept into her seat, momentarily apologising to her maths teacher before taking her place. She felt a cold sweat throughout the whole duration of the class as she counted the minutes until the break which she dreaded, completely being unable to concentrate on her study.

3…

2…

1…

Ding Dong!

The chime sounded the end of class and the beginning of Chihiro's nightmare as she braced herself for the verbal attacks, however, to her relief, finding none. She glanced around to find everyone getting along with their own thing to her utmost relief. No one tried to talk to her, but then again that meant that no one was trying to bully her either. She silently rejoiced in her mind. Her shoe-surprise must've been something done a few weeks ago, and by now, the misunderstanding must've been cleared.

"Chihiro?" Chihiro's heart sank immediately as she heard a familiar voice carry over from the other side of the room, near the entrance. She completely ignored it, pretending to be immersed in her mathematics book, concentrating solely on trying to ignore her pounding heart.

"Chihiro, can I talk to you?" Chihiro looked up reluctantly this time as the voice sounded from her near right. It was him! The idiot who caused the misunderstandings in the first place! She immediately looked back down at her book.

"I'm busy now." She responded flatly and as coldly as she could, trying to hide her shaking hands, as she felt everyone's stares on her once again.

"Just for a minute?" Ryo pleaded.

Ryo. The beginnings of all her misfortunes here. She admitted; he was a nice and pure boy, however, when the two had first met, he had been dating somebody. A small and princess like girl called Chisato. Crowned as the cutest couple in the school, Chihiro had apparently been the one to break that peace, as Ryo had dumped Chisa, saying only that he had fallen for another girl. It hadn't taken the heartbroken and incredibly jealous girl to track down who it was. Ever since, Chihiro had been the target of all the flying rumours of theft and other reliefs of stress of her fellows high schooler's. And above that, they had barely even talked! If any one was to be blamed, It was definitely him!

"Chihiro?" Pleaded innocent-boy, jumping as Chihiro angrily slammed her text book shut.

"Leave. Me. Alone." She hissed as she glared at her cause of misfortune. All because of him! She couldn't take it anymore as her head began to swim in the hushed whispers surrounding her, and she ran out of the room.

Chihiro leaned against the bathroom taps, washing her face as she felt tears form in the corners of her eyes. Why was it her? She had done nothing wrong! There was no one to talk to, no friends at all. She took her phone out, tempted to call Yuuki to tell her about this. But then again, what could Yuuki do who was so faraway? She tucked her phone away gloomily, just as she heard footsteps echo in the bathroom followed by the high pitched laughter of some girls.

Chihiro didn't have time to hide as she found her self coming face to face with none other than her.

"Chisa…" The girl's face immediately changed from laughter to a scowl upon seeing her enemy before her. If only Chihiro had met Chisa on different circumstances, she was sure she would've found the doll-like girl cute.

But now, all Chihiro saw was hatred.

"Hmph. I heard you tried to get all cosy again with Ryo today. Did you think I'd forget because you were hiding away at home for so long?"

"Listen Chisa, It's not what you think-"

"Stop calling me Chisa! Someone as lowly as a thief like you doesn't have the right to call me that! Cool your head will you?"

Chihiro barely had a moment to protest as Chisato's friends dumped a bucket of mop water they had been lying in the corner of the bathroom, laughing as they watched Chihiro gasping for breath in the cold morning.

She couldn't take it anymore, pushing the girls to the side despite the yells of their threats, Chihiro ran outside straight up the stairs onto the roof, ignoring signs reading 'stay out'.

Chihiro shivered in cold as she let her tears run freely, hugging her knees tightly as she hid in the corner of the roof under pipes.

Why did she have to go through all this!? What did she do to deserve something like this? This wasn't supposed to happen, it was all Chisa's stupidity's fault. No, it was Ryo's fault. No, scratch that – it was her parent's fault for bringing her here in the first place! If only…If only…If only…

"If only what?" Chihiro looked up as a voice seemed to ring inside her mind.

However there was no-one there. She peered around puzzled, as she slowly focused her eyes on something hazy before her. There was still nothing there, but the air before her seemed to distort momentarily. She rubbed her eyes, and it disappeared again.

"Who's there?" She called out cautiously. Was it another prank by her classmates? Had she been found already?

For a moment, only silence prevailed, thus making Chihiro jump as the same voice popped up again.

" The fact that you've summoned me, means that there is something you dearly want. Whatever that wish be, I shall grant it; Be it Revenge, or be it power."

Chihiro scrunched her eyes in concentration as she tried to focus on the haze before her. It was definitely getting more and more visible with every word it said.

"Who are you?" She repeated hurriedly, urging the voice to speak more. It however remained silent again to this question as Chihiro began to panic.

"C-can it be anything?" She held her breath in anticipation.

"Yes." It became slightly clearer again, but it still had no shape. Chihiro thought silently for a moment. She knew that this was fake, but she couldn't help thinking of an answer. Was she getting delirious because of the water? She didn't, and never knew, as she instead blurted out the first word that came to her mind.

"A friend. What I want more than anything, i-is a…friend…"

"Understood." The haze seemed to smile, as Chihiro gasped and edged away. It began to materialise, slowly taking the shape of a human before her eyes, until it finally came to a stand still in the figure, of a similar age-looking boy. Chihiro gasped in awe as the boy with perfect green hair and matching emerald eyes bent down and offered his hand at the cowering Chihiro, and seemed to sing with a light voice overfilling with kindness.

"Nice to meet you Chihiro.

My name, is Kohaku."