This is NOT a sequel to Coming Home!!!

Oh, my, god, this took forever.

Reviews are fuel.

"Wazzap, Chi?" Minerva asked as she sat down next to her friend at lunch.

"Trying to figure out something to do for Mrs. Graven's assignment – you know, write a fantasy story? It's harder than I thought it would be." Chihiro replied as she ate some of her cheeseburger.

"Yeah, that is hard. I think I'm going to do a retake on Anastasia where Rasputin is actually just misunderstood – like that book, oh, what's it called… Wicked!"

"Mrs. G said we couldn't redo a story." Chihiro pointed out.

"Oh… right… Well, then, I really don't know." Minerva said as she tapped her chin with her spork.

"Ello, love! Oh, and Mineral." Cartel smiled as he sat down at the girls' table.

"My name is Minerva, Car!" Minerva exclaimed, though she was far too used to it to be really annoyed.

"And my name is Cartel. Now that we have that established, how's the first half of your days been?"

"Alright." Chihiro said as she smiled at her boyfriend of two months. Every time they kissed or hugged or did anything coupley, though, she felt like she was betraying Haku… Even though she hadn't seen him in seven years – since she was ten.

"Are we all still on for the theme park tomorrow?" Minerva asked, stabbing a lumpy looking mashed "potato."

"'Course we are… Right, Ro?" Cartel asked, and she had to nod. He and Minerva had been positively obsessed with examining the old theme park, and no matter how many times Chihiro had tried to talk them out of it she had never been able to succeed. At least she made them promise they would go early in the morning, saying she had chores to do in the afternoon. That, hopefully, would give them time to cross the river before sunset.

"I've been thinking about using that place as a backdrop for the writing assignment." Minerva threw out, hoping to spark some interesting conversation.

"That would make one of the coolest stories ever… Just imagine what all you could do with it!" Cartel happily exclaimed. "Maybe I'll use it, too…"

"Oh, now there's an idea! We should all do one together! How does that sound?" Minerva asked her friends.

"Actually, I don't think that's too bad of an idea, but I really don't think Mrs. G will let us." Chihiro said, mainly because she didn't want to work with her friends on the project. Mrs. Graven, their writing teacher, had assigned a 50-page (or more), typed, 12pt Verdana, fantasy story. Chihiro was planning on writing her story, the story no one had ever heard. But somehow, she felt like she was doing something wrong whenever she started to write, and she wondered if it was because she had never gone back and really truly said goodbye. Either way, she didn't want to work with her friends (partially because their grades weren't as good as hers) and she really didn't want to return to the Spirit World, or even just the theme park entrance.

"Well, it looks like lunch break is almost up. See ya later!" Cartel said as he stood up, blowing Chihiro a kiss.

"I better get going too. I'll talk to you soon… Or we'll just meet up at the park at seven, right?" Chihiro nodded as her friend walked off to dump her tray.

Tomorrow… Tomorrow I go back.

"Wow. This place is so romantic in the morning." Minerva exclaimed as she walked through the theme park entrance, early morning sunlight shining through the stained-glass windows and making pretty images on the floor. Her dark brown locks shimmered below the light. She traced the engravings on the birdbaths, trying to decipher what the intentions of the person who created the pieces were.

"Yeah, it is." Cartel said as he smiled over at Chihiro.

Chihiro, though, was lost in memories. Memories about when she had first come here, leaving all her friends behind. She could still remember the bouquet of flowers she had gotten. She couldn't help but smile a little bit as she took in the beauty of the abandoned theme park. She had always wondered why it was abandoned. Was it because it was the portal to the Spirit World, and people kept getting sucked in? Or did it somehow become the portal to the Spirit World? She was so lost in thought she didn't realize that they were on the banks of the river until Minerva waved her hand in front of her face.

"Chihiro…? You awake over there?" Her eyes were full of genuine concern.

"Oh! Yeah… I'm fine. This place is just so beautiful." Chihiro sighed. The grass, green as always, waving in the breeze. Nothing had changed. She wondered if things ever would. Softly, as if in a trance, she walked over and sat on one of the stones that the remaining bit of the river ran against. It was so warm, so peaceful… She hadn't felt this way in years. Seven, to be exact.

"Wow. I love it here! I know what I should do for my story now! I'll have a girl who gets lost and then-" Minerva exclaimed, but her words were lost to Chihiro.

Don't look back!

No! I have to save him!

Which ones are your parents?

I remember my name!

You fell in… You almost drowned…

Thank you.

The memories, after years of repression, were coming back – vividly. She could remember how everything smelled, felt… The thrill of running down the stairs to find Kamajii; the horror of Haku, hurt and bleeding everywhere. The long train ride. The first time she had to eat the food. Almost disappearing. Everything. It was as if some force was trying to warn her to stay away, but at the same time trying to entice her back.

"So, what do you think?" Chihiro suddenly heard Minerva's words, and realized she was waiting for a response.

"Oh, I think it sounds pretty good," she offered, standing up. Cartel had been giving her weird looks ever since they walked into the theme park, but Chihiro just shrugged it off.

"Come on, I wanna see the rest!" Minerva exclaimed as she hopped from rock to rock.

Here goes nothing.

It was exactly how she remembered it. Now that she was older, and could more appreciate her surroundings more, it seemed even more magical.

Or maybe it was just the fact that she knew it was magical.

"Mmm… This smells so good…" Minerva said as she walked over to the very same stand that Chihiro had lost her parents to.

"No! Wait! We can't eat that!" Chihiro exclaimed as she pulled her friend away from the stand.

"Gods, what's your problem?" Minerva asked as she rolled her eyes.

"It's nothing… It would just ruin our lunch!" Chihiro lied.

"What crawled up your ass and died?" Minerva asked. As much as Chihiro loved her friend, she hated her friend's temper.

"Hey, guys, look at this!" Cartel exclaimed as he bent over the edge of the bridge.

Chihiro's eyes were wide. Not at the fact that Minerva had rushed over to marvel at the train running below the bridge, not at the fact that she knew they were in too deep to get out alone, no, she wasn't worried about that. It was the look on his face, however, that scared her.

He was as beautiful as ever. His blue-black hair was tied back, longer than she remembered. His eyes were cold, still, and he wasn't smiling. This was probably the last thing he wanted to happen. He looked at her two friends, and then his gaze hardened as he looked at her. Chihiro hung her head in shame.

"Uh, Chihiro…? Are you okay?" Cartel asked, looking frantically between Chihiro and Haku.

"You'll be fine." Haku said to Chihiro and she nodded, understanding his meaning. From under her lashes she could see Haku turn to her friends, who were staring at him in a mix of fear and enchantment.

"Come."

"Whoa, wait a minute. I'm not going anywhere without Chihiro." Minerva stuck up for her friend.

"No, guys, trust him. He knows what he's doing." Chihiro reprimanded.

"Baby, are you okay?" Cartel asked, throwing in the "baby" as his way of staking his claim.

"I'm fine. Just go with him, alright?" Chihiro winced as she heard Cartel call her "baby".

"But Chihiro…!" Cartel continued his protest. He really, really, didn't like the man glaring at his friends.

"I said, go with him. Do I need to repeat myself again?" Chihiro's head snapped up, and she glared at Cartel.

"No. Fine. We'll go." Cartel glared back as he followed Haku inside.

"Minerva… You too. I'll be fine, okay? Trust me, please." Chihiro begged, and her friend nodded.

"Stay safe." Minerva said before she, too, walked into the bathhouse.

Chihiro sighed. This wasn't what she had planned. One look at the sky told her it was too late. Thinking it unwise to follow Haku (or even get within seeing range), she figured she would go see Kamajii. She walked the way she remembered, memories flooding in.

Please give me a job!

Your friends made this – it will protect you.

Don't look back.

Before Chihiro even got to the stairs, she broke down crying.

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