All right, everybody! I just saw Spirited Away for the first time and I absolutely adored it! And I had an idea for a fanfiction, so I have put the pen to the paper - or in this case, fingers to the keyboard - and I came up with this. So I hope you all enjoy it, sorry for the terrible summary on the outside, here's a longer and more complete one:

It's been a long time, but now Chihiro is a single mother witha daughter named Sen in memory of her encounter with the spirits. Haku still hasn't been to visit her, but Chihiro holds on to the promise that he made to her, all the while telling her daughter stories of her adventures. Sen, however, is very strong-willed and sneaks off to see if her mother has been telling the truth all this time. Against her wishes, Sen is thrown into the world of the spirits where she must tackled her adventures head-on and meet new allies and enemies. During her stay, she also discovers some pretty dark secrets...including one that explains why Haku has not yet fulfilled his end of the promise...

So I hope you like it, and for a disclaimer, I do not own Spirited Away, just Chihiro's daughter Sen. That's it, that's all. R&R please, and let me know what you think!

SPIRITED AWAY: BROKEN PROMISES

CHAPTER ONE – FANTASIES AREN'T REALITIES

"…And finally we were able to pull everything out. Can you believe it, Sen? There was so much junk inside that poor river spirit, it's because of all the pollution in this world…it's too bad, isn't it? But you know not to throw your garbage any which way, right sweetie?"

"Yes, yes, I know already, you've told me this story ten thousand times," grumbled Sen, pushing some stray brown hairs out of her eyes. "Along with every other adventure you supposedly had."

Her mother, Chihiro, looked down at her with a sad smile. "You always used to love these stories, Sen. What happened to make this all change?"

"I grew up."

Chihiro frowned slightly. "You're only thirteen, Sen. And I'm much older than you. Yet I still believe. I know that to you, it may seem like a simple fantasy, but –"

"Mother, stop nagging me about this," Sen interrupted with a glare. "Keep your fantasies to yourself. Fantasies have nothing to do with reality." With that, Sen stormed up the stairs to her room and shut the door.

Chihiro sighed. Back when she had been young, she had been nothing like her daughter. She had been apathetic, whiny, and was quite the pessimist. Sure, Sen was the spitting image of her mother back when she was her age, but her attitude was completely different. Sen was strong-willed and smart, and her confidence in trying new things was much admired. However, as she had grown into a confident teenager, she closed her mind to the stories Chihiro would tell her.

It had seemed like only yesterday when Chihiro had first told Sen about the spirit of the Kohaku River. Sen had been fascinated, and hung onto every word her mother said.

"Did he really promise to visit you one day?" Sen had asked eagerly, her eyes bright.

Chihiro had nodded with a big smile. "He did. And when he does, I'll introduce you to him. How does that sound?"

Sen had been delighted. "Oh yes, mommy, that would be great!"

Chihiro was in her late thirties now, and she was still waiting for Haku. She had married a fine man, but divorced after her husband accidentally stumbled across her diary and read all about her longing to see Haku again. He had been in a terrible rage, and had left Chihiro alone with a baby to take care of.

Chihiro had thought that she'd never hear from her husband again, but two weeks ago he had called saying that he wanted their daughter to come and visit him for a while. Chihiro had talked to Sen about this, and Sen wanted to meet the man she would call "Father", so everything was arranged. In one more day's time, Sen's father would be picking her up and taking her to live with him for a while. Then Chihiro would be all alone. Sure, Sen wasn't that much company these days, but she knew there would be a big difference.

Oh, Sen, she thought sadly, reflecting on how much her daughter used to love bearing the name of the person Chihiro had been in the world of the spirits. Sen had been amazed and delighted with her namesake at the time. Nowadays, she just treated it like dirt.

Even if you have changed, Sen, and you don't believe my stories anymore, I'll still miss you.

Meanwhile, in Sen's room, Sen was also reflecting on how much she used to love her mother's stories. Her favourite one used to be the one with her mother riding on Haku when he was a dragon, when she'd helped him discover his real name. Imagine, riding on a dragon! It would be wonderful! But improbable. And imagine, watching little balls of soot working for the six-handed boiler man Kamaji. It would be such a cool sight! But impossible. Stuff like that didn't exist. It only existed in people's dreams. Her mother's dreams.

But not hers. No way. She knew better than that. Dreams were simply fantasies, and fantasies don't collide with realities. They just don't mix. End of story. Period.

Then Sen remembered the first time her mother had told her where she got her name. When Chihiro had been working for Yubaba, the witch had stolen her name and given her a new one: Sen. Everyone in the spirit world knew her by this new name, and she had done some pretty amazing things…assuming, of course, that they really happened. Chihiro had also told her daughter that by giving her the name Sen, it would serve as a constant reminder of all the good times she'd have, and so she could remember all about Haku.

Stupid Haku… thought Sen. He's all mother thinks about. It's so irritating. She should have given up on him a long time ago. Especially since he doesn't really exist. She thinks he's made a promise to visit her, but it's not true. There's no way.

She also hated the situation because she knew that the name of Sen was not chosen because it was pretty or catchy or anything cool. It was only chosen so her mother could be happy and remember. Her selfish mother! Sen was a terrible name. But that was the name given to her, and she could not change it. But if she could…she'd jump at the chance.

Sen looked at the pile of clothes on her bed and the suitcase that was not yet packed. "I guess I might as well pack," she said to herself, and began doing just that. "I can't wait for Father to come and get me away from this place."

A vulture…no, a bird. Or was it a bat? Whatever it was, it had wings, and it was flying into a high window of a tower. Once inside, it flew down a hole in the ground, and stopped when it reached the very bottom. The bird stared through bars of a cage, where a person was being kept. The captive's face could not be seen, but its steely green eyes flashed angrily at the bird. The bird laughed, the sound of a whiplash was heard, and the captive screamed in pain…

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP…

Sen's eyes flew open. Her alarm clock was beeping. So that's why her dream was interrupted. But then again, dreams always ended in cliffhangers.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEE–

Sen angrily shut of her stupid alarm and threw off her blankets. "Stupid alarm clock," she muttered. "I just wanna smash it to pieces sometimes…"

She knew that it was time to go for breakfast, but she decided to stay in bed a little while longer to reflect on her dream. It had been very dark, wherever the dream had taken place. And she was unable to tell if the bird and the captive were masculine or feminine. The captive's scream had given away nothing. It could have belonged to a male or a female. But as for the bird…the more she thought about it, the more certain she was that the bird was a female. But that was judging by the laughter. Birds don't really laugh like that. It was just a stupid dream. A stupid fantasy.

Then why did it feel so real…?

"Sen, get dressed and brush up!" her mother called from downstairs. "I'll make you bagel in the meantime. Your father's going to be here any minute now!"

Sen hurried to get ready, and she was done in three minutes. She rushed down the stairs to wolf down her bagel and had just swallowed the last bite when the doorbell rang.

Sen yelled, "I got it!" and ran to open the door. And there he was. The man that she could call Father. He was dressed in a suit and tie and carried a shiny black briefcase. He wore sunglasses and wore a smile on his face.

"So, you're Sen, aren't you?" he said happily. "My, look how big you are now! The last time I saw you, you were but a wee little baby! How old are you now?"

"Thirteen," Sen answered proudly. Already she'd made her first impressions. This man, her father, was a good one.

Chihiro and her father had a brief chat, and then it was time for Sen to leave. Chihiro hugged her daughter tightly.

"Mother, that's enough!" Sen snapped, breaking away. And before she closed the door, she added, "Forget about your stupid fantasies while I'm gone, okay? They'll never be real." Then she left without closing the door, and followed her father to his car to begin a new adventure.

She didn't look back. If she had, she might have seen her mother crying.