A/N: This is my first ever attempt at writing. I discovered Spirited Away 2 weeks ago (yeah, I have been living under a rock for the last 13 years) and I liked the movie so much that I decided to try my hand at a sequel. I don't know if it does justice to the movie, but I really hope it does. Reviews are always welcomed. I prefer the good ones, but constructive criticism is good too.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters in Spirited Away. However the plot is mine.

Happy reading! CN

Chapter 1: Welcome home

Chihiro's POV

"Just go back the way you came. You'll be fine. But you have to promise me not to look back" he told me.

"What about you? What will you do?"

"Don't worry. I'll go back and have a talk with Yubaba. I'll tell her I'm going to quit being her apprentice." ... "I'm fine. I got my name back."

"Will we meet again sometime?"

"Sure we will."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

I let go of his hand and ran as fast as my legs could take me t the train station, where I knew my parents were waiting for me. I almost tripped in my hurry, but didn't stop until I could hug my mom and dad. But they didn't seem to be to happy to see me. For them I was lost for only ten minutes and they didn't even know that without my help their lives would have been over a week ago. But I was so glad to see them that I didn't notice the harsh welcome.

At the last second a thought of looking back came into my mind, but my parents rushed me to come to the car, that I never looked back to see if Haku was still there.

Arriving on the other side of the train station, I tried looking back through the tunnel, but it was pitch black. In the meantime my parents were fussing about the car being dusty. They thought this was someone's idea of a joke. But how could I tell them that it had been a while since we last saw the car?

15 minutes after we left the train station we arrived at our new and "beautiful" house, according to my mom. To me it looked ugly and boring being all blue. But at the moment it reflected my mood perfectly. 'How could I feel so much for someone whom I just met?'

When we arrived at the house the movers were finishing unloading our belongings and furniture. They helped us by moving the boxes in the right rooms. We decided to take a little break for lunch and after that we would begin unpacking.

"I never got a chance to ask you, but where did you go exploring, Chihiro?" asked mom while she sliced some tomatoes for a salad. "We were looking for you for 5 minutes. You really got us worried."

"I... I wasn't far. What do you remember?" I tried to stall the time to see what was the last thing that they remembered.

"That we walked on that meadow and you said you wanted to climb the hill and see what's beyond it. So we waited for you and then we got worried. We called after you for 2 minutes straight. Didn't you hear us?" She asked a little worried.

Deciding it was better to tell them the truth another time, I started to speak: "I... When I got to the top of the hill I saw the bed of a river, but it was almost dry. Next to the river there was the statue of a dragon. It was bluish and had a teal mane. It looked fierce yet peaceful. I was so captivated by it, that I guess I didn't hear you calling. Sorry, mom." I said and exhibited my best puppy eyes for extra conviction.

"It's ok. But don't do that ever again. We were getting ready to come look for you." She said and started to rummage in the cooler that we brought with us for our other dishes.

"What do you want to eat Chihiro? Karaage or Sekihan?" asked dad with a wolfish face, meaning that he was really hungry.

Not wanting to have the earlier fate of my parents and be turned into a pig, I replied: "I think I'll stick to the salad."

"Nonsense. You must have some proper food. And on top of that we are celebrating the move." He said and I knew he wouldn't take no for an answer.

Reluctantly, I opted for the Sekihan, giving that pigs don't eat rice and eating it wouldn't turn me into one. I left the meat to my parents.

After a long meal, in which my parents fussed over me for picking at my food, I decided to go to my room and take a nap before starting to unpack. Deciding to change into something more comfortable for sleeping, I opened the first box that came my way and luckily a found my pajamas. I started taking of my T-shirt, when something fell from it and landed on the floor right in front of my feet. I stooped to pick it up and to my surprise it was a dragon scale. I started to cry tears of joy, knowing that a part of him would always be here to protect me.

Feeling bone tired I put the scale and my goodbye card (the one that saved me by remembering my name) under the pillow and curled on the bed for the best nap ever. I dreamed of brown-green hair and green eyes and the most beautiful dragon.