Disclaimer: I don't own Miyazaki's beautiful Spirited Away stuff, I just own the plot of MY story.

By the way, this story is a collaboration between another author, lose-your-voice, and myself. My story is in Chihiro's POV, and lose-your-voice is writing it in Haku's POV. If you want to read Haku's POV, you'll have to go on over to lose-your-voice. It'll be on later today, btw.

Chapter 1: Haku Returns

"Is that the same hairstyle as yesterday?!?"

Chihiro quietly walked to her seat and took off her book bag. The same whispers and stares everyday. She couldn't wait until this period was over, when she was free to go home. With the least amount of movement as possible, she sunk into her chair.

"Yeah! The same ponytail and haircut for… How long? Since she moved in during middle school, right?"

"Hey, I heard that she-," one girl eagerly jumped over a chair and entered the circle of gossipers. Chihiro tuned them out. What did it matter anyway if they were talking bad about her? It wasn't like they were her friends at one time. She had no connection to them, or the rest of the class.

The bell rang to indicate the start of class, and slowly Chihiro reached towards her book bag, about to open the zipper. Someone brushed past her, sending her bag crashing to the floor.

Silence engulfed the classroom. Chihiro felt every eye on her and the latecomer.

"Sorry," the boy said with no real regret in his voice. He continued on his way. Vaguely Chihiro remembered a time in elementary school when the same incident had happened. How'd she react back then? She couldn't really remember. Then again, lately she couldn't remember anything about herself before she had been spirited away…

"What's going on here? Pick that up Chihiro, are you waiting for it to sprout wings and fly back onto your desk?"

Chihiro merely whispered an apology as she slipped from her chair to the floor, picking up her scattered school supplies. The teacher left her side to get class ready, and began his routine of asking questions to random people in the class. From her peripheral vision, she could just see everyone moving back to their seats, trying not to catch the teacher's eye. Sighing a little, but not enough to draw attention, she continued collecting her supplies.

Counting the pens, pencils, and other random things she had just retrieved, she reached the number 28. 28? She recounted her pile, and found that it was missing. Frantically, she stood up and whirled around, sending her chair flying. Yet again the whole class was silent.

"Chihiro! What are you doing? Fix your chair right now!" Her teacher dropped his briefcase onto his desk and swiftly grabbed her by the arm. She barely felt his grip. All she knew was that someone had stolen it. It! Without warning, big, fat tears began rolling down her cheeks. She had to find it.

Chihiro dropped to all fours and started barreling down the aisles, kicking people's belongings aside as she went by.

"WHAT is the MEANING of this?!?!" Her teacher looked like he was about to explode. She kept searching.

"Ugh, just like a rat!"

"Freak!"

Vaguely she noticed everyone jumping onto their seats as if she were a rat. But she couldn't dwell on that right now, she had to find-

Out of no where, Chihiro slammed her head into someone's leg. Wasn't everyone standing on their chairs…?

She gazed up into the person's face, and was blinded momentarily. She hadn't realized she had crawled all the way from her 'door' seat to the back 'window' seat, and the sun was shining brightly through the window behind the person sitting there.

"What are you freaking out for? If this piece of trash is that special to you, don't bring it to school," the person said as they threw something at her. Blinking her eyes quickly, Chihiro was able to catch the small gold item that she had been so desperately searching for. Using her fingers to trace the lines of the little figurine, she realized that the teacher had grabbed her by the back of the shirt, and was now being dragged forcefully out of the classroom.

"Until I get back, Haku will take care of attendance as a way to get to know the class. Oh, and Haku, this right here is Chihiro, make sure not to mark her absent," he slammed the door and then grabbed Chihiro by the arm still clutching the figurine. "You are coming with me," he said with venom.

Chihiro didn't hear a word he said. In fact, she had gone deaf after the name 'Haku.'

"Haku," she whispered, and clutched the figurine to her chest.

With her head hanging, Chihiro exited the office to go back to class. Her teacher had dragged her there an hour ago, and had returned on his own. She shuffled her feet through the hallway and watched the white tiles as she passed.

Suddenly she stopped. Lifting her head, she glanced around the hallway and began to panic. Where had she ended up?

Running to the closest window she could find, she saw the gym and field below. There was a loud clatter behind her and she whirled around, hands clasped tightly behind her back.

It was Haku.

She couldn't breathe for a second, but quickly cleared her throat to get his attention. He seemed to be walking back from the bathroom, and was leaning over to pick up the pass he had dropped.

"H-Haku?" Chihiro whispered anxiously, yet still cautiously.

He seemed to finally notice her, and turned around, turning the pass in his hands. He just looked at her, eyebrows raised.

She hadn't expected him to say nothing; she was slightly taken aback.

"Um, did you come here to find me, like you promised you would…?" She had been so anxious to ask if it really were true, that she hadn't just dreamed his words.

His eyebrows dropped and he stopped turning the pass. "What?" He asked, a little harshly.

Chihiro froze for a minute. "Don't you remember me…?"

"What are you talking about? I just went to the bathroom. I've never seen you before in my life."

He doesn't remember. She slid to the floor, her face going white, and her mouth opened in horror as she watched him walking away. His black uniform jacket started to blur around the edges and blend in with the white of the walls. Salty tears fell into her mouth as she finally lowered her head when he turned the corner.

He doesn't even know me, she thought.

"Chihiro, how about we go check out the amusement park this weekend, eh? It'd be good for you, heck, for all of us to get some fun back into our lives. What d'ya think?" Chihiro's father said that night over dinner. Chihiro merely moved her food around on her plate.

"That sounds wonderful, dear. Oh, but I promised Mrs. Stephanie next door that'd I'd get together with her and her friends for a book club meeting," Chihiro's mother replied.

"When's that? We'll go the next day. Hey, Chihiro, what's the matter? I thought you'd love this idea," her father said, pointing a fork at her.

"Oh, yeah. It sounds great, Dad. Mom, I think I'm finished," Chihiro started cleaning off her place, but her mom's arm stopped her.

"Why don't you leave that on the table? You're father and I will finish it since you've hardly touched it," her mother said, taking the plate from her hands.

Chihiro wrinkled her nose. "You'll turn into pigs if you're not careful," she said crossing her arms. Her parents just laughed.

"What's all this pig talk suddenly? It's just a little bit of food. Wouldn't want to throw it away, hm?" Her mother said, already cutting the meat into two separate parts.

"Whatever," Chihiro stomped out of the room and up the stairs to her bedroom. She slammed her door and collapsed onto her bed, trying not to think too much of what Haku had said. Sighing, she hugged her pillow to her chest and thought back to the first time she had met him… She was on the bridge, looking up at-

She shot out of bed so quickly she knocked her lamp off the night stand.

She couldn't remember anything from when she met him. She began pacing the room with clenched fists at her side. Let's see, she thought. I was on the bridge, and then… I ended up in the Boiler Room? But how'd I get there?

Chihiro dropped to the ground and pulled her hair while sitting Indian style. And then I met Sen, or wait, I saw the-

Who was that lady who ran the whole place? She thought frantically. If she couldn't remember anything, then how was she to know it wasn't all just a fabrication her mind had made up in the effort to ease the pain from moving?

For the first time since those few days had happened, she seriously considered the fact that Haku could have just coincidently been the name of the boy in her reverie, and now that she was almost certain of this, she felt embarrassed beyond belief. How could she have actually confronted a complete stranger just because of his name!?!?

Well, she thought as she stood up and straightened her skirt, at least now I can change my hairstyle.