"I got it!" A wobbling, red sphere caught the girl between the ribs. Both small and clumsy, she clutched wildly at the ball and fell painfully onto her backside. Amidst the onslaught of dizziness, Chihiro could vaguely perceive that she still managed to cling tight to the dodgeball as it made impact with her chest. She realized the gymnasium had gone absolutely silent, and then from that silence erupted the shouts and hollers of dozens of classmates as they swarmed about her, helping her too quickly to her feet and slapping her back appreciatively.

"That was awesome!" she wasn't sure where the voice came from, and as she turned to find it a chorus of like phrases fell one on top of the other, soon indistinguishable from the rest. Her ears rang with the praise and a dumb grin spanned the distance between them as the teacher blew his whistle.

"Time's up! Everybody change!"

Chihiro, just catching her breath, was led towards the locker rooms between the pattering feet of her new friends. She watched white, gray, black sneakers dart across the hardwood floor. Just then the pain in her tailbone flared, remembering as she did that familiar pain of a bottom smacked on unrelenting wood, of long hours scrubbing and polishing the floor of the bathhouse.

She was standing before her locker ahead of her thoughts. Shaking off the memories of just last week, she popped open the blue-gray door. It continued to shiver with a hollow metallic hum as she reached inside, collecting her neat little pile of uniform. Compared to her locker-mate, Chihiro was excellent at proper folding.

"Hey, Chihiro!" the girl was loud, tall, blonde, and American. A true rarity. "That was a great catch! Everybody else scattered, but you just stood there. We thought Jouta was going to kill you with that toss!"

Chihiro giggled, pulling her skirt up. "Lucky catch, that's all!"

Lin reached deep inside the locker, pulling out a crumbled knee sock and shoving her big—but not fat, Chihrio noted—leg into it. Chihiro thought with both amusement and longing that this Lin was not much like the Lin she'd grown so close to at the bathhouse. Naturally, it was the name she'd chosen when given free decision of locker mate. Lin had taken it very personally, enthusiastic that anyone would choose her for anything. She was, after all, an outsider in her own right. Moving to a new city used to be a daunting prospect for Chihiro; she could only imagine how frightening it must be for a ten year old to move to a new country. Still, Lin claimed she'd always been ready, trained in the language, lectured on the customs, prepared for the move by her Japanese father.

"So did you hear?" Lin continued, as they moved down the hallway, math books in hand. "There's another new student today. I hear he's really cute!"

Chihiro wondered if the entire student body had anticipated her transfer. What had they said about her? 'I hear she's a real klutz, watch out!' Then, her heart leapt. It was the strangest feeling, like moving forward and falling all at once. What if the new boy was her dear friend Haku? Had he escaped his life of servitude? Was he here, at her school, looking for her? She gripped her books tightly against herself, anxiety swelling in her stomach as she fantasized.

"You all right, 'hiro?" The affectionate name, 'hiro, snapped the girl back into reality. Lin assured her the nickname wasn't only a boy's name, in English it meant something about being courageous and brave and saving a lot of people. Still, Chihiro found it hard to accept any shortening of her name after Yubaba had attempted to steal it. Lin meant no harm, of course, and so the nickname had finally, after her first week at school, grown on her.

"Yeah!" she assured her friend cheerfully as the two turned into their classroom.

The lesson was boring and excruciatingly long. Chihiro, chin in hand, caught herself gazing out the window countless times at the naked trees, as they had all shed for winter. Then suddenly, impossibly, the branches began to bud, grow and split into blushing cherry blossoms. The petals twittered happily against the midmorning breeze. But it was only early November! How…? Chihiro gasped, and sensai cut his droning speech about long division short.

"What's the matter, Miss Ogino? Decimal points scare you?"

Chihiro bowed her head, in both respect in shame. "I'm sorry!" she blurted. "It's just that the…" Outside, the last of the blossoms were disconnecting from their respective branches, leaving the tree as cold and stark as it had once been. He followed her gaze, and, irritated, closed the blinds. There was mumbled aggravation between the children before the teacher continued, as if nothing had happened. Chihiro bowed her blushing head so low her forehead pressed against the cool surface of her desk.

The rest of that morning, Chihiro went through her classes, consumed by the thought of the tree. Had she imagined it, or had it really lived before her eyes? If Chihiro had learned anything from her magical adventure, it was that trusting her sight and instincts were invaluable. Make-believe was no such thing if you could feel it in your gut the way she had at the bathhouse. And she felt it now, stirring inside her, calling her attention to the unbelievable once again. She had almost forgotten there would be a new student coming to class that day, and when she finally remembered it was all she could think about. Lin seemed to sense her apprehension, and she passed a note low between their desks.

We won't get to meet the cutie. He's two grades higher than us. '(

--

By the time recess had arrived, Chihiro was starving. The air outside was cold and she zippered her jacket against her chin before running towards the others. As was usual for recess, all of the students had brought with them the prospects of a rematch. Phys Ed class only stirred rivalries between the children, who at this age had little more to worry about than athletic competition. Chihiro remembered when competition for her was in terms of life or death.

"Chihiro, you're on my team!" Lin was already on the cement, barking orders at teammates. Perhaps there were some similarities to her old friend. Chihiro nodded gratefully and jogged to Lin's side.

Lin grabbed Chihiro by the upper arm and whispered. "Don't look now, but the new boy's on the other team."

As if barely hearing Lin's words, Chihiro immediately scanned the faces of every kid on the opposing side. It was impossible to tell them apart. They all wore black hoods, cloth obscuring their faces from the nose down in a kind of ninja-esque fashion statement. "I can't tell…"

But Lin had already moved from her side, lining up with the other fifth graders. Apparently, this game had become a sort of fight for dominance. The other team had gathered menacingly, prepared to strike. Three balls lay separated by a few measured feet across the center line. As a helpful accomplice, the recess aide blew a whistle.

The following movement made Chihiro nearly trip. Many bodies blew past her in desperate attempts at the balls. Somehow, Chihiro was the lucky owner of one of the three, and she watched the game unfold in slight terror. The boys threw the balls very hard, knocking over smaller boys and every girl. One boy in particular had downed many of her teammates, and Chihiro fancied that he must be the new student, though she could still not see him. She stood in the corner of the court, hopping from one foot to the other, running in place nervously. She may be able to catch what's chucked directly into her arms, but throwing was a whole other matter. Eventually, when active players were growing thin, Chihiro managed to work her way to the front and toss the ball at the closest player's shoe.

Though he wasn't looking, he moved his toes in time for the ball to miss him. Chihiro made to gasp but he had picked up the ball and knocked her in the head with it, hard enough to set her head spinning and yet she had seen him hesitate and take pity on her with the force of his throw. She grew faint, her eyes crossed dizzily, but she managed to keep her balance long enough for the game to be over and her team to lose. It seemed to matter to everyone else much more than it did to her. She patted Lin comfortingly on one big shoulder before being called inside to lunch.

Lunch period was tense that day. To be beaten by kids two grades higher was expected but shameful. For the older children, it was a perfect means by which to taunt the fifth graders. Chihiro found it all rather petty and childish. She forked the mashed potatoes on her cafeteria plate (oh how she missed the homemade peanut butter and jelly sandwiches her mom used to make at her old school) and mulled over the day's events. As usual, Lin interrupted her reverie.

"Oh 'hiro, now's our chance! Cute boy's over there!" Lin thrust a hand in front of Chihiro's face, just missing her nose. She was pointing across the cafeteria. There, a throng of girls and boys alike had surrounded a dining table. They were talking and pushing and there was a lot of laughter. Chihiro shrugged but Lin pulled her to her feet. "Come on, how else are you going to make friends?"

Chihiro didn't remind Lin that she had plenty experience trying to make friends when the odds were against her. She let the big girl lead her to the gathering crowd. As she neared, she felt a fluttering nervousness in her heart. It was as if she were on the brink of some discovery; something all too familiar. Something warm and comforting. Haku. She pushed suddenly through the other students and made her way to the front. Sitting before her was someone else.

It was a boy, perhaps cute by the other girl's standards, but to Chihiro he looked more like a doll. He was well kept and intelligent looking, brown eyed and brown haired. She felt an immediate embarrassment wash over her as he turned to notice her heaving immediacy.

"Hi," he said pleasantly, a bit of shock on his face. "You're that girl, from dodgeball today."

Chihiro nodded wordlessly and began to back away, blushing. He blinked, watching her go. "Hey wait!" But she was already turning and running back to her own table, cutting herself off from the commotion and sitting before her cold plate of mashed potatoes. No one seemed to notice.

After sitting there for a few silent minutes, Chihiro got up blankly and walked towards the halls. There was no use in hanging out by herself in front of a plate of food she would never eat. As she rounded the corner by herself, something called out to her.

She ignored it, thinking it might be the boy come to chase her down, to make fun of her or interrogate her or …flirt, whatever that was, she was still unsure. But as she continued down the hall, away from the sound, she realized there had been no name calling at all. There had been complete and utter silence in the hallway as she trudged down the empty expanse. She stopped, standing straight-backed and tense. Hadn't she had enough for one day? Yet it wasn't all by her own will that she was standing so still, every tiny muscle taunt with suspense. Something powerful and steady held her in place like a spell. And then she broke free, spinning around and bumping against the steady chest of someone a bit taller than her, a lot stronger, and…

Haku stood wordlessly in front of Chihiro, sharp angled face blank but for the startling intensity in two large, emerald eyes. He looked down at her, chin cropped, black hair bobbing appropriately. Her voice stuck in her throat as she tried to speak, say his name, even breathe, but there was nothing. She thought she might scream, or cry, or laugh. It was too much for her. It wasn't real.

"Don't say anything," Haku breathed, his eyes darting over Chihiro's face, taking her in while some mysteriously expressionless, undecipherable emotion played over his face. It took her a few moments to catch the indignant tinge to his whisper. It was then she noticed that he was standing there, unbearably awkward in an undersized school uniform. He must have coded her happiness as budding mockery. And then she realized—what on earth was he doing here?

"Haku! You, you can't-"

"Be here," he finished quickly, still staring, memorizing her features. It made her jittery and cozy. He was leaning close. She would have backed up a bit if she could move any part of herself, but Haku stepped away for her. A comforting warmth left with his body. "But I need you to do something for me, and fast."

Her eyes were wide with the sudden fear his voice invoked. "What is it?"

Haku opened his mouth to speak again, but soon his posture snapped a bit to the side, his hair swinging even as his head was still. He had heard something. "Find me later, by the tree." Chihiro was trembling now, and he reached one arm out as if to touch her, to comfort her. Abruptly he pulled his hand back to himself and darted down the nearest hallway. Chihiro gained use in her legs raced after him. She looked down the long, empty hall. As expected, he was already gone.

Just then, Lin and the others began to file out of the cafeteria. "Where have you been?" she asked, jogging up beside Chihiro and putting a heavy arm about her shoulders, "You look like you've seen a spirit!"