A/N: Okay, you can moan. All you want, because YES, I am starting another fic, and YES, I have about a billion others to update and work on. TEE HEE:D

So. This one's Spirited Away. I have kind of an obsession with this movie right now. D: I can't stop listening to the music omgwtf.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away in any shape or form. It belongs to Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. However, I can DREAM I own Spirited Away, because it's FREAKING AMAZING and my art skills don't compare.

R e s t o r e .

chapter one: an errand.

She was running. Running. Blood pumping to her limbs in a steady dance with her lungs; in, out, one, two. In, one, out, two. Anywhere but here. Anywhere. Just a dream.

Water cast web-like reflections on her pale arms. She tried rubbing them away. They were transparent now.

Fade out.

Emerald green eyes. Harsh, cold, staring. Something about them comforted her.

Fade out.

Pigs. Many, many pigs. She felt an intense pang of fright that seemed to come out from nowhere.

They turned on her, crowding her. She could her herself pleading. Her breath was cut short.

Black.

Chihiro woke up abruptly, drenched in cold sweat. She looked around her room wildly, forgetting where she was for a split second. When she'd finally come to her senses, she sighed.

"God damn that dream..." She muttered groggily. She cuffed up her pajama bottoms to her knees, allowing her skin to breathe a little. "It makes absolutely no sense, either."

Chihiro collected herself and pushed herself out of bed, running a sweaty hand through her hair. It stopped halfway, however, halted by a shimmering purple hair elastic. Chihiro pulled it out with some difficulty.

"Well, I might as well get up now," Chihiro sighed, glancing at the clock. 4:56 AM. She groaned.

The curtains were drawn to reveal a cloudless sky, just before the break of dawn. Chihiro opened the window and collapsed into the seat below it, letting her arms drape outside her apartment. A cool breeze played at the beads of sweat on her forehead. She closed her eyes, letting her inner self collapse the gate of composure. Thoughts ran amuck in her mind.

Why do I always have that stinking dream on this day, every year, for the past eight years?

What's up with the pigs?

I wonder if I turned the oven off last night...

Kenta's not going to be in work today, dammit. This means overhaul for me.

I should probably write back one of my parents' extensive we-miss-you letters, letting them know I'm fine and I've already decided on what college I'm going to.

Cram school starts in a week.

Who's the owner of those gorgeous, emerald eyes...?

If some people suffered insomnia from too many thoughts crowding their mind, Chihiro thought they were insane. This was her time to really relax, since she'd slowly learned over the years to shut her idle worries away. It had mostly started eight years ago, when she'd first moved to this town. After that short little visit to the old broken down amusement park. That's when the dreams started. After that, she'd always be thinking of what she saw in her dreams, especially when they were more vivid. Her constant daydreaming had resulted in a low grade. After that, Chihiro buckled down, putting school first. The dreams only came once a year from that day on.

Chihiro sighed. She could feel herself losing consciousness again. Goodnight.

"AYA!"

Chihiro rubbed the back of her head in frustration, murky, soapy water soaking through her uniform. "Eugh, disgusting. AYA, GET DOWN HERE, PLEASE!" Chihiro had only taken a few steps into the bathhouse after lunch when she slipped and fell in a puddle of cleaning water.

The form of a small girl came hopping down the steps in fear. The bathhouse's newest employee was only a year younger than Chihiro, but she was very petite. She folded her hands in front of her chest; a nervous habit. "Yes, Ogino-san?" She squeaked.

Sighing and pulling herself up, Chihiro brushed off the front of her pants and turned to face the girl. "Aya. I know you're new, but please. When you're done washing the floor, make sure you dry it, okay?" She folded her arms crossly. Chihiro's stubbornness had gained her a strong job in the bathhouse near her apartment.

Aya bowed so low, Chihiro was afraid she might bruise her nose. "Yes ma'am. I'm sorry. It won't happen again." The girl scrambled to the back of the room to grab a few towels. Chihiro chuckled to herself, just as her name was being called from upstairs. It was the manager, probably asking her to run another errand.

Taking the stairs two at a time, the voice calling got louder and more impatient. "Jeez..." Chihiro mumbled to herself. Finally reaching the manager's office, she walked in casually. She'd been up to visit more than enough times.

"About time," he huffed, a small smirk playing at his mouth.

"What do you want today, sir? Another herbal run?" Chihiro asked, stressing the 'sir' slightly so he could tell she was hardly being polite. He laughed.

"You know me all too well, Chihiro. Yes, I'd like you to fetch some more bergamot for me. Don't bother traveling downtown for it. There's a path just a couple blocks away that has some growing alongside. You can't miss it, there are about two dozen moss-covered shrines in the front."

Chihiro saluted playfully. "Yes, sir." She bowed and turned to leave. "I should be back by the end of my shift."

"Right, then. I guess this means more work for the new girl?" He asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I suppose." Chihiro shrugged, leaving him alone in his office. She skipped down the stairs, handed off the keys to the extra supplies to Aya (Who manage to stammer a "Wh-why are you giving me these?!") and left the building.

The sky was a beautiful, robin's egg blue, decorated by soft, puffy clouds. The smell of late spring lingered in the air, bees buzzed around, flowers bloomed in every direction. Chihiro took a deep gulp of air, filling up her lungs completely. "It's beautiful today. I might just take my time on this errand," She mused aloud.

Chihiro started out walking at a slow pace, kicking aside rocks as she went. She knew exactly where she was headed, since the path was ride behind her parents' house. However, she couldn't remember what was down it. She remembered the little shrines at the mouth of the path, since she passed them everyday when she was going to school, but she couldn't recall what lay at the end. For some strange, nagging reason, she felt she should knew, but she didn't. And that bothered her.

A few familiar faces passed Chihiro along the way. One was her mother's friend, who was out running an errand for her sick daughter. Apparently, there was some sort of nasty sickness going around. Chihiro had also met an old friend from school, who struck up conversation with her for a while.

Greatly delayed, Chihiro checked her watch. 4 PM. A half hour until her shift ended. "Shit," Chihiro cursed under her breath, deserting the desire to take in every moment of her freedom slowly. She started running along the sidewalk, shouldering people on accident, making many "excuse me" and "sorry"s as she ran. The buildings and people were starting to become a blur. While she ran, her thoughts began to scramble around, bumping into each other like little people.

What's this? Oh, this has to be the path. Turn left.

I don't see any yet.

What a cute little statue. It's kind of eerie-looking, though...

Still none. I bet that man's lost it. There's nothing down here.

Another statue. Oh, God, this one's dead in front of me.

Stop.

STOP!

Chihiro snapped back to reality and managed to slow down, avoiding the statue. It stared at her with beady little eyes, almost as if it were laughing to itself. Chihiro shuddered.

"Well, looks like a dead end," She sighed, glancing around. Still no bergamot. All sorts of other flowers, however. Chihiro decided she'd pick some to deliver personally to her mother.

With a fist full of flowers and a defeated disposition, Chihiro turned to head back to the bathhouse and declare she couldn't find any of the requested herbs. She'd take the keys back from Aya and walk home, fix herself dinner, settle into bed with a good book and go to sleep. A peaceful sleep. Nightmare-free sleep. That sounded good.

However, the wind had other plans for Chihiro.

It shifted suddenly, blowing in the direction of a strange tunnel. It tugged at her body and her clothes, nagging at her to turn around. The wind moaned, circling in her ears and running through her hair. It was so convincing.

"So, you think there's some over there?" She pointed at the tunnel. The wind blew harder, causing Chihiro to take a step forward to keep her balance. "Okay, okay, I get the picture. Into the creepy tunnel we go."

It was extremely dark inside, however; Chihiro had to keep one hand along the wall for support. The paint that had once covered the entire length of the tunnel was now chipped and peeling, scraping Chihiro's hand as she ran it along the walls. Once she finally reached the clearing at the end, she was struck with a strong sense of de ja vu.

The room was large and circular, adorned with old, rotting wood seats. It gave the air a sort of musty, welcoming smell. A small sundial stood in the center, water dripping from it as if it had just rained inside. Stained glass windows filtered through warm, golden light. The entire thing was held up by tall pillars, which ended at a very high ceiling. If she listened closely, Chihiro thought she could hear a train nearby. She was fascinated. What was this place?

There was another door at the other end of the room, this one leading back outside. Letting her curiosity get the better of her, Chihiro couldn't help but go through this door, too. Her original errand had completely left her mind.

The area behind here was completely barren, but it was breathtaking. Rolling hills of grass stretched for miles east or west, the fierce wind sending rolling waves out over the entire thing. It was enough to make you want to lie down and stay there forever. A small stone path below her feet led down the field. At the end of the path was a small river, whose way was determined by the many boulders lining the bottom. Chihiro took small steps to take in everything. For some reason, this place was screaming with familiarity, but she couldn't place her finger on it.

"Wow, what's that smell?" A waft of delicious-smelling food was tickling Chihiro's senses. She took a deep breath, her mouth watering and her stomach growling. "Man, I haven't eaten since breakfast. I'm starving," She declared to no one in particular. "Maybe it's a restaurant."

She carefully stepped over the boulders and crossed the river, suddenly feeling as if she didn't belong there anymore. As Chihiro walked cobblestone streets adorned with old buildings (which were all restaurants), she the feeling grew stronger. "Well... on second thought, maybe I shouldn't be here, after all."

At that moment, Chihiro came upon the place where the smell was coming from. She walked in to get a closer look.

Plates were piled with food, all delicious-looking and smelling. She took another deep breath, deciding on the spot to abandon any common sense she could've had.

"Maybe... maybe I can stay for just a little bit." She sat down and reached for something nearby. It looked like a small chicken. Just as she was about to put it in her mouth, a shrill voice rang out.

"OI! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" It was a female voice, so loud and demanding that it startled Chihiro enough to drop her meal. She looked around wildly, exiting the restaurant for a moment to look for the source of the voice.

"Over here," The voice said smugly. Chihiro turned around to face a tall woman with long, chestnut hair. She was dressed in a salmon-coloured working uniform, holding a plate of dumplings. She looked bewildered, and even more strangely, she looked scarily familiar. "What are you doing here? Humans aren't allowed here, and unless you want to be turned in into a—"

The woman stopped mid-sentence. Clang! She dropped the dumplings onto the ground, the metal plate crashing with a loud, metallic ring. She gaped at Chihiro, as if she'd just seen a ghost... that is, a ghost she recognized.

"S-Sen!"

A/N: AHAHA CLIFFHANGER. D:

So, what did you think:3 I'm so inspired to continue this. I think I'm going to keep going. YAY WRITING.

I'm a very bad girl. ): Honestly, I have about a billion other fictions to work on.

REVIEWS MAKE FOR GOOD ORAL HYGIENE.