Forgotten

Author: NekoNemui

Rating: T with a hint of M - You have been warned.

AN: I did it, guys! Here's chapter 10, as promised- on time, too! I was up for a while last night writing this, and re-wrote it at least three times today before I actually felt somewhat happy with it. Read the bottom for more xoxox

Disclaimer: Studio Ghibli said they would sell me 'Spirited Away' if I kindly jumped off a cliff. I haven't gotten around to doing that yet, so, eh, not mine. :cries:

Enjoy.

Her body seemed to move on its own. Dancing had always come naturally to the brunette, but today the thrill felt different somehow. Leaping through the air had never felt more magical.

Chihiro had never felt more alive.

She knew the routine to this song far better than anybody else at the dance school. After all, she played the lead role in this particular dance – Swan Lake. She shared the part of the swan with another girl named Loli, who was currently standing offstage after already playing her role as the white swan. Chihiro was the dark swan, the one that fed off its own anger and sorrow; living a life of hurt and regret that could only be expressed through the movements of the dance. Together the two girls played the Swan as a whole; Loli playing the lively emotions, while Chihiro played the ones that hid in the shadows.(1)

To anyone else, the role might have been stressful. But for Chihiro, it was perfect. After all, she'd been living a life of endless reality – dreamless slumbers and a life of missing pieces. Part of her had always felt like something was missing. Something she'd spent so long and would continue waiting for. Something she couldn't give a name or a face, because she herself didn't know what it was. All she knew was that it was something. And it was missing.

And just like the dark swan, she could only make up for it through dancing.

As the sad melody continued to play, her dance partner joined her on the stage, matching her dark dress with an equally dark costume of his own. At the right moment, they clasped hands and he held her steady while she twirled on her pointe. The black mask around her eyes felt a little loose as she spun; the world outside the spotlight coming to her in merely a blur.

Chihiro's mother had once told her about things called 'escapes'. Whether it be watching your favourite movie, or reading your favourite book, everybody had something they loved to do through which they could escape reality. For Chihiro, it had always been dancing. The way the music would overcome her senses was an indescribable sensation that she only felt when her body moved to the rhythm. Through dancing, she could silently express her emotions. And that was why the dark swan was the most suitable role for her. (2)

The beautifully sad theme song that echoed throughout the room was beginning to soften, and Chihiro knew what was coming next. The music blasted loudly and dramatically, though the thrill of such a sound had long ago died after hearing the song so many times before.

Other instruments joined the pianist and violinist below stage, creating a sense of desperation in the tune.

Chihiro flung her arms out beside her and let her weight push forward; not fearing the fall as she felt her partner's arms encircle her waist and drag her back around swiftly. Still in her pointe position, Chihiro spun away from him to the very edge of the stage. Resting her feet flat on the ground, she ran back towards the centre, pushing her body into the air once more, and landing harmlessly as the boy caught her in his arms. Nothing about the dance was intimate for the two dancers. To them, it wasn't awkward to touch one another so familiarly because it was just dancing. It was their escape.

The brown-eyed girl couldn't shake the feeling that something was different about her dancing today. It was a difficult feeling to explain, so she felt like it was easier to simply forget it for the moment and just.. well, dance.

Slowly, the music began to die down, returning once more to its original sad lullaby. Chihiro's partner disappeared from the stage, and she was left dancing solo once more. In the final few seconds of song, the brunette stood poised on her pointe at the centre of the spotlight. She lowered her body slowly to the ground, one hand bracing her fall and the other reaching up dramatically as she played the death of the dark swan. When her body was in a kneeling position, she gracefully lowered her arm, and then her torso; gently falling to the side. Chihiro truly felt as though these were the final few seconds of her life.

As the final note rung out, the spotlight began to shrink, closing in on her elegantly crumpled form from all sides. When the light finally went out, so did the music; and the rest of Chihiro's class (who had been observing) broke into a loud applause.

Even when the stage lights came on, Chihiro didn't move. She had never felt happier than she did at that moment. Everything just felt so perfect; so right. She winced a little as a loud whistle split the air, not wanting to investigate the noise for she feared the movement of her head would destroy the perfect moment.

A shadow came over her face, and Chihiro met eyes with her dance instructor. She could feel the grin on her face grow wider when the woman beamed down at her with a thumbs-up.

"Good job, kiddo. That was fantastic."

Laughter bubbled from within the sixteen year old's throat, and she gladly let it pass through her lips. The clapping around them died down.

"Come on," Her instructor said, extending a hand down to Chihiro. "time to get up."

The brunette shook her head slightly, the dopey grin still plastered on her face. "I don't want to move."

The woman looming over her sighed in defeat. "Usui!" She called to someone offstage. "Come get Chihiro off the floor for me. We need her off for the next dance."

Chihiro blushed in slight embarrassment when her dance partner appeared in her vision and wound his hands beneath her back and legs, lifting her to his chest. So, his name is Usui. The two hadn't exactly been officially acquainted before.

When he moved to carry her offstage, Chihiro put a hand on his chest and shook her head roughly as she pushed. "I can walk."

He cocked an eyebrow at her sarcastically. "Really? Then why did I have to pick you up, I wonder?"

When Chihiro was lowered to her feet she rolled her eyes. "You didn't. I was just caught in the moment and didn't want to shatter it, you know?"

He nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I know. You did really well out there today. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there was something different about your movements."

Chihiro gaped at him as they moved offstage. "Different how?" She prayed that he had a reasonable answer to feed her own hungry pondering of the situation.

"It's difficult to say. You just looked more relaxed; like you were really getting into the dance. You looked so steady I swear I could have balanced a bowl of water on your head." He shrugged.

"Oh.." At the mention of water, memories of her experiment from earlier that day came flooding back. Did that have something to do with it? She remembered the feeling of controlling the temperature within the water spills; she'd felt relaxed then, too. Was that somehow connected to the relaxation she felt while dancing?

She still couldn't be sure if what happened that morning was even real or not, so she concluded that thinking about it any longer would get her nowhere. "Thanks, Usui."

He gave her a polite nod and walked in the direction of the change rooms; his black feathered jacket slung over his shoulder beneath his ruffled blonde hair.

Chihiro walked to a bench and slipped off her shoes as music for the next dance wafted through the air. She hissed quietly as the joints in her toes creaked in response to being free of confinement. Her big toes were feeling a little sore, but she could hardly complain when she'd come out with far worse injuries before.

Taking her shoes in one hand, she padded barefoot to the girl's change room; doing lunges with her legs in attempt to 'warm down' her jumping muscles. When she reached her bag on the far side of the room, she pulled out her phone to check for any new messages.

Surprise surprise, she actually had one. Flipping it open and checking the sender's ID, Chihiro was shocked to see it was from Miyuki. Double surprise.

Hey, C! Meet us The Pub after class?! Let's hang out. Been 2 long gurl! –Miyuki Xoxo

Chihiro frowned at her phone and re-read the message, just to be sure Miyuki really had invited her out. When it was confirmed, her eyes narrowed even further. Was this some kind of cruel joke, or was Miyuki actually being.. nice? She glanced at the time – It was now 4:20pm, so if she left now, went home and changed, she could get there by 5:30.

Chihiro didn't know what compelled her to pack her things and go, she really didn't. Maybe after two weeks of minimal female time, she felt the sudden urge to have some much needed girl talk. Yeah, maybe it was that.

After saying goodbye to her instructor who once again congratulated her on the rehearsal, Chihiro left the building. She failed to notice the pair of green eyes that watched from the shadows as she hurried back towards the town plaza.

Haku had been undeniably jealous when the blonde haired boy had rushed to Chihiro's side on the stage. He couldn't forget the anger that had boiled his blood when his arms had wrapped around her tiny waist so casually. He really felt.. possessive over the brunette. She was his, and his only. He wouldn't allow anyone else to have her, or even come close to it.

Instead of beating the guy up like he wished he could, he'd been forced to stay quiet in the shadows while the dance had continued on. Instead of watching the performance as a whole, he'd only focused his eyes on Chihiro; trying his hardest to forget the presence of the other boy.

When the blonde left the stage, Haku had felt his muscles relax. He'd watched as Chihiro once again claimed the stage and the attention of all the onlookers. When she'd looked up at the spotlight and extended her slender arm towards it, Haku had realised she was performing a death scene. He was torn between savouring every moment and hating it. True, he didn't like the idea of Chihiro performing a death, but the way she was moving was so.. Indescribable. She had entranced everyone in the small audience; leaving them unable to tear their eyes away.

Including him.

And now, he was watching her as she left the dance building. He hadn't followed Chihiro into the girl's changeroom - He wasn't a pervert; but he guessed that something must have come up, for the girl was moving at quite a quick pace compared to the one she had been moving at before.

Keeping to the shadows of the surrounding buildings and houses, Haku crept after her, still not believing how great her dancing had been as he reviewed the performance in his mind. Watching her had made him become even more attracted to her, if such a thing were even possible at this point.

Apparently it was.

Feeling somewhat claustrophobic from weaving through so many people on the busy streets, Haku decided it'd be much more comfortable for him to travel by rooftop. Running his fingers through his jet black hair, he disappeared from sight behind a small house and – in a single powerful stride – leapt onto the awaiting tiles of the darkly coloured roof.

Leaving his eyes fixated on Chihiro down below, he took advantage of his height and speedily jumped the distance it would have taken him much longer to cover if he was on foot. Much like a well-trained Japanese ninja, Haku glided silently from tile to tile; not once fearing being spotted because of his agility. The fresh breeze from the forest tickled his face and lifted his bangs away from his eyes. He couldn't resist the urge to inhale deeply; the scent of nature was just so refreshing.

It had been only minutes since Haku had changed tactics, and already he could see the familiar sight of the neighbouring hill loom before him. Chihiro was undoubtedly headed there; he wondered if that was where she lived. He came to a halt as he realised he'd covered all the town buildings already, and was faced with a long stretch of road metres below that would lead up the small mountain.

He lowered himself into a crouch to conceal his figure; green eyes watching as Chihiro disappeared inside a double storey blue house to the far eastern side of the tiny neighbourhood.

Chihiro glanced down at her watch for the fifth time that evening. It was 5:47pm, and she had been sitting inside The Pub on a bar stool for almost twenty minutes now; trying to ward off the random men that attempted to hit on her. Where was Miyuki? She'd texted back, confirming she'd be here, but the other girl was nowhere in sight.

Grumbling under her breath, the brunette twirled her fingers around the rim of the glass cup in front of her. She had taken up the bartender's offer for a drink when she had arrived, but wasn't feeling thirsty enough to take a sip just yet. It wasn't alcoholic; she'd asked for the 'Lemon Lime & Bitters Special'. Minors were allowed inside the bar, but just weren't permitted to buy alcohol - Seemed like a fair enough rule.

Chihiro stared at the bubbling pink liquid inside the glass. Man, it looked tempting. Giving in to her tongue's urge to taste the drink out of boredom, she raised the cup to her lips. As she was about to let the cool liquid slide into her mouth, the heavy wooden doors of The Pub slammed open, and it was Miyuki who rolled in; one of her arms dangling around a giggling Shoko's shoulders.

The brown-eyed girl put her glass down, glaring at the two girls as they approached.

"Chihiroooo!", Miyuki sang out, hurrying over to sit beside her friend at the bar. Chihiro's eyebrows furrowed as the stench of alcohol wafted past her nose. Was the dark haired girl drunk?

Almost as if to confirm her suspicions, Shoko jogged over to the girls on shaky legs and collapsed against Chihiro's shoulder; who nearly lost her balance at the sudden add of weight. Miyuki broke into a fit of high-pitched giggles – a very out of character thing for her to do.

"Are you guys drunk?" Chihiro hissed, keeping her voice low to not attract any unnecessary attention. Shoko leaned into her even harder and the brunette felt a warm breath tickle her ear.

"Maybe."

Chihiro had to fight the urge to shove the girl off her and save her own feelings from discomfort. Instead she breathed calmly, and asked a question; focusing her attention on Miyuki because she seemed to be more 'down-to-earth' than their other friend at that moment.

"How did you get it? The alcohol, I mean."

This time, both teenagers giggled – the chimes of the high-octave noises making Chihiro grit her teeth and want to strangle something. Suddenly, Shoko whipped out a small card and dangled it childishly in Chihiro's face.

"With these!"

Miyuki pulled out a card of her own, and Chihiro was shocked when she recognised them as ID's. How of earth could they have gotten alcohol with their ID's? There's no way someone would sell them the stuff without checking their age first – and the girls were only sixteen, just like her. There was just no chance of that happening.. unless the ID's were fakes.

"You guys.. Oh, no, you didn't! You made fake ID's?!" Chihiro couldn't suppress the slight rise of her tone. She quickly glanced around and breathed a sigh of relief when nobody seemed to have noticed her outburst.

"Yep! Look, we even made one for you!" Shoko pulled out a second card and put in on the bar beside Chihiro's drink. The brunette's eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw her own name and face staring back at her from beneath the plastic.

"Wait-what? No way!" She swept the card off the wooden surface and shoved it back at the blonde.

"Aw, come on, C! Just one drink?"

"We'll get caught!"

"Not if you don't say anything! Just one? Please?"

Chihiro sighed, still checking the room worriedly. If anyone overheard their conversation, the girls would get into big trouble. And Chihiro didn't exactly feel like playing games with the law. To shut the girls up before anything bad happened, she decided she'd go along with it, go home, and forget it ever happened. Yeah, that sounded like a good plan.

"One." She said, raising her index finger to make the message very clear to her friends. Both their faces lit up immediately, and they rushed to catch the bartender's attention.

Chihiro's eyes scanned the drink menu. She wanted something with an extremely low alcohol percentage – something she could drink and feel guilt-free about it. After Shoko and Miyuki ordered (to Chihiro's horror) shots of Vodka, the bartender raised an eyebrow at her in silent questioning.

"Is there anything with really low alcohol percentage? I'm driving." She lied, trying to hide the slight shaking of her fingers as they held up the fake ID. The man disappeared from sight and returned moment later with a thin bottle; 'Ice Cruiser' was written across the middle. She took it gratefully, and popped the lid.

Without a second thought, she tipped her head back and took a small sip. The liquid that splashed her tongue was sweet and cold, tasting nothing like alcohol at all. Perfect.

Suddenly Miyuki collapsed to the ground, and Chihiro's eyes flew wide as she rushed to her friend's side. Shoko was laughing above them, babbling something about limits. Miyuki seemed to still be conscious, and began giggling hysterically as Chihiro dragged the girl to her feet.

Too caught up in supporting the dark haired girl, the brunette failed to notice the shadow that slipped silently closer to her unattended drink, tipping something white into its contents before scurrying away as if nothing had even happened.

Several sips of her drink later, Chihiro was beginning to feel strangely woozy. Her blood felt like it was literally on fire, and her limbs felt droopy and refused to move without a large amount of effort. She frowned and turned the bottle in her hand, checking the contents with narrowed eyes. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary – there was only 4.8% of alcohol in it; hardly enough to have any effect at all. So why did she feel so .. intoxicated?

She needed some air. God, she needed to breathe. On wobbly legs, Chihiro got to her feet and steadily made her way to the outdoor bathrooms. Once outside, she inhaled desperately, as if breathing in the cold air was the only difference between life and certain death. Feeling her legs threaten to give out from beneath her, she hobbled to rest her lean figure against the wall beside the door.

It was quiet; too quiet. Nobody was outside because of the sudden temperature drop, and Chihiro immediately felt herself regretting choosing the thin cardigan to wear over her spaghetti-strap dress. She shivered slightly as an icy draft trailed across her bare legs.

A sudden shadow came over her body, blocking her view of the evening sky above. Through her blurred vision, Chihiro made out the shape of another person. A man.

Thinking she was in his way, she politely stepped to the side. When he didn't move, Chihiro's eyes narrowed, trying to see the person more clearly in her undescribable state. "Can I help you?"

When he stepped closer and placed his hands against the wall on either side of her head, Chihiro knew immediately that something was wrong. His face closed in, hovering beside her own. He breathed hotly into her ear.

"Actually, I think you can."

Before Chihiro could process the words, she felt the man press his torso against hers, pinning her to the wall. Something in her brain clicked, and she suddenly knew exactly what the man wanted, and by the looks of it, was going to get.

Gasping for breath beneath his weight, the wide-eyed girl tried to shove her hands against his abdomen; praying that somehow she would be strong enough to loosen some of the pressure on her chest. This wasn't supposed to happen! Why was this happening? Who was this man?

Why had she come here tonight?

Fear rushed through her veins in icy throbs as her hands were caught and pressed tightly above her head.

"G-get off me!" She managed to shriek, wriggling furiously against the cold concrete. Taking both her wrists in one hand, the man pressed his free palm over her mouth, muffling her further screams of protest.

Dark blotches began to dot her vision. She used every ounce of willpower she had to stay conscious enough to get away from the man. Realising that her legs were still free, she kicked them out, not caring what she made contact with, but hoped it would get her some freedom to run.

The man grunted as her heel into contact with his left shin. Pushing a leg roughly between hers, he glared into her eyes and spoke; darkly and warningly.

"Don't move, or I'll hurt you."

The brunette whimpered; feeling tears prickle the corners of her eyes as the man's gaze pierced through hers.

Chihiro wanted her mother. She wanted to be safe within the cocoon of her parent's arms once again, inside their home that had always provided protection. She knew that this time, nobody would be able to protect her; she had to do it herself.

Feeling one final burst of adrenaline at the thought, Chihiro curled her lip over the man's hand that covered her mouth, and she sank her teeth into his skin. Hard.

She watched through her blurry vision as the man howled in pain, releasing her hands above her head to push her mouth away from his own in attempt to release the tight grip she had. God, Chihiro could taste blood.

Seeing her chance, Chihiro's free hands pushed the man roughly away, and he stumbled backwards in surprise as she released his hand. Breaking into a run, the sixteen year old bolted down the side path to her left. She knew it led to the main road, and she was desperately determined to make it there before the man could catch her.

Suddenly her vision split in two, and the brunette tumbled to her floor, unable to keep her balance. Twisting around to glance over her shoulder, her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the man was already leaning over her with his fist raised; preparing to strike her with a force that would probably knock her out cold.

She flinched and squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for the impact..

..that never came.

With her heartbeat thundering in her ears, Chihiro dared to open an eye. What she saw made her heart jump into her throat.

A dark, slender figure with midnight black hair had appeared beside her. His pale hand was wrapped around the wrist of the man who had attempted to hit her; merely inches away from her nose. The moonlight reflected off her saviour's eyes, sending a flicker of brilliant green her way.

Haku.

"Get away from her," She heard him growl threateningly. "Right now."

Ah.. yeah. Poor Chihiro- getting her drink spiked like that! She shouldn't have left her drink unattended - if it were me, I honestly would have just left Miyuki on the floor. Heheh, I'm so evil c:

So, what did you guys think of the dark scene? Was it a yay or a nay? Let me know in the reviews! I wasn't sure if it'd be a somewhat refreshing change from all the school-lovey-dovey-life stuff I had going on. Pleeeeeeeeaseeeee tell meeeeeeeeeee.

Oh, I also took down the 'discontinued' comment from the bio. I think it's pretty obvious that it's being continued now, right? After all, this is my third post in three days - not to mention I've uploaded two replacement chapters already. I'll be working on chapter 3 tonight, and might have it re-posted tomorrow. Tomorrow?! IT'S CHRISTMAS TOMORROW OMG YAY. Yes guys, it's Christmas Eve, and I'm writing chapters for you. Love me, ok.

Merry Christmas for 2013, everyone! I'll post a new chappy before New Year's - maybe two, if you're all good! c;

Okai, bye for now! :hugs through screen:

(1) Yes, okay, I got the inspiration for this from that movie 'The Black Swan.' When I reead it, I realised that it was actually really obvious. o.o" So, yeah, just thought I'd better say something because the idea isn't really mine to take the credit for.

(2) Shoutout to my best friend, Wook, for telling me all about these 'escapes'. Love you girly 3