Thank you for your support for my prologue and special thanks to my reviewer, HappyFairySong!

Just as a reminder: according to my stories, No-Face was a human boy enchanted by the Dark Spirit into becoming that feared creature as he was portrayed in the film; however, towards the end of my story, the Dark Spirit took the curse off of him, revealing him his true identity: Chihiro's older brother.

Words in italics are (most often) Chihiro's thoughts.

Enjoy!

Spirited Away III: A Tale of Two Worlds

Chapter 1

"I thought we would never be separated again."

"I'll come back for you."

Chihiro nibbled at the end of her pencil. Everything in the room was white: the walls, the desks, the polished floor, the whiteboard, even the chairs. Her own crisp uniform made her feel part of the polished white display. Naturally, her eyes were drawn to the only color in the room. Her professor, a wrinkly lady of small stature, was explaining all the various forms of cell division with the energy her students clearly didn't possess. Some gazed out into space; some picked at their uniforms; a few slept or, to pass the time more appealingly, passed notes. One such couple giggled.

The professor paused mid-lecture and glowered at them. "Am I being too disruptive of your activities?"

"Oh, not at all, ma'am," stammered the girl. "I'm terribly sorry." But Chihiro could see that she fought to keep her lips straight, which twisted mischievously at the corners.

"Well," the professor simpered, "I suggest you pay attention. This lecture can end up being important to you sooner than you think."

Snickers swelled across the room. Chihiro twisted in her seat to catch the girl's eye, whose vehement scowl would have won Lin's seal of approval.

"Once you meet someone, you never really forget them."

Oh, Granny, how right you were.

Stop. Focus. Chihiro exhaled and ran her fingers through her hair. She had to get a degree, she told herself. If she didn't, she would never get a well-paying job. Four mouths were too much to feed for her aging father, and given her recent "adventures," she just had to help him ...

"...there will be a test tomorrow. Fifty questions. I suggest you review the PowerPoint notes as homework to remember the finer details," her professor was saying. "Now, the major rundown: binary fission, mitosis, meiosis, cell cycle, crossing over..."

Chihiro slid the notebook into her backpack. The high school basics flitted through her brain with relative ease, but the new facts which made up the bulk of the curriculum were conspicuously absent. She paused.

"...have a good day."

As students spilled out the door, Chihiro slowly and deliberately packed her things, redid her ponytail, and then looked long and hard at the whiteboard, as if trying to memorize the facts written there. She was the last student to leave the room.

Outside, the sun shone in all its glory. Students crowded the curb, fished out bills from wallets, and called for taxis. Others squinted in a vain attempt to read bus schedules or rested in the shade. Chihiro was about to join the taxi-hailing crowd when a hand clamped down on her shoulder.

"Chihiro! I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Hey, Cassie," she replied in accented English. "Can I help you?"

"Cut out the formality. I just wanted to chat and give you a ride home." Cassie was one of the richer students who had the luxury of a car. "How was cellular biology?"

"Lame," Chihiro murmured truthfully. If Cassie was expecting an English translation of a biology lecture from her, then Chihiro might as well spare her the disappointment. "In fact, we have a test tomorrow which I don't feel remotely well about."

Cassie sent her a reproachful look. "Don't talk so negatively! What you need is a strong cup of coffee – or wine – to relax your nerves. Which do you prefer?"

Chihiro arched her eyebrows. A ride home, and now a drink?

But she replied, "Green tea."

"I know the cutest coffee shop -"

"Actually, Cassie, I really need to study. I'll be fine." They were approaching the car, a sleek, shiny Mercedes that attracted more attention than its preppy owner. Not to be rude, Chihiro inquired, "How was your day?"

Cassie scrunched up her nose. "Biology was more or less fine, but Japanese – a bummer. Given that my father envisions my career here in Japan, this is, in every aspect of the word, unacceptable."

So she needed help with Japanese, not biology.

"I'm sure your father will be understanding," Chihiro coaxed, sliding into the shotgun seat. "This is your first year in Japan, is it not?"

"And my last, by the looks of it," moaned Cassie.

"Don't be so pessimistic – you just told me not to be negative about my biology test, didn't you?"

"I'm not being pessimistic. I'm being realistic."

"What's the difference?"

"The mindset."

Chihiro tried not to laugh. "What do you want me to do about your mindset?"

Cassie wrenched her eyes from the road and fixed Chihiro with her most pleading look. "I really want some help with Japanese!"

Here, Chihiro laughed.

Cassie hissed, "I'm sorry, am I annoying you too much?"

The next giggle lodged in Chihiro's throat. The sight of the outgoing and bubbly Cassie now sitting stoically with pale lips and shadowed eyes brought a pang of shame.

"I'm sorry, Cassie," Chihiro murmured solemnly. "I didn't mean to laugh at you. You were just so passionate a minute ago."

She shrugged. "Never mind."

Yet something nagged at the back of Chihiro's mind. It was the memory of her first day when Cassie welcomed her to her lunch table with open arms and every day thereafter.

She patted her friend's arm ruefully. "I'll help you, but only after my test. What exactly do you need help with?"

"Japanese lit." Cassie scrunched up her face. "In all honesty, Chi, I have no idea how you manage to digest so many characters and symbols. It drives me crazy!"

Chihiro chuckled. "Well, English was no crystal stair for me, either."

A blur of green caught her eye, and she saw that they were nearing the top of the hill - and her house.

Suddenly, Chihiro's heart was pounding against the walls of her rib cage like a jackhammer. She flushed red to the roots of her hair.

"Cassie, please drop me off here."

"What? Why?" Cassie looked askance at the devious-looking hill. "It's a kilometer long walk."

"I'm wearing sneakers, not Cinderella heels. I'll be fine."

"Chi, don't be ridiculous. It'll take me a grand total of 5 minutes to get you straight to your door," Cassie exclaimed.

"I need the walk, Cassie." Her hands shook, but she managed to hold them still long enough to mutter a goodbye and stumble out of the car.

It was only when Cassie's Mercedes sped out of sight that Chihiro realized she slipped back into Japanese in the middle of the conversation.

Half an hour and many bruises later, Chihiro was banging her forehead against an innocent tree in pure frustration. Why did the heck I venture out here?

While she was adding another souvenir to her latest collection, her mind ran through all the ways she could pacify her parents. She was exhausted after a day of college. A nice little walk in the woods was a perfect cure. It was such a bright and sunny day, a shame to spend indoors. Besides, she wasn't a child any longer, and she didn't need to be worried over. Of course, she had her phone fully charged and didn't stray from paths or speak to strangers.

There was also a distinct lack of wolves. And grandmothers.

But all of those excuses were just that: excuses. Neither a headache nor a fatigue spell would send her running into the middle of a forest. Her cheeks flamed scarlet at just the mere thought for her real reason. It wasn't like her to admit this kind of weakness to anyone, even to herself.

A breeze swept by her sweaty (and bruised) forehead. Chihiro stood statue-still, spine oak straight, arms crossed doggedly, a scowl firmly etched on her flushed face. She mentally counted down until she kissed her last shred of sanity goodbye.

One...

Two...

Three...

Four...

The first tear fell.

Then, the second...

Third...

Fourth...

"Yes, Haku!" she gasped. "Please tell me that you miss me, that you have not forgotten me. Please say that you, too, are sick of hiding the pain every day, because I miss all of you so much that it's eating me alive."

It was then that Chihiro gained a crystal-clear appreciation for the phrase "loud silence." It roared in her ears as ferociously as a waterfall until it drenched her in tears.

After all, she had no way of knowing that he stood not a foot away, trying to wipe her bitter tears with a translucent finger.

It was another half hour later that Chihiro, smiling brightly, arrived home.

"Where were you?" Dai hissed as he ushered her inside. "Mom and Dad have been going nuts!"

Despite the prickle of guilt, Chihiro rolled her eyes. "I'm nineteen, you know. I wasn't a little child getting lost!"

"Well, I hope that explains your uniform," Dai said archly.

Chihiro blushed. The sight of her white college clothes, dirty like a pair of hand-me-down jeans, would doubtlessly win her parents' undisguised wrath.

"Sen?" Dai whispered. He stepped closer, tilting his sister's chin. "Where have you gone to?"

"Where else?" she sighed. "I went to the forest."

His voice sank an octave. "Why?"

"Because it's -" Abruptly, she withdrew.

"Because it's what?" He clutched her forearms desperately. "Because it's what, Chihiro?"

But she was spared from answering as her parents, attracted by the noise, rushed downstairs and stared aghast at her.

Chihiro grimaced. "Mom, Dad, I swear it's not like it looks -"

"Where were you?" her mother screeched.

Dai threw Chihiro a scathing look.

"I just went out for a short walk -"

Mr. Ogino hissed, "What did you do, roll in the mud?"

Chihiro arched her eyebrows. "Honestly, Dad, you know how clumsy I am. It didn't take me two minutes to trip over some tree root and do the damage."

She half-hoped that this would ease her brother, but his glare only grew fiercer.

Mrs. Ogino shook her head. "Chihiro, why would you go to the woods? You could've been attacked by an animal, get lost, or even met someone with less-than-honorable intentions -!"

"Why are you worried?" Chihiro interrupted, holding up her wrist obscured in a glittery purple band. "I have Zeniba's hair tie with me. Nothing would've happened."

It was a testimony to the past six months that her parents didn't rebuke her, didn't call her foolish, didn't glance at each other with long, sideways looks, but merely stared speechlessly.

Dai, on the other hand, evidently was on the verge of growling.

"Is there anything you need help with?"

Mrs. Ogino shook her head.

Chihiro turned to her father. "Dad?"

"You go on and study, Chihiro," he said softly. "We won't bother you."

Chihiro almost hastened to say, "You're not bothering me," but stopped. Her brother would shadow her every move if she stayed, glaring at her out of bitingly accusing eyes as she chopped vegetables or moped the floor.

She sadly wondered what had happened to her friend. Where was his unconditional support, his perpetual gentleness? Maybe, she thought, No-Face was always this way. Maybe the only difference was that he now had a face, voice, and most expressive pair of eyes she had ever seen.

So, nodding in gratitude, she jogged upstairs to her room.

Chihiro was settling down at her desk when her brother emerged. She stiffened. If the very real guise of studying wasn't going to thwart him, then what would?

But he wasn't glowering at her anymore.

"Don't run from me," he pleaded. "I hate it when you do that."

"I didn't run from you," she protested, giving him a stern look. "I need to study; can't you see that?"

His lips quirked, semi-bitter. "I can see through your facade, Sister."

She exhaled wearily. "What do you want, Brother?"

"Honesty." His eyes darkened. "Chihiro, what have you been doing in the woods?"

"Haven't I made myself perfectly clear on this matter?"

"Actually, no, not at all."

She glared. "Then that's not my problem."

Dai shook his head. Suddenly the motion was scarily reminiscent of No-Face.

"Can you please just tell me?" he pleaded with her. "Don't you think I understand what you feel - how I feel? I feel the same. I want you to open up to me."

She pursed her lips. Here was the signature Ogino stubbornness - it ran in the blood, and now it was squaring against each other in the form of two bickering siblings.

"I don't want to feel weak," she admitted.

He quirked an eyebrow. "Do you think I want to?"

Then: "Oh, honestly, do you, humans, ever change?"

Chihiro quite nearly fell out her chair. Eyes blazing, Dai spun in the voice's direction.

Lin was smirking coolly in the corner of the room.

Chihiro's chest threatened to cave in and shatter, and Dai - well, she couldn't say for the life of her what he was thinking.

"Lin!" Chihiro flew across the room and flung herself upon the weasel spirit.

"Sen," breathed Lin, relief vibrating in her voice. "Sen, are you all right?"

"As all right as I'll ever be. Why?"

Lin, Chihiro realized, changed. It wasn't her cherry-red silk robes, her gold-plated hair clips, or her string of pink pearls. Even if she didn't look like somebody straight out of Cinderella (or the Imperial Palace), she exuded aristocracy, as if she and the crude Yuna were two different people.

But then she raised an eyebrow and said primly, "Calm down, No-Face."

Affronted, Chihiro cried, "Lin! His name is Dai, not No-Face, and he is my brother. Treat him with respect!"

"I am sorry, Chihiro," Lin coaxed - and Chihiro knew that something was terribly wrong. "But there's something I mean to tell you, and Dai needs to let me speak."

"There's nothing for you to say here, weasel," he sneered.

"Dai -" Chihiro implored.

"Why did you come?" he spat at Lin.

"It affects her," she said sadly.

"Nothing in that world affects her anymore!"

"Who are you to say this?!"

"And who are you to call yourself her friend?!"

"Lin, Dai, please -"

"She does not need another reminder of your world," Dai snarled.

"My world?" Lin repeated incredulously. "Is it just my world, Dai, or is it also our world?"

"Stop it! Both of you!" Grabbing a fistful of her brother's shirt, Chihiro shook him as tears pricked at her eyes. "You cannot do this, Dai! Whatever Lin needs to say, she'll say, and you won't interfere!"

"The hell I -"

"Shut up!" Lin thundered. "Don't you see that you are making her cry?"

Chihiro made a strangled sound, half-laugh, half-sob. Dai straightened nervously, looked askance at his sister's watery eyes, and hugged her.

"I'm sorry."

"See what you've done?" Lin hissed, gesturing at her pale-faced friend. "Perhaps you need to look up 'overreaction'?"

"You understand nothing," Dai breathed out. "You don't understand how tough it was for her to come back and ... fit in."

"That's because she doesn't belong here," Lin murmured. "She needs to come back, Dai."

He stiffened. "Have you lost your mind?!" he hissed. "She's a human! She can't stay there!"

Despite Dai's flawless logistics, Chihiro agreed with Lin wholeheartedly.

There were two forces within Chihiro: the dogged-to-the-death force, the side which had her charging headfirst into the stickiest (and deadliest) of situations, and the peaceful dove force. Her peaceful dove seized dominance.

"I'm tired," she interjected hotly, "and I still need to study. Whatever needs to be said should have been said by now. Can we discuss this tomorrow, when I hope we can all talk civilly?"

"Of course, Sen - er, Chihiro." Lin smiled wanly. "But in two words, you need to come back. Maybe not now, not tomorrow, but as soon as possible."

"Haku promised -"

"And it can take years for Haku to fulfill his promises," she said tartly. "You can't wait that long."

Chihiro knotted her lips. It was painful to wait, yes - but she had her human family to think about. They need your help. "If that's how much time he needs, then fine. I have full faith in him."

But Lin's answering look scared her, chilled her. It wasn't a look of menace or fury or even unfriendliness. It was a doleful look - those sympathetic eyes, that sad smile - that withered Chihiro's throat dry.

"We'll talk tomorrow, Sen. Good night."

Disliked it? Liked it? Hated it? Loved it? Leave me your thoughts in the form of reviews! Reviews motivate the writer, so 5 reviews = a faster update!

Thanks!