Author's Note- I am perhaps one of the laziest people you will ever meet! That's why I update so slowly. Also, for those of you who don't know this already, I don't know Rumi's real name! Or her character or anything for that matter, so everything I'm writing is just made up in my little mind. Except the name, which Pheep helped me with. Thank you Pheep!! Finally, thank you everyone who has reviewed. Reviews are one of the only things that make me write when I feel lazy. Which I do. Oh, and I'm sorry to all you Chihiro fans, but she won't be making an appearance in this story *apologizes several more times*. Feel free to suggest things to me! Without further ado, I give you the second chapter.

Your Best Friend, Rumi Chapter 2- Into Aburaya

"Just keep walking."

That was all the boy known as Kohaku would say to Rumi. He seemed to be coaxing her onward just as she was coaxing the cow. It was impossible to tell, but Rumi had the feeling that beyond his calm appearance and soothing voice, there may have been a hint of eagerness.

Rumi jerked awake from her worried thoughts at the sound of a door opening. She turned for the first time to see several shadowing figures looming above her in the street. They were semi-transparent, from what she could see, but it may have been only a trick of the dim lights.

Letting a yelp escape from her mouth, Rumiko Miyazawa finally began to feel the surrealism of everything around her. The sun setting so fast, the tall shadow-creatures walking in a lumbering way, the cow she was leading, and the strange boy who had thought she was Chihiro.

Something clicked in Rumi's mind and she stopped dead in her tracks, which was a good thing, as they had just approached the steps that lead to the bridge. Kohaku turned his head to face her, as she was standing in a shocked way. This boy knew Chihiro. This... Kohaku. must know the way out of here to Chihiro's house!

No sooner had Rumi thought of this than Kohaku was urging her onward, saying yet again, "Just keep walking." But his voice sounded a bit worried now.

However, Rumi could not 'just keep walking'. The cow refused to walk up the steps. This made Kohaku even more anxious to move. He tried and tried to pull the cow onto the first step, and even with Rumi's aid, failed.

Walking in a worried way to the steps, Rumi sank quickly to sit down. This was too much for her to deal with. After a few more seconds trying to coax the cow, who was now at least as worried as Rumi, up the steps, Kohaku turned and saw Rumi, who had her head in her knees and was rocking back and forth. Abandoning the cow, Kohaku stood on the step below the one Rumi was sitting on and crouched down. Looking up from her knees, Rumi saw that he was taller than her, even with her being a step above him. So he was older. The thought that someone older was helping her comforted Rumi a little.

"Where's my mom?" Rumi asked, comfort vanishing immediately.

Kohaku looked down slightly, seeming upset over something. He quickly recovered and looked back up at her, saying only, "I don't think we're going to be able to make the cow walk any further." He had changed the subject with ease, and Rumi noticed with ease.

"Where's my mom? And how do we get to Chihiro's?!" Rumi was now desperate, her eyes watering slightly in frustration and confusion. This.place.was like another world. She didn't like this world.

Seeming to be brought to life at the mention of Chihiro, Kohaku stood up immediately, grabbing Rumi's wrist in the process. She tugged against him a moment, somewhat tired of him repeating this motion, but his grip remained firm. Pulling her to the cow, he walked on the other side of the animal, and put Rumi's arm around its neck as it had been before.

"We're going to that shop." Kohaku informed her, releasing her wrist and pointing to the only restaurant that was not lit and filled with a shadow- creature or two. Nodding feebly, Rumi did as instructed, though her legs were shaking and her body was cold.

Holding his hand outward with his palm up, parallel to the door, Kohaku opened it. Rumi stared a moment. He hadn't even touched the door, had he? She was too awestruck to hear him telling her to 'just keep walking'. He repeated this, though, and she heard it the second time.

The cow was not too reluctant to enter the hardly lit room. Rumi could hardly see a thing, seeing as the only light was from the other shops and the lanterns outside. Perhaps, she thought, cows have better vision than people do.

"You may remove your arm now." Kohaku said, watching from the side. Rumi furrowed her brow. She didn't like him speaking as though he were giving her permission for something she'd asked to do. In fact, she had rather liked her arm being around the cow, she thought. Although, this thought could just have been to spite the boy.

Removing her arm, however, Rumi noticed her hand glowing slightly.and the center of it appeared discolored compared to the rest of her hand and arm. Giving a loud shriek rumiand jumping back about a foot, Rumi flung her arm around as if it were something undesirable. Kohaku watched intently, making a sound of sudden awareness as Rumi placed her other hand on top of the one
that seemed to appall her so, and found this hand to be as bad as the
other.

"I'm disappearing!!" Rumi yelled in panic, frozen to the spot as Haku ran to the side of the room and rummaged through jars on a shelf. He seemed to be making a lot of commotion, but managed to yell over it all, "Don't worry! You'll be fine!"

Seeming to have found what he was looking for, Kohaku ran back to Rumi handing her a piece of bread. Rumi was irritated. She was becoming nothing but thin air, and all this boy wanted to do was feed her?! And what about her mom? And Chihiro? And where was she?

"Eat it. It'll make you better." Kohaku's voice interrupted the thoughts that were making Rumi fade into worried and enraged panic. Looking up a bit and preparing to say something rude or burst out and take her anger out on Kohaku, Rumi suddenly cooled down when she met his eyes. His calm mood seemed to radiate off of him and into her, and her attitude shifted in the way only a child's could.

Where a moment ago, Rumi would have snatched the bread, she now took it and bit into it with a bit of hesitance. It tasted bitter, and it was crunchy. Choking on it a moment, Rumi's eyes watered in a disgusted way. She always had been a picky eater. Making a deal of swallowing with a melodramatic disgusted look on her face, Rumi looked immediately to her hand. In a second, it became solid.

"See? You can trust me." Kohaku said, smiling happily. Rumi felt a bit guilty for being angry with him a moment ago, but quickly abandoned any thoughts of sulking in exchange for worry once again. Her mom. Chihiro. This place. The thoughts would not leave her alone. Apparently, Kohaku could see this in her expression, because the next thing he said was, "We have to go to the bath house. You saw that earlier, right?"

Rumi nodded. She remembered earlier.she had been anxious, and so energetic, whereas now her legs were wobbly, and she wanted only to be back home. Yes, if she were home, she could have been able to have her mom call Chihiro and see if she could have come to Rumi's house. Yes, her mom....Oh. She cringed; she had been mean/rude/slightly simpler word for 'unkind' to her mom earlier, hadn't she? She thought she had.

"That's where we're going. The bath house." Kohaku's words interrupted her thoughts once again in a soothing tone. He was being patient with her still.

Taking a step ahead of Rumi toward the door, the boy grabbed Rumi's wrist again, but she pulled it away immediately. Whirling around to face her, Kohaku saw she wore the pouty and stubborn face of a child. He was taken a bit aback at her independence, and was even a bit hurt. This girl, who knew Chihiro, wouldn't let him help her as he had once helped Chihiro. Chihiro, who had grown to love as a wonderful friend. She had let him hold her hand and help her. This.this girl. She was not like Chihiro.

"Fine." Kohaku said, his voice wavering as it was torn between concealing irritation and hurt. Rumi sensed this and felt a bit upset, but not much. She was too upset about her own problems to think about if she had hurt him in any way.

Walking quickly out the door, hardly looking back to see if Rumi was following, Kohaku turned and jogged up the steps quickly, his sandals making unusually little noise as he walked. Rumi didn't question this, but walked up the steps so to keep up with him, skipping a step as she did so. Arriving at the top, Kohaku turned back and looked somewhere or another- Rumi could not see this because she was struggling up the last steps tiredly-He gritted his teeth. They were going to arrive soon.

Rumi stopped next to Kohaku, catching her breath a moment. She walked a few steps to the large lamp and leaned against it. The fear she had been experiencing had made her jumpy and taken a lot of her energy.

Reaching out his hand in a hopeful way, careful not to seem like he was trying to grab her again, Kohaku said, "It's only a little further. We have to keep going. Just keep walking." Looking up at him a moment, Rumi nodded, taking his hand in a somewhat reluctant way. As soon as he gripped her hand firmly, Rumi let her own hand grow limp.

The two approached the bridge Rumi had seen before. But they were not alone. Some women in flowery kimonos were standing there, and they seemed highly taken aback to see her and Kohaku.

Kohaku, however, seemed unfazed. He just kept walking, tugging on her hand a little. Rumi now clung to his hand, walking alongside him in an instant. Her worry had doubled at least.

"W.Welcome." One of the kimono-wearing ladies said in a slightly disgusted tone. Rumi nodded to her to be polite.

"Ignore them." Kohaku instructed her in a low tone, walking on as if he had not seen any of them. Reaching the end of the bridge, Rumi turned to see the women were covering their mouths and noses with the arms of their kimonos, as if taken aback by an awful smell. Rumi sniffed the air herself, and found it smelled like nothing more than crisp air.

"Just keep walking." Kohaku said those words yet again. Rumi acknowledged him by emitting a small sound, but not before she looked upward and read the sign above the bathhouse.

"Aburaya." she murmured, reading. Kohaku tugged on her hand a bit and she followed him into the bathhouse.