Disclaimer – …yeah, you know what? I own them all, so start paying up for writing about them like I am…I WISH! :P

Author's Note – Wow…I can't believe I actually wrote & posted another chapter!!

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~*~ The Day the Dream Ended ~*~

Chapter 3 ~ Everyday

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Ogino Chihrio sighed deeply as she finished rinsing her mouth with the ice-cold water from the tap. Straightening, she proceeded to brushing her sleep-mashed hair.

Another day of school, anther day of plastering a fake smile on my face, laughing that fake laugh that they have all been deceived by, and gazing into those eyes as he holds me…those beautiful blue eyes which, now that I think about it, provokes no feelings from me. Disgusting. Is this how I really live my life, everyday? Is this the way it was meant to be?

I feel so trapped.

Placing the last piece of hair into its place and adjusting the too-short skirt that was part of our school uniform, I frowned into the mirror. It's been so long since I last thought about myself seriously—to actually take the time to reflect on how I lived my life. Perhaps it was because of a dream I had last night…another one about the days I had spent with Rin and Kamajii, and Kaonashi at the Aburaya. Somehow, the dream had been so realistic…it was almost as if I was there, in person, watching a younger version of myself living her life the only way she knew how—sincerely. It was then that something hit me…and with a sudden start I became conscious of the fact that somehow, I was so different from this little me I was watching…so different, it was as if I was watching someone else. I realized, finally, that the present me had turned to living my everyday life mechanically with a change so gradual that I did not notice in any way. After all, nothing new ever happens, and I am well aware of just how much influence I am to those around me. I had ceased to care for them, let alone cherish them as I once did. I know I did. What I finally saw the person I had become—the part of myself that only those closest to me and myself knew about, underneath that fake smile and even that sadly fake kindness I show to the world—it scared me.

It scared me beyond imagination.

It's not who I am at all…and I know it.

It hurts.

Have I hidden my emotions away so well that even I have forgotten where I had left them? Or is this who I truly am?

What happened to me? When did I become this…this monster of a person?

Upon returning to the real world, I had vowed to never forget about them…and as the days went by my longing for seeing my friends there again, and wondering for their safety, had made me incredibly sad. To always be able to think of them, but never see them or talk to them, and not even knowing if they are all right or not…it was painful. It worried my parents and my newfound friends to see me like that, but when I had confessed to them the reason for my sorrow, their concern had immediately turned into alarm as they fretted over what they called my "lack of sanity". So maybe telling them that the reason why I was feeling so sad was because I was worried about friends from another world where witches and spirits existed in wasn't a very convincing cause…but how else was I to tell them? Lie to them? My eleven-year-old self would've never even considered that as an option.

It was then that I decided I would hide this one thing from them…to keep them from worrying about me and to keep them from being so distressed out of the concern that I was insane. I had hidden it well, too. All those emotions of worry and agony and sadness that I felt whenever I thought about my days in the Majou no Sekai, and of my friends there…I learned to cast them aside and conceal them deep within myself. Gradually, I controlled my show of emotions so well that even my parents had ceased to worry about me as I seemed to live everyday as normally as any other eleven-year-old girl, and we all seemed to forget that I ever acted strangely. I don't think they even want to remember…something so out of the ordinary in their well-liked daughter would not look so good for the public. However, as I became better and better at hiding my emotions, I was also burying them deeply, without noticing it. Slowly I found myself to be always acting like I was feeling something, yet not feel anything at all. It's hard to understand, really…but it just happened, and I have no way of reversing something which I was not aware of happening.

That's not to say I'm happy about it though.

At least when I'm by myself, I can become closer to who I still vaguely know myself to be…because when I'm by myself, I can still dream of the times in the Majou no Sekai—a place where I was happy in, even though I was practically a slave bound by life contract.

I had felt like I belonged there…with them.

To my surprise, a solitary tear escaped from my eyes. Quickly and roughly I wiped it off my face, angered that my subconscious self displayed so valuable an emotion. Looking in the mirror which reflected my teary eyes, I sighed at my own naïveté that I would let something as simple as some childhood memories rattle me so much that it would cause me to feel this strange…loneliness. Wanting to distract myself, I picked up the shiny-pink hairband that I had received there, as a gift from my friends. Strangely, even though it was only this morning that I found it again, hidden underneath my piles of forgotten jewelry and other accessories, it was still good as new…almost as if it was actually protected by the barrier of magic that Zeniiba has cast on it. Despite the fact that I used to so treasure this particular hairtie and had been literally inseparable from it, it's been awhile since I've been anywhere with it. Thinking about the memories that the simple hairtie brought, and not wanting to give any thoughts as to why I would make the particular effort to search for it all of a sudden, I put it on my wrist and readied my schoolbag instead.

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"Chihiro dear! It's seven-thirty…you're going to be late!" Ogino Yuuko yelled from the kitchen, where her husband was munching quickly and nosily on his breakfast, being almost as late as Chihiro was.

"I'll be home late tonight." I said to my parents briefly when I reached the kitchen. As usual, Okaa-san had cooked enough breakfast to feed five people, although in reality there would always only be the two of them eating it. It's been awhile since we've lived like the family we once were, back when we first moved into town and I knew how to feel things like a regular person. I reached into the fridge for a sip of milk. Things have been like this between for so long now it was routine for me—me acting like a cold stranger to them and them walking on eggshells around me, not wanting to break what little bit of bond that still held us together as a family. Routine for me, but I knew deep inside my heart that my parents weren't the only people hurting for it.

"But Chihiro…darling, don't you have an exam coming up soon? Are you sure you don't need the extra time to start studying for it?" Mrs. Ogino asked, looking concernedly at her indifferent daughter.

"I'll be fine." was all I said before leaving the kitchen and the two of them sitting there, motionless and hurt.

So why do I act like such an obnoxious little brat around them? Around my parents, whom I know I love, deep inside. Why have I forgotten how to show that I care for them?

Why do I have to hurt them so?

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Sorry about this chapter being so short/slightly depressing! I had wanted to spend more time with Chihiro to give ppl a better impression of how she is now, before getting any further into the fic. But somehow it just turned kinda weird…oh well. Actually…to tell you the truth, I really dunno where this is quite going yet…but hopefully the next chapter will outline it better for me and for you!!!

Also, I was going to make it just a tad more Japanese-ish and add in all the honorifics like Chihiro-chan or Zeniiba-san, but I kinda got lazy and decided against it…it really doesn't make much of a difference, but if it makes anyone better, I could start adding them with the next chapter… If anyone out there cares, just tell me, okiee?? ^^

With all that said, I hope you guys liked this chapter despite its faults! Hopefully, with spring break and all, I can get out the next chapter soon!

~Aqua Sunshine ^^*