:::Chapter 1:::

5 years later…

The wind rustled the green leaves of the trees that stood close together, as though forming a protective circle around the park. The ball of sunlight shone high in the blue sky, with clouds floating in patches, carefree, and moving according to the wind. It was a Sunday and families were out for a picnic in the park, seeing that the weather was just fine, not too hot and not too cool. Noises made by the little kids as they played could be heard by anyone who passed by the park.

Laughter, cheerful voices calling out, birds chirping happily, kids shouting as they played catching. It all summed up to a happy atmosphere. It could even be portrayed as a picture where the people were happy. Well, almost.

In the middle of all the clearing where all the families were sitting, there sat a lone girl, in a white T-shirt with the words, "Hey!" in black and a pair of denim jeans, under a big oak tree. Her brown hair shone under the bright sunlight as she raised her head from what she was doing on her lap, and breathed in the fresh air. She looked around her in her brown eyes and what she said made her heart bleed. People, happy and carefree. Kids, playing around without a care for the world. Teenagers around her age, together with their boyfriend or girlfriends.

She went back to her drawing, where she continued to draw a dragon. Upon finishing it, she coloured it with her colour pencils. She held the picture in front of her and admired it. The dragon was of a silvery colour with a teal green mane. But what she liked the most was the pair of green eyes. She placed it on her lap and was about to lean back against the trunk of the old oak tree to rest when a female voice called out to her.

" Chihiro!"

" Wha-?" 15-year-old Chihiro looked around her till she spotted Yume, her best friend ever since she came into this town, 5 years ago. Her blushing cheeks were still there and it was one thing about her appearance that had not changed. Over the years, she had matured and grown into a beautiful lady. She had kept her hair long and had not cut it. She always wore it up in a high ponytail, just like before.

Chihiro stood up to hug her best friend when she came to a skidding halt in front of her. 15-year-old Yume had black hair down her waist and usually tie it up in a braid. She had light blue eyes and was almost as tall as Chihiro, who was 5 feet and 5 inches.

" Chihiro, what are you doing out here alone? You could have phoned me and we could have gone shopping. I was so bored that I had to shop in the mall all by myself! All the others are busy with one thing or another and no one answered the phone when I called your house. By the way, aren't your parents at home?" Yume finally stopped for a breather and waited for Chihiro to answer.

" Whoa! Where did all that come from one single breath?" They laughed and Chihiro continued," My dad and mum are in town shopping. You want to stay here with me? I want to complete the finishing touches on my drawing."

Yume look at the drawing on her lap and said," Hmm…You love dragons very much, don't you? I guess it's because of that dragon guy, Kohaku, right? Speaking of dragons," She searched in her overalls," I bought this little dragon statue for you. It looks exactly like the dragons you have drawn."

" Thanks a lot, Yummi! I love it! Thank you!"

" Hey, no problem. I just saw it and couldn't resist to buy it for you, Sen."

Chihiro had been in the new town for 5 years. For the first week or so, no one in school wanted to be friends with her cause they thought that she was mousy and quiet. True, she was quiet during classes and when she was around her classmates, but that had only been because she was new around that area and had not known anyone, lest of all a friend.

Finally, during her lunch break, a girl in her class befriended her…

:::Flashback:::

10-year-old Chihiro sat alone under a Sakura tree. The blossoms had just bloomed and the whole tree was full of them. She picked up her lunch box and opened it to eat. As she took a bite of her sandwich, a girl in her class walked up to her.

" Hey…Chihiro, right? You mind if I sit with you?" Not waiting for her answer, the black-haired girl plopped down on the grassy ground beside Chihiro.

" I'm Yume," She continued as she saw Chihiro opened her mouth to introduce herself, " You're Chihiro. I know. So, where did you come from?"

As they talked, Chihiro became friends with Yume, then best friends as time passed by. They were always together.

And as finding a friend, Chihiro opened up during classes and around her other classmates. People soon started to like her as she was polite, smart, beautiful and among many other things And so began Chihiro's life in a new town…

:::Flashback ended:::

After knowing Yume for a year and knowing that she could keep any secrets, Chihiro finally told her about the Spirit World and her adventure there. She also told her what had happened and about her friends but mostly, of

Haku. Chihiro even described Haku to her. She also told her about the promise that the both of them had made and that even though Haku had not met her, she would not give up hope. "Haku always keeps his promise," Chihiro had said back then.

Now 5 years had passed and Yume had never once doubted her words, knowing that Chihiro was not one to lie and her honesty when she spoke of her adventure just went to prove that she was speaking the truth. Currently, only she and Chihiro knew about the Spirit World.

Sketching a bit more, Chihiro stood up and dusted her jeans. " Finally, I've completed my drawing. You want to come to my house for a snack? Maybe we can go to the theater to catch a movie or something…"

" Sure! You don't know how glad I am to have company instead of being alone to shop!"

Laughing, they raced to her house to see who's the faster one. After that, they went to the theater to catch a movie called, " The Last Hour."

They were oblivious to a pair of eyes that were observing their every move…Planning evil plans…