I don't remember you.

Chihiro felt like her heart was being ripped out when she heard those words. She stared at him. That would explain why he didn't immediately rush over to comfort her, as she used to remember of the old Haku.

"Haku…you must remember me! I'm Chihiro! I met you in the Spirit World…don't you remember that? Yubaba and Lin(is it Rin or Lin?)…"

She looked at him; searching his face. She saw only confusion, subtle beneath the cold mask.

"I don't remember you." He said again, slowly. She lowered her head.

Why don't you remember me? Why didn't you keep your promise?

She cried, and her anguish spread everywhere like a contagious virus. Haku didn't really knew what was happening now, but even a fool could guess that somehow what he said, had hurt.

A bit guiltily, he dropped his mask and tried to be gentler. He said softly, "Gomen ne."

Chihiro managed to smile faintly, but shook her head. Turning around, she floated off for a distance and disappeared.

Feeling a bit lost, he raised his head a bit as he heard Shazi calling him. Unconsciously, his mask was put on again.

Chihiro floated around the unfamiliar neighborhood, aimlessly wandering and tried to collect her thoughts.

I'm dead. Somebody killed me. Who? Why would they? Chihiro felt like crying all over again. She felt so lost, it felt ten times even horrible, even terrifying when she strayed into the Spirit Land. Her first thought was to escape, but she thought ironically, smiling, who could escape death?

There is nothing I can change now. No one is coming to help me. Haku doesn't remember me anymore. He can't help me. I am all alone here. The only thing I can do now is to find my murderer.

Find him, and then what? She asked herself. If you do find the murderer, what are you going to do?

I'll haunt him for the rest of my time here. I won't ever forgive him. Ever.

She floated there, drowning in her sadness and confusion. She still wasn't used to floating through walls, and she froze when she was about to knock into one, but she just slipped through it. She came into one of the night pubs, rock music blaring and a sea of bodies. The electronic vibrations started to hurt like stabbing sharp knives, and she quickly slipped out again.

She racked her brain for someone she could communicate, someone who could communicate with—

Wait! Yuri! She thought joyfully. Yuri will help me. Murasaki said that Yuri was gifted. Yuri could communicate with spirits, she could help me find my murderer.

She looked around her. Still in unfamiliar territory. She had never been in this part of the city. It was kind of low and dirty, she thought. But, if she poked around a bit, she might be able to find her school. And the school is the place where Yuri would most probably be now.

A little hope restored, she stopped crying.

"Where is the girl?" Shazi barked rather impatiently.

He didn't know.

"Locate her. I don't want that brat floating around the place. She's new and still confused about our world. If we're not cautious…"

Haku nodded and set off.

"And…Haku." She called him again. "Use everything you have to bring her back. Don't leak out too much information. It's part of the agreement."

Rules. There was always rules. Rules that had to be strictly obeyed. Sometimes Shazi did not explain in detail, but he did it anyway.

He spread out his energy field. She couldn't have gone far, still in the area he supposed.

There.

He jerked his head when he felt something looking at him. A boy, small and black-haired, stood at the far end of the lane, dark eyes smiling and watching. He studied the boy cautiously; something was not right.

Still the boy stood, silent and watching.

The vibrations. The vibrations the boy was giving off was strange. It didn't vibrate with the same tune like all the things in this plane. Almost like his own, he noticed.

He saw the boy slowly start to fade, at the edges first, then it faded exactly into the color of the wall behind him.

He observed his surroundings, picking up nothing of the earlier vibrations. Guard still up, he turned and left.

Her school looked the same as ever, Chihiro thought as she entered it. The gate was locked, but she just floated through it.

It was recess time, and the noise was coming mainly from the canteen. She glided along the ground to it. Even if I wasn't here, it wouldn't have made any difference to them.

The vibrations of a hundred students hit here strongly as she approached. She stopped. Now what do I do? She thought hopelessly. It's impossible to locate one in a hundred.

Wait. Maybe there is a way. Maybe she just didn't know it, that's all. She thought about turning back and asking Haku about it—

Suddenly it struck her why she didn't thought of it. She later thought it was because she was too wrapped up in her own problems to notice. What was Haku doing here, in this world? Is this his world, where he was from?

She smiled. If this really was Haku's world, and he really found his home, then it was good. Haku finally went back home. That was his life's wish, and he fulfilled it at last.

She smiled happily. Haku had kept his promise; they meet again, didn't they? It was just that she didn't expect that he had forgotten her.

Completely.

That expression on his face when he saw her. It bore no traces of recognition. For whatever reasons she didn't know, Haku did not recognize her anymore. Was it the act of Yubaba, a cruel parting gift?

She looked around and saw Yuri. Noticing something, Yuri looked up.

Chihiro thought she would see surprise, but she was chilled when Yuri revealed a feral grin. She got up from her group of friends and departed the canteen. Chihiro followed her.

Yuri walked past the school grounds into the small deserted spot, in front of some empty classrooms. Chihiro followed and kept her distance. She detected an unpleasant aura from the older girl.

Yuri whirled around and crossed her arms, leaning on a wall. The feral grin was still on her face.

"Chihiro, I haven't seen you much since you meet Murasaki. How are you?" she said cruelly.

Numb. That was all she felt. Numb to her whole being, stretching down to her legs that disappeared before touching the ground.

This cannot be true. It cannot be.

"What are you talking about?" she asked feebly, no voice coming out of her lips. Yuri laughed.

"How does it feel like? Abandoning your physical body? It's exhilarating, but it's only temporary; once you know you can't go back, the fear kicks in." She laughed until her eyes closed.

"I've been through it, you know. I think I was younger than you…surely Murasaki has told you that?"

"What did you do?" It was an accusation. It was obvious by the way Yuri was behaving.

"Me? That's right, push it to me. That's what everybody does. Didn't you ever think that, the problem might be with you?" Her aura matched her eyes when she opened them.

"What are you talking about? I don't get it at all!" Chihiro cried, frustrated.

"Liar! Don't pretend you don't know! Didn't it ever occurred to you that I love Haku too?" she screamed back.

There was a long, shocking silence after that. Chihiro knew that she was going to breakdown, any moment from all the shock. The last one was too much.

"…You…love Haku? How?"

"Baka.(stupid/idiot) I meet him before, didn't I? He showed me his memories, didn't he? Why isn't it possible that I love him? Why? Why does he love such an ordinary brat like you?" Yuri's voice was still raised.

It was all starting to piece together. She realized something.

"Then…" anger starting to creep into her. "…It was you who murdered me? In the park? You used Ha—"

"Oh no, that wasn't me. Why should I stain my hands anyway?" Yuri cut in. "That was Shazi, my mentor and currently, for your information, your owner."

"My owner? What—"

"Have ever heard of toyols, Chihiro? Toyols are spirits taken from the body and kept by certain to assist in their owners. The owners catch these spirits, and imprison them in small bottles and jars. Toyols are mainly used as helpers, to fulfill whatever the owner wishes them to do." Yuri stopped and smiled.

"Don't you understand? Brats like you are nothing but trouble in my way. So it's natural that I have to dispose of you."

Chihiro just stared at her. Trouble in her way. In her way for her to own Haku. It wasn't Yubaba. It was Yuri. It was her all along.

"You're despicable." Chihiro said softly.

Yuri merely grinned. She uncrossed her arms and walked past her.

"Is that so? Then what are you? By the end of the day, you still can't do anything right at all." She turned her head and whispered, "I'm right; you are the most ordinary and the most stupid fool I have ever met. Ba-ka." She sauntered off.

"Accept you fate. You can't do anything but follow it anyway."

The bell rang shrilly, and moments later students filled the empty classrooms. No one glanced at her way. They couldn't see her.

Yuri is right. I can't do anything right at all, she thought, as droplets fell from her eyes and vanish, not even reaching the ground.

I'm such a fool, why does Haku love me? She raised her hands and covered her mouth, sobbing silently.

Why…why does everything have to end like this?

I really want to see Haku now. I really want to see him again. Even if he doesn't remembers me.

She felt a presence beside her.

When he found her, she was crying again. His heart was going to break, feeling her anguish. The girl was right; they must have shared something in the past. He swept forward.

"Why are you crying?" he asked when she removed her hands from her face.

Unfortunately, he didn't know if it was something he said, because the girl burst out crying again, much to his dismay. He was just groping for his next action when suddenly he felt it again.

That strange vibrations.

He whirled around quickly and there was the black-haired boy again, standing not far from him. His eyes narrowed slightly.

Chihiro, noticing the sudden tenseness, also saw the boy. It was the same boy she saw the night before she met Haku by the lake. She hurriedly stood up, and anger boiling, she swept forward.

"Who are you? Are you helping Shazi! Did you appear in my dream to lead me to my death?" she yelled.

Haku beside her was plainly shocked at the outburst, but stepped forward and held her by the shoulders before she got too close. Strange vibrations were to be handled cautiously, because they were mostly dangerous, even fatal. (I guess it doesn't apply much physically…)

The boy smiled eerily.

"Who are you? Let go!" she said that to Haku who was quietly observing the boy with narrowed eyes. Her struggles didn't work at all.

The edges of the boy blurred; and he was fading. Chihiro struggled more frantically.

"No! Wait, don't go yet! You have to tell me—who are you!" she screamed.

Too late, as they watched, the boy vanished mysteriously again.