Disclaimer: Err... well you know the drill. The original characters don't belong to me bla bla bla... you know the rest. Thank you for those who have reviewed the last chapter, love you all...

Chapter 2: Memory Lost

Summer was clearly in the air. The birds were singing, gardens were painted in breathtaking colours of blues, greens and yellows and the air had begun to warm considerably. Summer is always the most favourite time of year for Chihiro. She loved to go into the surrounding forest near her home and imagine that she was in another place, far from home.

Chihiro, now sixteen, still makes her routine visits to the forest. Today, she brought a basket full of snacks and odd assortments of books and embroidery with her into the forest. She wore an ankle-length, white cotton skirt with a bright red T-shirt. She had tied her brown hair with her favourite purple hair band. The forest seemed to greet her as she moved deeper and deeper into its heart when she finally reached to a clearing. A flat, mossy green stone dominated the very centre of the clearing while the profusion of colours surrounded it. Chihiro broke into a smile as she flopped down on the ground beside the stone.

"Just as I left it," said Chihiro to herself. Her eyes shone with sheer happiness as she said that. She took out a book and began to read silently. The wind swept her brown hair behind her ears and made her feel cool amidst the stifling heat of the afternoon sun.

Chihiro was so absorbed in her book, she didn't even notice a young girl who stood opposite her, watching silently. The girl had a flowing, knee-length ebony black hair with a white streak of hair on her left side and she had tied her hair in a high ponytail. She wore a bright green, thin cotton robe, which was slashed on the shoulders, revealing another layer of violet fabric underneath. The sleeves were elongated and looked rather limp. She wore a pair of trousers of the same colour and a black sash was tied around her waist. She merely leaned on a tree next to her and watched Chihiro as if she was a precious jewel that would disappear if she blinked.

Suddenly, a rustle in the bush - southeast of Chihiro - alerted both of them. Chihiro slowly turned to see what it was. She didn't even notice anyone or anything else near her. A hoarse grunt alerted every nerve in Chihiro's body.

"There is no way that, that thing is... well," she thought to herself as she hastily stowed her book inside the basket. She had known about the wild animals that live in the forest some time back but they had never disturbed her before - she sees no reason why they should now. She stood and slowly backed away from the clearing while keeping an eye on the rustling bush just in case it really was dangerous. The air fairly crackled as Chihiro continued to back away, never once looking back to see an unknown girl standing near her, tense and waiting.

"Nice, whatever you are, you don't want to harm me now do you?" said Chihiro. Her voice trembled and wavered as the animal continued to advance.

"Chihiro, run," thought Chihiro to herself.

The largest boar that Chihiro had ever seen came into sight. A maniacal glint in its eye showed it was no gentle giant anymore. Instead, it squealed loudly and stamped its hooves on the soft ground, ready to charge. The boar shook its ivory white tusks that gleamed dangerously in the sunlight.

Chihiro took another step backwards before breaking into a run. At the precise moment she turned, the unknown girl stepped into view. Her stance was clearly nonchalant at the threat of a dangerous boar. Chihiro stopped in her tracks and cried to her.

"Run!"

"No," came the reply.

"Why don't you want to run away for?"

The girl had completely ignored Chihiro's outburst with a reason. Chihiro's eyes widen in fear as she saw the large bulk of the boar charge towards her. She tried to move her legs but they were paralysed in fear. Chihiro closed her eyes and prayed silently in her heart.

Chihiro heard a soft sound that of a sword slicing the air. The boar squealed in pain. The ground shook as it took to the ground. Chihiro opened one of her eyes to see the girl - who was kneeling on one knee - pulling out a dagger and plunged it straight into the boar's heart in one smooth movement. The boar shrieked once again and disappeared into thin air. Chihiro froze as she saw the boar vanish. She tried to look for an explanation from girl, but the girl kept her head bowed.

After a few agonizing minutes, Chihiro could feel the feeling in her legs slowly returning. She slowly stood up and crept away from the clearing.

"Go, if want to feel a boar's tusk puncturing your heart," said the girl in a soft tone.

Chihiro froze. She slowly turned to face the girl.

"What do you mean...who are you?" asked Chihiro rapidly.

"My name is Airun, and the boar that I just killed wasn't of this world," she replied with a hint of fear in her voice. She turned slowly to look at Chihiro with accusing eyes."They are here because of you."

"Well, Airun, then I am the boar's mother," said Chihiro incredulously.

Airun broke into a smile. She stood up and turned to Chihiro.

"You'll be singing another tune once you remember what happened six years ago," said Airun softly; she was clearly holding her temper in check.

"Well, what about six years ago," asked Chihiro quickly as she saw Airun advancing towards her. "I just moved here six years ago."

"Please say that you will come with me to the Spirit World, willingly," she cracked her fingers at the last word. "If not...ah, well."

A feeling of déjà vu swept fast over Chihiro's senses as Airun mentioned the name 'Spirit World'. She could not bring herself to believe Airun, but the quiet and blunt words that came tumbling out of her mouth seems convincing enough.

"But my mother, my friends, they would worry if I suddenly..." Chihiro's words were cut off as Airun placed a finger on her lips, her nose only inches apart from Chihiro's own.

"Hush, say you will go and all will be taken care of sufficiently," said Airun in a hushed tone.

"Like I will," thought Chihiro viciously.

"So, what will it be?"

"No," said Chihiro defiantly. She had suddenly noticed Airun's odd yet rather intimidating mismatched eyes.

"Then, I apologize for any inconvenience," whispered Airun in her ears.

A sudden flash of green appears before her eyes when suddenly, everything went black as the night. Chihiro's mind spun around senseless She could distinctly feel her self being caught by slender arms as she fell through the pitch-black sky. No memory exists to Chihiro after a few moments...

The faint smell of tea wafted up Chihiro's nose. She sniffed hard and snapped her eyes open, only to be greeted with a masked figure staring back at her. Chihiro lets out and agonizing scream as the masked creature sidled away from her. She sat up immediately and began to look around wildly.

"Come now. No-Face means no harm. He's just too happy to see you," came a pleasant voice behind Chihiro.

Chihiro turned around uncertainly. She received the shock of her life to see an amazingly oversized (to Chihiro, of course), old woman in a blue dress. She had a beak-like nose that made her look menacing. Yet, the twinkle in her eyes somehow managed to help Chihiro choke down her scream - just barely.

"Yes, young Kyoko did warn me about you being a nervous wreck once you wake up," said the old woman briskly, placing a tray on top of a table in the process.

"Where...Kyoko?" said Chihiro in a puzzled tone.

"Yes, Kyoko. My apprentice. She doesn't live here anymore just so she could guard my secret."

"Well, I, err... Airun..." Chihiro's voice trailed off as she looked around the room, slowly.

The fact that she was no longer in the forest finally sunk into her. Her hands gripped the eiderdown that covered her knee. Everything in this place looked vaguely familiar - even the odd residents.

"Where am I?" she asked meekly.

The old woman smiled brightly. She held out a cup of tea towards Chihiro. No-Face seem to be all over the place, first he was standing on an armchair, the next he was stooping over a smoking cauldron.

"I don't expect for you to remember right away but maybe you might need a few hints. My name is Zeniba," she smiled. "And that's No-Face. Mind. He loves to pop up unexpectedly."

Chihiro felt an odd sensation of recognition when the old woman introduced herself as Zeniba.

"Thank you," said Chihiro politely as she took the cup of tea from Zeniba.

"I apologize on behalf of Kyoko for your minor neck injury. She didn't mean to be too hard on you but she said you were hard to convince."

She tried to move her shoulders and neck but only succeeded in making it hurt more. She suddenly noticed a plain white curtain next to her. She pulled back the fabric to see a black sky, scattered with immense jewels that twinkle now and then, bedazzling Chihiro's eyes. She had never seen anything as beautiful as this in her life.

"I hope you could make yourself right at home," came Zeniba's quiet voice.

Chihiro nodded silently. She was still puzzling over who was this 'Kyoko' Zeniba had mentioned. 'Kyoko' seemed familiar yet still unknown.

No-Face placed a blue dress next to Chihiro. He gazed at Chihiro from her side before disappearing into thin air. Chihiro turned just in time to see him vanish.

"This is going to be a long night," she thought to herself.

Drowsiness began to steal around her just as soon as she finished her tea. Chihiro sank back onto the surface of the mattress and began to dream almost immediately. Zeniba covered Chihiro with the eiderdown. She kissed her forehead lightly before turning to leave.

"Sleep well, child. May your lost memories return to help us."