Yo everyone! First of all, I shall explain the long wait. I was busy working on my original story (amongst other things), which, by the way, is not posted on fictionpress. Not yet.

I CHANGED THE SUMMARY LAST CHAPTER. I suspect that's why some of the usual reviewers didn't review the last chapter because they didn't recognise this story when it came through their email.

Anyway, thank you to all the suggestions of possible titles for this story!

Also, I'd like to mention that this chapter was written really, really fast, believe it or not (yes, the one month wait…). I think I wrote about 2000 words today. I don't usually do that – it's usually 300 words per hour. 0.0;; That's called super-high quality. I think.

Special thanks to Randomosity, your really kind (and humorous!) review made me start writing this chapter. If you didn't review no one would be seeing another chapter for a very, very long time.

Chapter 19

The chilly wind rushed past her, tangling her hair and drying her tear-stained cheeks. To Chihiro, it felt strangely comforting. Then something in her mind clicked and her eyes snapped open.

The starry midnight blue carpet was falling away from her. A stray thought of its beauty flickered across her mind before it hit her – she was plummeting towards the ground, fast. Her heart leapt to her throat and she gave a soundless scream as she slowly twisted her body with unerring grace so that she could see where she was falling. The layers of fluffy clouds rushed up to meet her, and she clutched desperately at their deceptive thickness. Then they parted before her.

A city lay out below her. She could see the neon lights blinking lazily from skyscrapers, shouting out company names. Further away, houses sprawled over the horizon.

The ground was much closer now, she noted detachedly. She could see the highways and streets, even the individual twinkling car headlights. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable impact.

Suddenly someone grabbed her arm, almost yanking it out of the socket. Then they were speeding upwards, and Chihiro tightly clutched the cold smooth hand in her own. Suddenly they came to an abrupt halt and she looked around.

They were hovering just above the smoky, swirling clouds. Chihiro looked up at her rescuer, and almost lost her grip on the hand.

"Don't let go of me again!" Inochi snapped, her animalistic eyes blazing with annoyance.

Chihiro flinched and looked down at the clouds fixedly.

"I have to take you home," the spirit muttered. "Isn't that a nuisance?" She looked down at Chihiro when she said nothing, clearly looking halfway between surprised and infuriated. "Well?" she snapped impatiently. "Show me where you live!"

Chihiro thought quickly. If she didn't say anything, then maybe the spirit would take her back to Haku. But that was unlikely, considering that her demeanour was of one who wouldn't care less if she fell again. Chihiro had a strong suspicion that Inochi only saved her from falling because someone told her not to let anything happen to her, and Chihiro was thankful for that. On the other hand, however, if she told Inochi where she lived, then she would see her parents again.

Her parents! She had almost forgotten about them. Her guilty conscience rose up inside her and ashamedly, she realised that they must be have been so worried.

Something must have showed on her face because Inochi rested her hand lightly on her forehead, much the same way as Haku did when she first stumbled upon the spirit world. She flashed images to the spirit in her mind; the highway to the town, the streets and twists and turns needed to get there, and finally the house itself.

Inochi scowled. "Your home is blue," she commented.

"What?" Chihiro asked with a touch of defiance.

"Blue is a disgusting colour," she replied disdainfully. Then together they began to fly through the clouds in silence which left Chihiro to ponder on her strange, tactless remark.

It was some time later when they finally drifted gently down to the end of the street behind a clump of trees, well out of sight of the houses where sharp eyes could be watching. Chihiro only recognised the place because she and Naruko often played there during their many fantasy games.

"Your home should be just down the road," Inochi said, and without another word she flew away, disappearing behind the thick clouds.

Suddenly feeling very alone, Chihiro hurriedly jogged around the trees, across the grassy park and onto the pavement, her bare feet making dull, ringing noises with each step on the concrete. Soon she could see her house, just up ahead, looking the same as always, except…it was in complete darkness.

Chihiro slowed, worry overtaking her anticipation at seeing her parents again. Stopping in front of the gate, she saw the garden covered in weeds and overgrown grass. The rose bushes her mother loved were now dying, and the letterbox was half open. Chihiro leaned over the gate to see most of the letters scattered in the dirt below. Swallowing hard, she looked up at the front door, suddenly fearful of what she would find inside, before straightening resolutely and marching right up to the door.

First she tried pushing it open, but finding it locked she then bent down and pulled out from under the doormat what her parents called the 'emergency key' in case one of them was locked outside. Her hands shook as she fumbled with the keyhole. At last the lock clicked and she half-opened the door, her fear escalating in the pit of her stomach once again. Holding her breath, she reached out to flick the corridor light on. It flickered ominously a couple of times but stayed on. Then she cautiously peered around the door, expecting the worst.

But there was nothing.

She let out a breath, easing the door open just enough to slip through. Then she backed up against the door, pushing it until it clicked shut again.

The floor was extremely dusty, she noted with surprise. So was the small rectangular table against the wall. That proved no one had been inside for a long time.

Her gaze wandered down the corridor with a slight apprehension before snapping back to the table. She hadn't noticed it before, but there was a folded piece of paper on it.

She quietly walked over and unfolded it slowly, sneezing as the dust rose from it. Then she began to read.

Chihiro, if you're still…around… We've moved to our old apartment. Come and see us, we're so worried about you. – Mum and Dad.

Chihiro reread the note twice before realisation hit her in the face. She could clearly imagine how worried her father would be, and her mother…! She had left without any explanation, and now they had moved back to the city, probably months ago when they finally gave up hope of her ever returning.

"Well then," a voice said behind her.

Chihiro shrieked in surprise, whirling around and backing up against the table.

The voice chuckled with amusement, and gradually Oukami shimmered into view.

"What…what are you doing here?" Chihiro managed to stammer out.

"Technically, I'm not here," Oukami replied, gesturing down at himself. Only then did she realise that he was transparent. "I'm still in the spirit world, but I've just come to visit. Oh, and about before, it had to be done."

"Why?" Chihiro asked, her anger overriding her shock at his sudden appearance.

"Isn't it obvious?" he grinned. "They think you've gone home safely, no more messing in their world and so on; they won't be suspecting anything. In fact, when you return, they won't even know! For a while anyway," he added hastily. "But that gives you enough time to get a job at the bathhouse, which binds you to our world for as long as the contract states. Therefore, they can't kick you out again, back to here, because only Yubaba can destroy your contract, which she won't since she likes to pick on you. Or so Rin says. Ah, I'm a genius," he said immodestly, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back with his feet off the floor, looking very much like relaxing on thin air.

Chihiro said nothing, reading the note over and over again. Then she looked up and said, "I have to see my parents. I have to explain to them…"

"What?" Oukami looked shocked. "Don't you care about your dragon?"

"Of course I do! And I care about my parents too!" she said heatedly.

"Whatever," he said, righting himself.

Chihiro set the note down and grabbed the few coins in the small bowl in the table. She counted them out; luckily there was just enough to get her to Tokyo, where she and her parents used to live in that apartment before moving here. Then she grabbed her sneakers from the shoe cupboard and put them on. Oukami in the meantime had walked through the wall while Chihiro opened the door.

They set off down the street, Chihiro walking quickly and Oukami drifting lazily above her head. She would never admit it, but she was glad that Oukami was around. Her neighbourhood was fairly safe, but beyond that…

She only waited at the bus stop for half an hour before the bus came. Chihiro sat down near the back and looked around. She was the only one riding at this time, which was eleven at night, according to the digital clock on the bus.

If buses were scarce at this hour, the trains were even more so. Being the last stop on the route, trains only came every hour, and Chihiro had missed the previous one by ten minutes. Sitting on the bench on the platform, she couldn't help shuddering; the cold was biting into her skin even as she rubbed her arms and legs in an effort to stay warm.

On board the train, once she had shut all the windows, she began to warm up again. The empty carriage rattled worryingly as the train sped towards Tokyo.

Chihiro sat opposite Oukami, half-watching him lie back on the seat as she had nothing else to do. Inwardly, she was debating on whether to ask him the question that had been bothering her ever since she had left the house. Finally she decided this time was as good as any.

"Oukami?" she asked quietly. He cracked one violet eye open questioningly. "Did you tell Haku and Rin what you were planning?"

"Nope." He sat up, obviously just realising something. "Do you think they'll be angry?"

Chihiro fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Yes," she replied. "Haku especially."

"I see," he mused.

"Why didn't you tell them, though?" Chihiro pressed.

He glared at her. "Isn't it obvious? What if those spirits read their minds? Then all this would have been for nothing. You're so dense," he muttered.

Chihiro was about to retort that he was just as dense when understanding others feelings, but she decided against mentioning it at the last moment. She didn't want him to leave her alone on the train with no one to keep her company. Then another question occurred to her. "You know," she began slowly, "on the first time I returned here, I couldn't remember anything that happened in the spirit world. But this time, I can still remember. Why?"

"Idiot," he grumbled. "I put a spell on you, so that you wouldn't forget."

"You did?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes," he snapped.

Chihiro didn't say another word for the rest of the journey.

The elevator was rising slowly. Too slowly, it seemed, and at the same time, too quickly.

Chihiro glanced sideways at Oukami, who was surveying the buttons embedded in the metallic wall with interest. He seemed to particularly like the 'alarm' button, which stated below that it was only to be used in emergencies. Chihiro knew what was going through the Trickster's head.

The doors hissed open at level eighteen, and Chihiro slowly stepped out. Walking down the carpeted corridor, she counted the doors, stopping at the fourth one. Then she rang the doorbell, three times, while nervously fidgeting. Finally the heavy door opened, her father peering out from behind it with a sleepy expression that slowly turned to disbelief. Behind him her mother was craning her neck over his broad shoulder.

"Chihiro?" he asked uncertainly. She just nodded, not daring to speak lest the great well of emotions inside her got out of control.

Suddenly her father threw open the flyscreen door and enveloped her in a huge bear hug. "Dad…" she choked, feeling like the air had been squeezed out of her.

He let go, and before she could get her breath back her mother hugged her long and hard as well. When they finally broke apart, Chihiro was surprised at the minimal amount of tears leaking out from her eyes, considering that her mother was sobbing into her hands and her father had taken out his handkerchief and was now blowing his nose like a foghorn. Then he propelled her inside, closely followed by Yuuko.

Once inside, they seated her on the sofa and almost frantically checked her over; her mother asking over and over again, "Are you okay, darling?" During her parents' examination Chihiro glanced up once to see Oukami looking mildly disgusted at the proceedings.

At last they both stepped away and sat down together on the opposite sofa. Chihiro almost laughed; now they were treating her like a fragile porcelain doll.

"Where have you been?" Akio asked first.

Chihiro opened her mouth, then shut it. How to explain something that hardly seemed believable to anyone but herself?

"Make it up," Oukami advised from the sidelines.

Chihiro bit her lip uncertainly. She couldn't lie to her parents. Not now, not after the hell she had put them through. She studied their faces carefully, seeing worry lines that hadn't been there before. Decision reached, she shook her head slightly in Oukami's direction, to which he smirked knowingly but didn't object any further.

"I…" she trailed off, then began again. "I'm going to sound weird, but you have to believe me. Promise?" Her parents nodded solemnly, and Chihiro let out a relieved sigh. To the side Oukami let out a snort of contempt and muttered, "Humans have one-track minds." Chihiro decided to ignore that comment for now.

Then she told them everything about the spirit world, what she had done and where she had been the past few months, leaving out no details, though she did gloss a little over the part where she thought Haku was going to die – the thought of him being so surprisingly vulnerable still made her uncomfortable, even though everything turned out fine in the end.

She didn't miss the increasingly sceptical look on her father's face, but Chihiro expected that. Her father didn't believe anything he didn't see with his own eyes, but she hoped to convince him, somehow, by the end of it. Her mother though, was listening attentively and that was a good sign.

Once she finished, her recount was met with absolute silence. Chihiro looked anxiously back and forth at them. At last Yuuko said, "Honey, maybe you should get some rest."

She stood up, and Chihiro did too. "You don't believe me?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"You can tell us the truth in the morning," Akio said from his place on the sofa.

"It is the truth!" Chihiro protested. "I'm not joking about the spirit world; it's like my home!" Her mother simply patted her sympathetically on the shoulder.

"This is pointless," Oukami observed. "I'm taking you back now."

Chihiro nodded sadly before turning to address her parents. "Mum, Dad, I have to go soon. Oukami's making a portal right now. You'll be able to see him in a moment."

"You're hallucinating," Akio said gruffly.

Suddenly the familiar black oval with crackling edges appeared between the two sofas, and Akio and Yuuko jumped with fright and clung to each other. "That's the portal I was talking about," Chihiro explained.

Oukami poked his head out from the shadowy blackness. "Hurry up," he said to Chihiro, making Yuuko shriek in terror and clutch her husband even more tightly.

"Don't worry," she said, trying not to laugh, "It's only Oukami, though I guess he can be rather scary sometimes." Chihiro gave her trembling parents a hug. Everything was happening too fast. She had been with her parents less than ten minutes, and now she was leaving again. But she smiled, knowing that she had to return now. Haku was waiting for her. Quietly, she added, "Don't worry, I'll come and visit soon. I promise."

Then she let go and walked to the portal, stopping just next to it. With a final wave and a reassuring smile, she turned and plunged into the darkness, back to the spirit world, and Haku.

It just occurred to me that that line, "Ah, I'm a genius," is from the Lion King, said by Simba after they have that song where Zazu gets trampled/tortured/flattened by all those animals. Ooh, that was random.

Oh yeah, let's shove a disclaimer here again. I don't own Spirited Away.

Remember to review, so that I'll stop stressing over this chapter. Thank you!