A/N: I'm back from the year of junior hell! Mwahahahahah! I'm sure you've just about forgot everything so we'll start with a:

Really abbreviated summary: Chihiro and Mayu got dragged back into the spirit world by a falcon, and are now hiding in the basement of the bathhouse. Yubaba has made some sort of a deal with a shadowy group called the forgotten, and their leader the Daitengu has sent Sei and Kizuna on a mission involving a ring that Mayu has. The two are shape shifters. Sei and Mayu just had a cute fluffy scene.

How elegant….not. Haha. A short, plot furthering chapter. Hopefully not too confusing…I'm very very rusty so be nice please! Just wanted to get the first update in bazillion years up asap. Sooo lets just begun shall we?

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Missing identities

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"Mayu. MAYU!"

Her eyes were glazed over and a lopsided smile lit her face. "hmmm?"

Chihiro couldn't decide: gag, or smile? "You need to do something, ANYTHING besides sit there and grin like an idiot! Just because you got to have a nice hot hookup in the woods-"

"Its NOT a hook up! It was…" she trailed off sighing dramatically, hand on chest and eyelashes fluttering.

"That's it. Kamaji! Please…have an errand…something…anything!"

He scratched his shining bald head. "Well…actually I could use some Snapping Garlic scorpion tails…"

Chihiro looked at him in abject horror. "…I was kind of hoping something that won't, you know, kill her?"

Kamaji chuckled. "Actually they look and smell terrible but the liquid they excrete is very therapeutic. It has hydrocholofomic-."

Rin walked in and groaned. "Kamaji…its before noon."

He chuckled. "Well, they are quite harmless if you don't make noise. Their fear reaction to large sounds is to release poison into their stingers."

Mayu got up and smiled. "Ok! I'll go. Where are they?"

Rin frowned. "I'm not too thrilled about letting her go alone, but nobody has been around that room for a good 100 years or so. Yubaba made me remagic all the bathhouse sensors the other day." she explained. "Here's a map" Mayu took it and snuck out the small wooden door.

"Breakfast Kamaji" Rin said, dumping the rainbow treats for the coal puffs.

"Ohh…err Rin, I forgot to give back the bowls…from 2 days ago" Kamaji mumbled and braced himself for the verbal whip lashing.

"Oh that's alright." She took the bowls. Kamaji blinked and scratched his head, a little perturbed. She turned to Chihiro. "Oh yea, Chi, Zeniba asked me to ask you about Mayu's ring."

Chihiro cocked her head thinking. "Ring?"

"Oh, never mind, you must have been unconscious already. I'll let her know." she said hurriedly. "I'm gonna go back to work." she went back through the small wooden door in a flutter of pink work clothes.

Kamaji turned to Chihiro."…Does she seem odd to you?"

She frowned. "Either she's working too hard or those head blows from Yubaba are beginning to take an effect."

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Mayu followed the arrows through a maze of dimly lit corridors. She passed many rooms full of impossibly large fruit and vegetables…in fact she was surprised none of the pumpkins didn't just magically turn into a horse drawn carriage. She started to smell traces of garlic and followed her nose down the paths…

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She's coming.

A single tear drop fell onto the stale woodchips.

I know.

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"What the…?"

Rin picked up the note lying on top of the neatly rolled up futon of the new apprentice.

"I can not bear this place anymore. I will disappear. Please don't look for me Rin, and thank you for you kindness. Sincerely, Kizu"

Rin's face turned a livid red. "Ohhhh no she don't! Don't look for me. Pshh!" She stomped out of the barracks. "It's my head if I don't find you, moron!"

A few seconds later she burst into the boiler room. "Is the new girl here?" she panted.

Chihiro looked at her wide eyed. "Um…no. Are you ok Rin?"

Rin just grunted and rushed back out through the door.

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Mayu looked at the splintering door: room 538. And it positively reeked of garlic. She make a face and slowly, very slowly tested the door. It didn't creak so she kept pushing until there was enough room for her to slither in. There was barely any light and she blinked trying to see the scorpions that might be around….

Suddenly out of nowhere strong arms grabbed her and pinned hers to her sides. Mayu bit back a scream remembering Kamaji's warning about the scorpions, which could be in the room or not for all she could tell. Something burned on her wrist till she thought she would have to scream or lose her mind, but eventually a numbness came over her and she discovered that she couldn't move. Her head felt hazy and she could barely stay awake as multicolored sparkles decorated her dark surroundings…

I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…

She felt a warm tear on her shoulder and tried to make her mouth say at least one of the million questions in the back of her mind. But soon, the world went black.

"Put her in this." slender fingers held open the door of a large wooden crate. Mayu's form was gently rested into a fetal position. Kizu closed the door.

"You did well. Don't leave yet. We've got to get the other one."

She saw him turn away in the dim light.

"I'll be back tonight. Then you can get on your way."

"Why…"

"What?"

He sighed.

She bit her lip but turned away. "Better go back to the others. The scorpions won't deliver themselves." She shoved a few sluggishly squirming creatures from a tank into a sack that appeared out of nowhere. She hurried back running at lightening speed…she didn't need to cause more suspicion…

CRASH.

"ARGH! Look where you're going stupid fro-" Rin gasped. "Mayu! What the hell are you doing here?"

The girl smiled and motioned to come closer. "Shh! Come here I have to whisper it."

Rin gave her a suspicious look, then laughed. "What, making out with guys in secret?" At Mayu's death glare she shrugged and leaned in. Suddenly she felt a hand lock onto her arm and a odd chilling sensation ran through her head.

'What!" She gasped. "Who…What are you…" An ice blue light flashed in her brown eyes. "…Where am I?"

Mayu smiled. "Weren't you the one who said nobody's come here in a 100 years? So why are you here silly?" she laughed.

Rin scratched her head. "I don't know….oh! I was looking for that new girl. I wonder where she's hiding? I seriously looked everywhere."

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"Mayu! What took you so long?"

She laughed. "Well those scorpions were nasty. And then I bumped into grumpy over here." she pointed at Rin.

"Sorry I was looking for the idiot girl…who really has disappeared. I checked everywhere! Gods, Yubaba's going to turn me into a pig…"

Kamaji took the bag from Mayu and mumbled a small chant. Soon the bag was still. He shoved it into a top drawer. "Why don't you ask her to let you see the record of the bathhouse sensors again?"

"The what?" Rin asked. Then she winced and grabbed her head. "Ow! I have such a bad headache…."

Chihiro spread out her futon. "Here Rin, why don't you sleep here a while?" she nodded and laid down.

"Pst! Hey Chihiro!" Mayu beckoned.

She crawled over. "What?"

"Guess who I caught kissing in that storage room?"

Chihiro felt her stomach flip. "W-who? What're you talking about?"

"I heard he's meeting her again tonight." she said winking. "I would go bust him if I were you." With that she walked over to the left over rice balls humming cheerily.

Chihiro tried to get the nauseating feeling out of her stomach. Was she serious? It never occurred to her that Haku could be actually fooling around with another girl…

Then naturally, he burst into the room. "Rin! Yubaba's looking for you."

Rin groaned and crawled back out the door, dragging the breakfast bowls. Haku raised an eyebrow. "Wow is she ok?"

"Just a little tired I think." Kamaji replied. "How are things up there?"

"Thing have settled down a bit. Yubaba is more alert, which means," he looked at the girls, "you need to stay very low profile. I heard Mayu did an errand alone today, I don't want that anymore."

"Oh, how convenient." Chihiro said sarcastically. She turned her back to him.

Haku frowned. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Nothing." she said.

"Chihiro," he came up behind her and rested a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?" The tenderness made her sick. She jerked her shoulder away.

"Nothing! Just go." she said "please…go."

Haku sat there for a while, stunned at the sudden coldness. "I should get back. But I can't fix anything unless you tell me what's wrong." he said quietly. She just cradled her tear streaked face in her arms.

How could he?

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"No-face. Something is wrong" Zeniba said, swirling the milk into her tea. "The aura of the bathhouse's changed."

"Uhh-uh." he dropped a lump of sugar into his matching teacup.

"Mayu's aura has clouded, but there is a similar one, just like hers present in the bathhouse as well. And…" she sighed. "I sense heartache from Chihiro."

"uhhh…"

"I will report this to the old man then I'll drop by there to see what is going on. Make dinner for yourself dear, I'm sorry."

No-face patted the old witch's shoulder. "Uhh-uh."

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What's gotten into her? Haku tapped his foot impatiently as the lift chugged upward. Like he didn't have enough to worry about. He remembered the conversation he had with Yubaba earlier.

"So…I hear the new girl has disappeared, Haku." Yubaba drawled, playing with some jewels.

"It's just a prank. The contract doesn't allow her to leave the premises." he growled.

She cackled. "Come on now, lizard. I know you have a brain, and magic almost." she wagged her finger. "almost as powerful as mine. And therefore you know, that she is working for me, and my…partner."

Haku glared. "I figured as much. Are you saying this 'disappearance' is planned?"

"I'll let you ponder upon that with your powerful brain, lizard boy." she smiled, taking a puff from her pipe. "Dismissed." he was shot out of the office. The bump on his head throbbed and he winced.

Suddenly, the lift stopped.

"What the?"

There was a sound like an electric spark. And the entire bathhouse went black.

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Maybe she was wrong. She had no proof. She wasn't going to worry about it because she didn't know if it was true even and…

"Chi? The lights are still out and Kamaji dead asleep. Let go look! Comeon-" Mayu pulled her up.

"No! Mayu, I don't believe you, and even if it were true, its not like we're going out, and-"

"Chihiro!" she stopped her ramble, stunned at the seriousness in Mayu's tone. "I can't believe you. Are you telling me this is ok with you?"

There was brief silence. Then the soot balls squeaked faintly as two slim figures crept through the door.

It felt like an eternity of running in pitch darkness before Mayu jerked her to a stop.

"In there." She pointed to the splintered door.

Chihiro slowly slipped through. "I can't see a thing!"

"That's the point." Chihiro froze at the slightly familiar voice. Definitely not Mayu's. Before she could react a hand grabbed her shoulder and she saw a blinding flash as a hot bolt of something ran through her body. She couldn't move.

But she could still see. She saw Mayu in the crate, Sei staring blankly at her angelic face, his amber eyes glinting sadly. She tried to turn around…that girl must be the…

"Sorry Chi. We couldn't risk you telling Haku about me. You would have seen through my Mayu act even if I could fool the others. Besides…"

Chihiro felt her heart sink.

"You are the easiest way to lure that dragon to our side."

Chihiro felt her conscious slowly give into the numbness….

…Haku…

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Dun dun DUN! Finally some action. I think it wasn't that hard to follow…and if it was, well it will become clearer as we go.

Disclaimer: I don't own Miyazaki! Durr

And thanks so much for the reviews I got even tho I wasn't updating! They were so nice. :)