Disclaimer: The usual. Look back if you must.

Chihiro froze in the middle of her threatening, and she could only stare at the two other figures that just came in through the doorway. She felt her heart pounding at a thousand kilometres per hour. If you were inside the room, you would be able to hear a pin dropping.

A woman with a gigantic, bludging figure entered the doorway, laughing horrendously, and a thin, well built boy with bright emerald eyes and pale skin followed her. He was consulting the woman with apparently, an 'issue'. And then he looked up, hearing the commotion.

And all time froze as amber met emerald.

Chapter Three: A Misunderstanding

The must have been a misunderstanding – some kind of conspiracy, Chihiro thought as the emerald eyed figure got closer towards her position. There had to be a plan – a well plotted one at that.

There was no way that a replica of Chihiro would suddenly turn up at the bathhouse, a place in which Chihiro once lived and loved. And to add to that, Kohaku walks into the same room, and ignores Chihiro outright!

Was this all just a dream?

If this was indeed a dream, when was it going to end? Why wasn't she waking up?

"Nigijhami Kohaku Nushi." Yubaaba declared, "I refuse to allow your proposition to marry Chihiro."

Ogino Chihiro, with the brown hair, looked at Kohaku with a shocked expression on her face. Hadn't he promised her that he would return for Chihiro? And yet, here she was, in the same place, and the emerald eyed spirit had already confessed his love for another. To a replica of Chihiro none the less.

Yubaaba's eyes met Chihiro's at that very moment, and Yubaaba squinted her little eyes as she stared at the brown haired human, "Sen." She murmured.

Chihiro, surprised that someone still remembered her by her alter-name, smiled grimly, "Sen at your service, Yubaaba-senpai." She bowed deeply, showing her respect for the bath house owner.

It was at that moment that Chihiro realised that the emerald eyes never left her, and so she therefore bravely lifted her head and returned Kohaku's gaze.

"Yoroshiku." Chihiro said brightly, "I'm Sen. I guess I've returned from the human world. How do you do?"

She regarded Kohaku as a stranger, and the dragon, once in his senses again, realised it was only polite that he respond, "Please to meet you as well…"

"It's an absolute delight to meet you, Nigijhami-san. From what I can presume as a outsider, you and Chihiro-san seem to be a rather lovely couple. You have my best wishes." Chihiro said with gritted teeth.

Kohaku smiled back at Chihiro, "It's Himura-san to you. I'm not sure whether Chihiro likes being called her first name by a stranger. It's a pleasure to meet you as well."

Kill me already, Chihiro thought, as she watched Kohaku smile at her double.

ARGH.

"Anou ne, if I may intrude upon the rather personal conversation, Yubaaba-senpai, but, may I take my leave?" Chihiro muttered to the obese mistress.

She felt Kohaku's gaze upon her as Yubaaba replied, "Of course you may."

As Chihiro made her way to the hallway, she felt a familiar dragon's voice declaring loudly, "If you permit, Yubaaba-sama, I would like to have a word with…Ogino-san."

Ogino-san, how very cold that sounded to Chihiro.

He had never called her by a name so distantly…even if it was her surname, it would always sound warm and like home.

Now, his words stung into Chihiro's flesh.

Chihiro turned around, with a false grin upon her face, "I certainly don't mind!"

You liar.

You said you didn't mind…when in fact, you would've given anything you had to avoid a conversation with him.

…

"May you excuse me for being so…unapproachable, Ogino-san" Kohaku started, "but…you're a human…are you not – an imprint on this world- but still a human? And this is a bathhouse of spirits…humans do not belong here, and yet you call this…home."

Chihiro bit her bottom lip, and she whispered, "I thought…spirits knew more, than to judge something by its cover…what matters…is not whether I'm a spirit or human…but whether I am truly accepted here, and if I belong."

And with that, Chihiro furiously looked deep into Kohaku's eyes, with a fire that had extinguished burning bright within her pupil, "And to me, this is home."

Chihiro's mouth twitched and she replied, "Ne, Kohaku, didn't think you were one to forget the debts you owed,"

Smiling wryly, Chihiro turned around to leave, "Kagura, you've eavesdropped enough. Lets get back to the bathhouse now, shall we?"

And to Kohaku's shock, Kagura, suddenly reappeared, with a frown on her face, "I was meant to be remained unconcealed, Chihiro-chan…"

Laughing, Chihiro waved, "Ja, Nigijhami-kun."

Kohaku looked tiredly at Chihiro.

She looks so much like my Chihiro it scares me. It scares me so much…because I don't know which one is the fake, and which one is the real one. Which is Chihiro?

I want to find out…

…

End of Chapter Three

…

How old was Chihiro when she died? I presumed she was ten when she left the spirited world in the movie (actually, I had solid proof. On the back cover of the CD I own, Spirited Away Music, it said Chihiro was ten.). Since the movie was in 2001, right in Chapter One of my story, I stated I presumed that was the time setting for the movie, and so, since my movie fast forwarded time to 2006 (therefore, time span of 5 years), Chihiro was approximately late 14- early 16 years old, as I do not know her birthday.

I also stated 'four years after Chihiro left', presumably, 2005, Haku gave up on Chihiro, because he felt that her spirit wasn't in the world anymore (which was, coincidentally not the truth in my story).

How did Chihiro die? Score! Someone's paying attention to small details in my story! You'll notice Chihiro didn't want to talk about her death a lot, didn't you (you know who you are…my one reviewer that noticed this…but then again, maybe a lot you of noticed it… thanks so much, AnimeFreakKatie, for noticing this!)? I can't answer this question. I'll reveal it later on in the story…

Black haired Chihiro??? Sorry…random impulse… that made me write that… I'll get back to this question later… sweat drop) I'm such a bad author…sudden inspiration hits…and I can't stop…

So is Chihiro dead??? (Sweat drop)… um…first part in my story…I think I mentioned that… Chihiro 'died'… (Runs away)

Make Chihiro and Haku remeet! (Sweat drop) I hate to do this…but they did… what on earth have you been reading!

When are you going to update? (Sweat drop and runs away)…update??? Within the next year hopefully…life is tough…working for money is tougher…not that I do work right now…assignments are toughest of all…I'm sure it's not only me that hates annotated essays.

Okay, sorry if I chose your review and used slight sarcasm in my reply – I hope I didn't offend anyone. Sorry if I happened to choose your review and pick on it. I'm sorry, but I have a habit of turning everything a person says and twist it the other way around so it means something totally different. I'm sorry if I did that to yours (bows).