A/N: It's been almost a year since I've updated this poor fan fiction. I hope you can all forgive my lack of updates. I felt really inspired to write something here. To offer another chapter to those of you who have read this or still hope for an update. Here you are. Please enjoy.

-o-o-o-o-

Chihiro's heart beat violently against her rib cage. She stood still, Hajime's hand still pressed over her mouth, and against the small of her back. The only noises to be heard was the sound of the newly disturbed dust settling back down onto the wooden structures of the Bathhouse and Nezumi softly chattering.

There was no sign that Haruto had decided to pursue her. The image of his scaled, dragon face was burned into her mind. Now and again a dragon would grace her dreams, but nothing like this ferocious, cold creature that breathed onto her face.

Things started to make sense as Chihiro reflected on their encounter. He refused to touch her or go near her.

Lost in her own world, she was brought back to reality as Hajime slow took his hand from her mouth.

How strange. They look exactly the same…

"…But you can't speak."

The grey-haired man looked at her pleadingly. Willing her to remember anything about her time here once before.

"You're the one Yu…Yu…" The name caught in her throat, like claws pressing into her vocal chords.

"Yubaba silenced." Hajime flinched at the name and nodded slowly.

"That's why you couldn't help me with your name either…" Chihiro's brow furrowed.

Her thoughts were scattered and while a few pieces fit together, she was missing something else. They needed to leave or else there was a greater risk of being discovered by Haruto. She knew then that he was not the one to be trusted. She couldn't figure out their connection or why they looked so similar.

Hajime's fingers curled and grasped around the pink fabric on her shoulder. She turned her attention to the mute boy, and he reached into the pocket of his yukata, producing bits of paper.

"...Train tickets. That's why you left. To go get them." But why couldn't I have gone along? Why did you leave me?

-o-o-o-o-

Hajime led the way to a small, wooden panel in the wall. There was a little curve in the wood to indicate it was a sliding door. Chihiro reached out to pull the door open, but he caught her hand, quickly shaking his head. He instead reached out, braced himself, and touched the rotted wood. There was no freezing or burning this time. The door resisted opening at first, but after a bit of force, it made a loud, cracking noise as it slid open for the first time in many years.

Chihiro crawled into the newly opened room. To her left was a wall of drawers all the way to the ceiling. There was a furnace that had long grown cold and a work bench to her right. Everything felt so familiar and comforting.

"Boiler man…" She had no idea why she said it. She couldn't understand the amount of sorrow and loss her heart felt for a place she'd never been. She walked forward to the step. There were small mouse-like holes on the left side, beneath the drawers. She sat down and tears fell silently down her cheeks.

Oh.

She pulled her legs to her chest and softly cried for someone she didn't know. A familiar place.

Hajime stood to the side as the girl softly mourned something she couldn't quite grasp.

Nezumi rested on Chihiro's knee, resting his paw on her arm. She glanced down at him and offered a small smile.

She composed herself long enough to notice a pair of eyes glancing up at her from the mouse hole. There was no fear for anything in this room. She moved onto the lower floor and offered a hand to the eyes looking at her.

A small, black ball slowly moved out to greet her hand. It looked up at her with a sad expression in its eyes with a faint glimmer of recognition.

"A ball of soot."