Spirited Away 2: Return to the Spirit World

Spirited Away 2: Return to the Spirit World is a fanfic story by moviefan-92. It serves as a sequel to the 2001 Japanese animated film Spirited Away.

Chapter 1: Twelve Long Years
The world was full of amazing things. Chihiro Ogino knew that better than anyone. She had seen them. No, scratch that, she had lived them. It may have been 12 years ago, but she could never forget what had happened all those years ago. She had stumbled upon a magical land. No, a magical world. It was a place of mystery, excitement, and danger. It was the spirit world. Not the spirit world as in the life after death, but a whole other universe, inhabited by witches, wizards, demons, monsters, and, of course, spirits.

It seemed like a dream, a wild fantasy world from the imagination of a child, but it was real. Chihiro was certain of that. She had the proof with her even now. Although no one would think that a simple hair band was proof of the spirit world. But it was real to her, and that's all that mattered. She remembered the day she received the hair band. She remembered everything about that world, and she missed it. But most of all, she missed him.

Who was he, no one would believe her if she told them. He was the one who saved her those 12 years ago. He was the one who helped her rescue her parents and return them all home. He was the one she dreamed about almost every night. He was Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi, also known as Haku, and he was the spirit of the Kohaku River.

It had been 12 years since they've seen each other. Twelve long lonely years, and not even the smallest sign of the river spirit. He had promised they would see each other again. He had promised! But where was he? And where was the world that she had come to love even more than her own.

Her first experience in the spirit world had been terrifying as well as exciting. She and her parents had been on their way to their new home when they accidentally stumbled into the place that would change her forever.

She remembered how scared she had been. Any 10 year old would be terrified by what had happened. Her parents, unaware of what they were getting themselves into, had eaten the food meant for the spirits. They gobbled it up like pigs. As punishment, the witch in charge of the land, Yubaba, had turned them into pigs. Chihiro had been left all alone in the spirit world, lost, confused, and scared to death.

But then he came to her. He comforted her and helped her through this difficult time. Following his instructions, Chihiro had gone to the bathhouse owned by Yubaba and received a job. The old witch stole her name, changing it to Sen. She was put to work with the other spirits in the bathhouse. With the help of Haku, along with two other spirits, Lin and Kamajii, she managed to get become useful enough to be considered a good enough worker to stay in the bathhouse.

That was until she had accidentally let in a monster named No-Face, who caused a great deal of damage to the bathhouse. Yubaba wasn't happy about her 'guest's' behavior. And if things weren't bad enough, the old witch had sent Haku on a mission to steal her twin sister's magic gold seal. But Yubaba's sister, Zeniba, had placed a powerful protective spell on the seal to prevent it from being stolen. As Haku slowly died, No-Face continued to wreck havoc upon the bathhouse. And to make matters worse, Yubaba's son, a 10-foot baby, had tried to force Chihiro to play with him, which resulted in him being turned into a mouse by Zeniba.

Things began looking up after that though. After retrieving the golden seal from Haku, Chihiro managed to lure No-Face and get him out of the bathhouse. Once outside, the monster, became quite peaceful and friendly.

Chihiro, No-Face, and Yubaba's son, still in mouse form, then took the train to Zeniba's house to return the golden seal and apologize for Haku. As it turned out, Zeniba was quite nice. She had welcomed Chihiro into her house and had even given her the hair band she now wore.

After everything was as it should be, Haku arrived at Zeniba's house, once again in perfect health. It was then that Chihiro realized who Haku really was. Just like Yubaba had done to her, the old witch had stolen Haku's name. But Chihiro knew what it was, and with his name restored to him, the river spirit was able to break free from Yubaba's spell.

When they returned to the bathhouse, Chihiro discovered that Yubaba and Haku had made an agreement to return her and her parents back to the spirit world if she passed one final test, which she did. Chihiro's contract was torn up, or completely obliterated to be precise, and she and her parents got to go home.

Chihiro sighed. Not for the first time did she find herself wishing that she had failed Yubaba's test. Not that she wanted her parents to remain pigs, but she wished she could have stayed. She hadn't realized it back then, but as the days went by, Chihiro began to realize that her home was the place she had just left. She missed everyone so much, even the old hag Yubaba. Oh, what she would do to go back to the spirit world. Or better yet, to be able to go back in time and prevented herself from leaving to begin with.

"Why did I leave?" she whispered to herself.

"What'd you say, Chihiro?"

Chihiro snapped back to reality as the person next to her spoke to her. She turned red with embarrassment as she realized she had gone off into another daydream again. She was supposed to be concentrating. She was in class right now and needed to keep her mind open.

Chihiro was currently attending college. She was majoring in the field of art. She was a very good drawer as well as painter. Strangely enough, she specialized in drawing dragons. In fact, that's exactly what she was drawing now.

"Nice drawing." Said the girl who had spoken to her earlier.

Chihiro smiled. "Thanks Mimi."

Her drawing was very good indeed, and very detailed. It was the drawing of a large dragon bursting up from out of a river, with a young girl of 10 on its back. Several strange creatures stood on the edge of the riverbank. Two old women that looked exactly alike, although one looked grouchy, stood next to a very large baby. A spider like man stood a short distance away surrounded by small black spots with eyes. Feeding these little puffballs was a woman in her late twenties. And next to her stood a shadowy black figure, wearing a mask over his non-existing face.

"You know," said Mimi, pointing to the girl on the dragon's back, "she kind of looks like you."

Chihiro laughed; Mimi had hit the nail on the head. "Yeah, I guess she does."

"What do you mean, you guess? You must have known what you were drawing. I see you used your favorite dragon again. So what do you call this one?"

Chihiro laid her drawing down. "I call it 'Sen and the Spirit of the Kohaku River'. " She replied.

Mimi rolled her eyes. "I swear you're obsessed with that river. I can't believe you love a river you almost drowned in. I'd be scared to death of it."

Chihiro couldn't blame her. Mimi didn't understand things the way she did.

"The river saved me." She replied.

"And almost killed you." said Mimi, sounding bored. "Besides, that river is all covered up now anyway. Although I still don't understand what the big deal is."

' No one does.' Thought Chihiro, as she ran her finger over the dragon's face.

Class ended a few minutes later. Chihiro packed her things up and got ready to head home. No, not home. Her home was the spirit world. She saw the small apartment she lived in now as her current residence, not her home. No place had ever felt like home since she left the spirit world, and she had the feeling that nowhere ever would.

Chihiro wanted desperately to return to the spirit world. She had tried on several occasions. She had walked down the path that led to the spirit world so many times that she was surprised it didn't have a groove in it. But no matter how many times she walked down that path, she never came out in the spirit world.

Twelve years. It had been twelve years! How much longer was Haku going to keep her waiting? Did he even remember his promise? Had he just said they would see each other again to make her leave? Chihiro didn't want to believe that. She wanted to believe Haku truly meant what he said. But 12 years was a long time, and she was beginning to have her doubts.

Then again, spirits didn't die unless they were killed, which was a very difficult thing to do. So time wasn't exactly the same for them. In fact, spirits probably saw 12 years as humans saw days; not that long at all. But Chihiro was human, and 12 years was a very, very long time to her.

"Hey Chihiro!" called Mimi, bringing the girl out of her thoughts again. "Me and some of the girls are going to go out for a night in the town. Want to come? It will be a girl's night out."

Chihiro gave her friend an appreciative smile and shook her head. "No thanks, I've got other things to do."

Mimi frowned. "You sure, we're gonna go boy watching later. Come on, we could meet some real cute guys."

Chihiro just shook her head again. "Really, I don't want to. You guys go have fun."

Mimi sighed and gave up. "Ok, if you say so." She turned to leave but then stopped. "By the way, when do we get to meet him?"

Chihiro froze. "Who?"

Mimi cut her eyes at her. "Don't play dumb. We can all see it. Who is he? Come on, give us a hint."

Blushing furiously, Chihiro turned away. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Liar!" Chihiro made an attempt to get away, but Mimi moved to stand in her way. "Don't deny it! It's written all over your face." Chihiro remained silent. Mimi sighed and folded her arms. "Chihiro, come on, how long have we known each other?"

"Three years." Chihiro replied.

"And four months." Mimi added. "And in all that time you haven't once been able to fool me. I've known it for a long time. I've been patient, waiting for you to spill the beans, but you never say anything. I've tried wheedling it out of you, but you're just so stubborn. Why won't you tell me?"

Chihiro didn't say anything. How could she say that her thoughts were always on a certain river spirit that she hadn't seen in 12 years? Everyone would think she was crazy.

"Is he married? Does he have a girlfriend? Does he live far away?" Mimi kept throwing all the questions at her. But Chihiro wouldn't crack. "Speak to me, girl! You're going to drive me crazy!"

Chihiro laughed. Mimi could really be a nuisance at times. But she was a good friend. One of the few Chihiro had in this world. Ever since her little run in with the spirit world, she never really reconnected with the human world. She didn't have many friends. She went to school and she went to work just like anyone else would, but then she went home and just hung out there. She just felt so misunderstood. She didn't feel like she belonged here.

' That's because I don't.' she thought. 'I don't belong here. I want to go home. To my real home.'

The sound of Mimi snapping her fingers in front of her face brought Chihiro out of her thoughts.

"Hello? Earth to Chihiro. You still in there?"

"Huh, oh sorry, what were you saying?"

Mimi slapped her forehead in frustration. She felt a major headache coming on. "Come on, I can keep a secret. Are you going to tell me willingly, or am I going to have to get April to come get it out of you?"

Chihiro's mouth dropped open from Mimi's threat. She knew her friend could keep a secret, but April, the school's biggest gossip girl, definitely couldn't. She was excellent at getting things out of people and anything she found out would become public knowledge by the end of the day.

Chihiro sighed and gave in. Mimi smirked at the look of defeat on her friend's face. She pushed her into a chair and sat in one across from her. "Start talking!" she demanded.

Chihiro never spoke to anyone, not even her parents, about what had happened all those years ago. She wasn't about to start now. Besides, everyone would think she was crazy. But since Mimi was forcing her to talk, she decided to just give enough information to satisfy her friend's curiosity.

"His name was Haku." She said, but before she could go one Mimi interrupted her.

"Was he hot? Muscular? Tall? Handsome? Give me details!"

Chihiro smiled at her friend's impatience. "I haven't seen him in 12 years."

"WHAT?" cried Mimi. "You're carrying a torch for a guy you haven't seen in 12 years."

Chihiro blushed. "I never said-"

"You didn't have to. I told you, it's written all over your face."

Chihiro groaned at her body's betrayal. "Ok, yes I am. And so what if it was 12 years ago. We promised we would see each other again."

Mimi snorted. "Girl, a promise doesn't mean anything. Guys will say anything to get in your pants."

Now Chihiro turned red with embarrassment as well as anger. "IT WASN'T LIKE THAT!" she cried. She dropped her voice so she wouldn't attract attention. "At least, not at the time. I was only 10."

"You were 10?" exclaimed Mimi.

"Mimi, I said it had been 12 years." Chihiro chuckled.

Realization dawned on Mimi's face. "I always was bad at math. But still, 12 years! And you haven't seen or heard from him once?"

"I never said I haven't heard from him."

"But you haven't."

Chihiro didn't say anything. Mimi nodded, knowing that she was right. "Girl, it's really sweet and romantic that you have a love that you've waited 12 years for, but seriously, you need to move on. Your Haku has."

"No he hasn't!" Chihiro cried, trying to convince herself more than Mimi. She wasn't even sure if Haku felt that way about her. How could he? He was a powerful river spirit, she was a human mortal. It could never work, no matter how much she wished it could. Maybe he did forget about her. Maybe he saw her as a scared little girl and pitied her.

"Chihiro, listen to me." Said Mimi, trying to get through to her friend. "You can't spend your whole life chasing after a guy who wouldn't even bother to write a single letter."

"We kind of live far away." Said Chihiro. 'More like different worlds.' She added mentally.

"You have to move on. Just face it. You had a schoolgirl crush, that's all. Once you get a boyfriend you'll forget all about Kahu."

"Haku." Chihiro corrected her.

"Right him." Said Mimi. She looked at her watch. "Well, this has been fun, but I gotta go. You sure you don't wanna come?"

She put on a sad puppy face, which Chihiro laughed at, shaking her head.

"No really, I'm fine." She assured her. "You go and have fun for both of us."

Mimi sighed in defeat. "Alright fine. I can't make you change your mind. But just think about what I said. See you Monday."

"See you."

Chihiro was left alone. It seemed like she was alone a lot. It wasn't that she liked to be alone or anything, she just always felt like such an outcast, like she didn't belong. She once again found herself wishing she had failed Yubaba's test, or at least looked back while passing through the spirit gate.

"I guess a part of me was left behind." She muttered, as she headed for her car.

She threw her things in the backseat and started up the engine. She wasn't planning on going home though. She was going to a place she visited almost as much as the entrance to the spirit world.

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After driving for a good long while, Chihiro finally arrived at her destination. She had wasted so much gas money driving all this way so many times, but it was worth every penny and more.

To a normal person, no one would see why this place was special; it was just a bunch of apartments. To Chihiro, this was a very special place. It was where the Kohaku River once was. Now it was all covered up, flowing beneath the apartments, but there were still a few streams that connected to the river before it moved under ground. This was the closest place she could get to Haku.

Chihiro slowly made her way over to a stream. She took off her shoes and socks and sat on the ground, letting her feet soak in the cool water.

"Hello Haku." She said to the water. "It's been awhile. Sorry I couldn't visit sooner, but I've been busy."

As usual, she was greeted with silence. She didn't know why she still expected an answer. She had received none in 12 years.

"I made another drawing of us and the gang. Look."

She took out her drawing and held it to the water, as if this would somehow allow the river spirit to see it.

Chihiro sighed sadly. "I miss you all so much. Granny, Lin, No-Face, and especially you."

She put the drawing away and went back to staring at the water. She felt tears coming on but she held them back.

"I want to see you all again. I wish I never left. If it wasn't for my parents, I don't think I ever would have. And if you hadn't promised to see me again, I know that I wouldn't have left." She looked up into the sky, almost as if she thought she would see Haku coming for her. But once again, she was let down.

"But where are you? I've waited so long." She suddenly began getting angry. "It's been 12 years, Haku! Do you know what that's like? I feel like an outcast among my own people! The only place that ever felt like home is a place I can't go to! I feel so lost here! I've been waiting all this time to see you again, yet you still haven't fulfilled your promise!"

She glared at the water, but only saw her angry distorted reflection. It just made her angrier.

"You could at least acknowledge my presence! I don't come all the way out here just to talk to myself! For goodness sake, Haku, I can't stop thinking about you and the others. I lay awake at night hoping you'll come for me, but you never do! How long do you expect me to wait! I don't live forever like you do! I have to live my own life, but I don't have a life here!"

When she still got no answer, she angrily kicked the water.

"Can you even hear me? If so, why don't you answer? Was I really just some foolish little girl that you felt sorry for?" She was talking more to herself now than to anyone else. Her anger slowly turned to a sad empty feeling. "Was Mimi right? Did you move on and forget about me? If you have, that hurts, Haku. It hurts more than anything you can imagine."

She couldn't stop the tears now. They fell freely down her face and into the water, becoming a part of the Kohaku River.

"I shouldn't have left. I wish I never did. I don't belong here. I've tried to get back, but I can't. Please come for me Haku."

She didn't know how long she sat there crying, but the sun was beginning to set and it was getting cold. Reluctantly, Chihiro got up and put her socks and shoes on. She turned back to the water to say goodbye.

"I have to go now." She said, patting the water. "I don't know when I'll be back. I plan on trying to get through the spirit gate again tomorrow. Maybe this time I'll finally get through. Goodbye Haku. I miss you dearly."

She made her way back to her car and began the long lonely ride back home. It was dark by the time she reached her apartment. Tomorrow she would be able to sleep in, but then she would have to go to work. It was just a temporary job, and it wasn't all that enjoyable. She would much rather work under contract at the bathhouse again. She really missed it.

After showering and getting settled in for the night, she climbed into bed and thought about the day. Mimi's words continued to haunt her. She didn't want to believe that Haku had broken his promise. She didn't want to believe that she would never see the spirit world again. She didn't want to believe she would never see any of her friends again. But it had been 12 years. How much longer could she wait?

"Please Haku." She whispered, tears forming in her eyes again. "Please keep your promise."

And just like so many other nights, she cried herself into a sleep where she dreamed of Haku and the spirit world.

Chapter 2: Living in the Human World
The annoying sound of her alarm clock woke her up. Even on the weekend she had to get up early; well, earlier than she would have preferred. Then again, if it hadn't been for her little trip the day before, she wouldn't have been up so late.

The reason she was getting up early was because she had to go to work. She worked part time at a small coffee shop while she attended classes. During the weekdays she worked were normally night hours, since she attended class, and morning hours on the weekends. She normally worked 20-25 hours a week. It wasn't so bad, but Chihiro preferred the bathhouse.

Groaning, Chihiro rolled over and turned off her alarm clock. She wanted to roll over and go back to sleep. She was too tired to worry about getting to work on time.

' It's your fault you were out so late.' Her conscience scolded her.

"I know! I know!" she yelled back at it. "Fine, I'm getting up."

Throwing back the covers, Chihiro got out of bed. She shivered and grabbed her robe. Why was it always so cold in the morning? She went into the bathroom and caught sight of herself in the mirror. EEK! Shouldn't have looked. She was having a massive bad hair day, no doubt from her constant moving about in an uneasy slumber. Her hair was much longer than when she was younger, and at the moment it was all tangled and sticking up all over the place.

"This is going to make me late for work." She complained, glancing at the clock. "Why do I always cut it so close?"

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"Miss Ogino, late again I see." Said her boss.

Chihiro stumbled into the coffee shop 8 minutes later than she should have been there. Her boss was nice, but he had very little patience when it came to having his employees arrive late.

"I'm very sorry, sir." She said, bowing her head. "I had a little trouble this morning."

The boss sighed. "Just don't let it happen again. You're an excellent worker; I'd hate to lose you."

"Yes, sir. I'm very sorry." Chihiro apologized again.

The rest of her shift went pretty much the way it always did. Nothing exciting ever happened. It was a small quiet place. It was very dull. There wasn't all that much to do. The boss insisted that everyone should always be doing something, but sometimes it was hard to find anything to do. The best thing about the job, besides the pay, was a free coffee and pastry everyday.

Sometimes the shifts went by quickly, other times they took forever. Today just happened to be one of those days that seemed to never end, even though it was only a 5 hour shift.

The bell rang, indicating someone entered the shop.

"Miss Ogino, care to take this one?" asked the boss.

"Yes, sir." Chihiro replied.

She approached the man that had just entered. "Hello sir, Welcome to our shop."

The man smiled at her. His eyes looked her up and down. Chihiro felt like she was being examined. She didn't like it.

"This way, sir, I'll show you to your table." She said. Always serve your customers with a smile. "What can I get for you?"

The man was still checking her out. "I'll just have a hazel nut coffee, please. With extra cream."

"Yes sir, I'll get it for you right away." She was actually glad to get away from the man. She felt uncomfortable under his gaze.

While she was in the back, one of her co-worker couldn't help but make a comment about her customer. "Wow, Chihiro, that guy was checking you out."

Chihiro sent her fellow employee a death glare. "Oh shut up!" she snapped, as she prepared her customer's order.

A minute later, she returned to the table with her customer's coffee. "Here you are, sir." She said, setting down the coffee. "Extra cream, just like you wanted."

The man smiled and took the coffee. "Thank you, my dear."

Chihiro gave him a very forced smile. "You're welcome. Is there anything else I can get for you?"

The man shook his head. "Just the bill."

Chihiro didn't waste a second. She didn't like the way this man kept looking at her, and was eager to get him away. She returned with the bill as quick as possible.

"Here you are, sir. Have a great day." She said and turned to walk away.

"Ma'am."

Chihiro stopped. She began grinding her teeth in irritation. Why couldn't this man just pay and leave?

She turned back to the man, turning her scowl into a smile. "Yes sir? Was there something else I could get for you?"

The man shook his head. "Not while you're working. If you would like, I would be happy to buy you a coffee when your shift ends."

' Is he asking me out?' thought Chihiro, panicking. 'Oh no, think fast Chihiro.' She gave him the most sympathetic look she could muster through her irritation. "Uh, no thanks. I get a free coffee everyday." She said. "And I have a boyfriend!" she added quickly.

The co-worker she had spoken to in the back chose that moment to pass by. "Since when?" they asked.

Chihiro wanted to strangle them. Why did they have to open their big mouth? Now what would the man say?

"I've had one for awhile now!" she said, more forcefully than she meant.

The man either knew she was lying or didn't care. "Just because you have a boyfriend shouldn't stop you from coming to dinner with me."

' Oh, so now it's dinner.' Thought Chihiro. She decided to make a run for it. "No thank you, sir. I have to get back to work."

She didn't wait for a reply as she sped back into the kitchen. She didn't come back out until she was sure the man was gone.

"Geez Chihiro, you don't give any guys a chance." Said her co-worker. "That guy was really hot."

"Then you date him!" Chihiro snapped.

What she had told the man was only part true. She may not have had a boyfriend, but someone did have her heart.

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Chihiro returned home to her apartment and flopped down on the bed. She was still exhausted from the lack of sleep the night before. She decided to take a nap when-

The phone rang. Chihiro groaned and gave the phone a death glare, as if that would make it stop ringing. She just couldn't catch a break today.

Groaning Chihiro picked up the phone and held it to her ear. "Hello." She muttered.

" Chihiro sweetie, it's mom." Came Mrs. Ogino's voice from the other line.

Chihiro yawned. "Hi mom. How are you and dad?"

" Oh, we're just fine dear." Her mother replied. "You're father's right here. Hold on, I'll put you on speakerâ€¦ Can you hear me?"

Chihiro nodded, then realizing that her parents couldn't hear a nod, she answered. "Yup, can you hear me?"

" Sure can." That was her father. "How are things there, honey?"

"Ok, I guess." Chihiro muttered.

It was always just 'ok'. Things had always been either 'just ok' or 'not so good', ever since that day 12 years ago.

" How is your schooling going?" asked Mr. Ogino.

"Just fine."

" I still don't know why you wanted to stay there. There is a perfectly good art school here."

Chihiro sighed. "I know. I just can't bring myself to leave this place."

That was actually only part true. She couldn't bring herself to leave the town she was in because then she would lose any opportunity to go to the spirit world again. If she ever did manage to get through the spirit gate, she would leave her old town in a second and never return.

' Just like I should have.' She thought.

Her parents had been slightly disappointed when she had refused to move with them. Her father had gotten a new job, which required the Ogino family to move. Chihiro didn't want to leave, and since she was 18 at the time she stayed behind while her parents left. She took up residence in the apartment she was currently staying in and got a job at the coffee shop to pay rent and continue her schooling.

The town actually had no impact on why she stayed. She had moved before, she could move again if she had to. The thing she had absolutely refused to leave was the only place that held a doorway to the spirit world; well, as far as she knew it was the only one. She had been living her life in hopes that she would one day be able to pass through that gate once again. Sadly, that hope was beginning to disappear.

" Well we were just calling in to see how you were doing." Said Mrs. Ogino. "What have you been doing with yourself?"

"The usual." Chihiro replied sleepily. "Going to school. Working. All the- yawn -regular everyday stuff."

" Chihiro dear, why do you sound so tired?" asked her mother, sounding concerned. "Are you getting sick?"

Chihiro rolled over onto her back. "No, I was just up really late last night."

" Really!" exclaimed her mother. "With who? Did you finally get a boyfriend?"

" Who is he?" Mr. Ogino demanded, suddenly becoming the overprotective father.

Chihiro sighed. "It wasn't anything like that." She said, rolling her eyes. "I was just up late."

The other line was silent for a bit before Mrs. Ogino spoke up again. "Chihiro, you didn't go back to that river again, did you?"

Chihiro tensed up. Her parents didn't like her constant trips to their old town. They found it strange that she would be willing to take a very long road trip just to spend a few hours by a river; one that nearly drowned her no less.

"Uh... maybe..." she muttered. "Why?"

" Chihiro, you know we don't like you going there." Said her father.

' If only they knew.' She thought. "There are just so many memories there." She said. She used this excuse every time this conversation was caught up. She was surprised her parents still bought it. She didn't go back for the memories, she went there to be close to Haku; since it was the only way she could be.

" How late were you up?" her mother asked.

"Um... not sure." She said honestly. She really didn't know how late she was up, but it was late enough to make her want to take a nice long nap.

" Well you shouldn't stay up so late, it's bad for your health."

"I know, mom."

" Good, then we'll let you rest."

"Thank you." Chihiro replied, truly grateful. She was exhausted.

" Ok then, take care of yourself."

" And don't stay up so late." Her father added.

"Ok dad, bye."

" Bye dear, we love you."

"Love you too."

Chihiro hung up the phone. Finally, some peace and quiet. Better take it while it was available. She fell asleep a few seconds later, once again dreaming of the spirit world and the life she could have had.

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Chihiro woke up several hours later. One glance at the window showed just how long. The sun was beginning to set.

"Must have been more tired than I thought." She mumbled. "And from the looks of things, I'll be going to bed again in just a few hours."

Chihiro's stomach began growling and she decided to have some dinner. Hopping out of bed, she walked over to the fridge.

"Let's see. What's on the agenda for today?" she said. A quick glance in the fridge indicated that she needed to go grocery shopping. Chihiro sighed. "Guess I'll go out for dinner."

She grabbed her coat and keys and headed outside. It was rather warm out, and she didn't really need a coat, but it was just a precaution. She got in her car and started it up. She noticed she needed to get gas soon. All these trips to the Kohaku River were really costing her, but she didn't really mind.

"Hmm, where to?"

She decided to just drive around until she found a suitable place to eat. She would need to stop for gas on the way too.

After a few minutes of driving, Chihiro came to some territory that was very familiar to her. She had been down this road many times; sadly she had never reached her destination.

' What the heck.' She thought. 'One quick stop can't hurt.'

After all, it was around this time of day that she had first stumbled into the spirit world. She took the turn that led to the path to the spirit gate. How many times had she gone down this path now? She had no idea, but she knew this path like the back of her hand. First came the steep hill, followed by the extremely bumpy road, then the small statue at the end of the path, with the spirit gate behind it. It was here that she parked her car for the thousandth time.

"Well, here we go again." she sighed.

She got out of the car and walked up to the spirit gate. She had done this so many times and was disappointed every time. There would be no spirit world beyond this gate; just a large field surrounded by more woods. It was always the same, always. So it was no surprise that Chihiro didn't expect to find anything on the other side.

Even so, she took a deep breath and walked, once again, to what she hoped was her home.

Chapter 3: Back to the Bathhouse
Twelve years of trying. Twelve years of being let down. Twelve years of disappointment. Chihiro had become so used to being let down that she had no longer expected to find what she was looking for at the end of this tunnel. So it came to a great surprise when she saw something other than the usual empty field. Rather than being surrounded by woods, there was what looked like an abandoned amusement park, or so her father had thought.

Chihiro couldn't believe what she was seeing. For years she had dreamed of this moment. For years she had been let down. Could she finally have made it back after all this time?

"Am I…" she whispered. "Is this… Could I be…"

For some reason, the truth wouldn't register to her. She wanted this for so long. Now that it's happened, she couldn't believe it.

Finally, things began to click into place. "I'm… I'm… back…" She said quietly. An overwhelming joy suddenly filled her, as tears of joy began running down her cheeks. "I'M BACK!"

She couldn't believe it. She had finally made it. She was back. She was home. It was amazing. Everything was just as she remembered it. Form this view anyway. She needed to get closer.

She began making her way in the direction she remembered the bathhouse being in. After a few steps, something unusual happened; she was ankle deep in mud. Chihiro looked behind her. The ground was wet and muddy. It had been dry a moment ago.

Chihiro sank deeper in the mud. No, it was no longer mud. It was muddy water, and getting deeper.

"The water!" she cried.

Memories of what had happened 12 years ago came back to her. When she had tried to get away before, this field had been completely submerged, blocking the only way to the spirit gate. It looked like it was happening again.

"Oh NO!" she cried as the water got deeper, pouring out of the mouth of the frog statue on the other side of what was soon to be a river.

She made a run for it. The water was getting deeper by the second. It was already up to her waist, then her chest, then her neck.

"Almost there! Almost there!" she panted.

But it wasn't easy to run in water, and suddenly she was no longer running. The ground completely vanished beneath her feet.

"Great." She muttered and began swimming.

The water continued to get deeper. Luckily, she was almost to the other side. Just a few more yards and she would be safely back on dry land.

Suddenly she felt something pass by her leg. Something rough and scaly. Chihiro gulped. What was in here with her?

There, she felt it again. And this time she saw something too. It was too dark to make out what it was underwater, but it was big, and whatever it was, was circling around her like a shark.

"Please don't eat me. Please don't eat me. Please don't eat me."

She kept repeating this phrase as she swam faster, yet more carefully. There was an explosion of water as the creature suddenly burst up from underwater. Chihiro got a good look at it, but wished she hadn't. The creature looked like some sort of giant eel monster. And of course it had to have a mouthful of long razor sharp teeth.

Chihiro squealed and swam as fast as she possibly could. The 'eel' darted forward, no longer keeping up the circling shark routine.

"Please don't eat me! Please don't eat me! Please don't eat me!"

Her feet hit the bottom. She began wading as fast as possible. The 'eel' struck and its jaws clamped down over her jacket. Without wasting a second, Chihiro gave up the jacket and scrambled up on land.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she panted, hugging the ground. She looked back at the water, giving it a dirty look. "STUPID EEL!"

The water exploded as the 'eel' launched itself out of the water. Chihiro screamed and crawled out of striking range. The 'eel' just barely missed clamping its jaws on her.

Once she was sure she was far enough away that the 'eel' couldn't reach her, Chihiro laid down to catch her breath.

"That was close." She mumbled. "Five minutes into the spirit world and I almost drown and get eaten."

She took a few minutes to catch her when a bright light flashed in her face. She held up her hand to shield her eyes from the light. It was coming from one of the ships that brought the spirits.

Then Chihiro suddenly realized what she was seeing. She saw the ship, but she saw it through her hand.

"Oh no, I'm disappearing again!" she cried.

This had happened the last time she came here. Haku had provided her with a berry, telling her that unless she ate some food from this world she would disappear. It didn't sound that hard to take care of. The only problem was that she had no food.

Chihiro jumped to her feet and began looking around. "I need some food! Something, anything!"

Her first thought was all the food stands nearby. She made a break for them, hoping she wouldn't disappear. Suddenly she skidded to a halt as a thought hit her. She knew that she needed to eat some food from this world; the only problem was that if she did Yubaba would turn her into a pig or some other animal.

"The old bat." Chihiro growled through clenched teeth.

She was facing quite a dilemma. She could either eat the food of the spirits and get sentenced to the pigpen, or she could fade away. Neither option sounded appealing. Where was Haku when she needed him?

Wait, Haku had been the one to give her the berry last time. She had eaten the food of the spirits then, and Yubaba didn't turn her into a pig. But why? Was it because she didn't take the food and it was given to her? It made sense. Her parents had behaved like pigs so that was their punishment. Maybe, hopefully, if someone gave her food it wouldn't be considered a crime.

Chihiro looked down at herself. She was hardly visible. She had no other choice. She raced for the food stands as fast as her fading legs would take her. The spirits were already about. Most of them were shadow spirits, which only made sense since there were so many shadows in the world. Most of them looked surprised to find a human in their world, while a few just ignored her. She could hear some of them talking about her.

"What's she doing here?"

"Is that a human?"

"Pee-ew, she stinks."

"Get her out of here before I lose my appetite."

If Chihiro hadn't been in such a rush, she might have stopped to find out once and for all why humans stank so badly to spirits. But she didn't have time. She as fading fast.

Quickly she rushed up to the nearest food stand. The spirit in charge of the stand gave her a dirty look.

"Go away, human." It said. "Your money is no good here."

"Please!" Chihiro begged. "I need some food or I'm going to disappear!"

The spirit gave her a curious look. "Do you have any gold?"

"Gold, um, no."

"Then no food for you."

Chihiro knelt down in front of the spirit. "Please, don't let me disappear."

The spirit glared at her. "Get lost or I'll turn you into a cockroach."

Chihiro didn't wait around. She knew this spirit would be of no help to her. She quickly ran to the next closest stand, but was sent away just like last time. It was the same everywhere she went. No one would help her.

"Get lost."

"We don't serve humans."

"You'll stink up my stand."

"I've got more important things to deal with."

"This is food for the spirits, not stinky humans."

Again and again she was refused. The spirits just didn't seem to care about one little human. Chihiro collapsed against one of the food stands and began to weep. Why wouldn't anyone help her? Had she really waited 12 years to come back here just to die before she even got to see Haku again?

A low grunting noise caused her to look up. A shadow spirit was sitting at the food stand looking down at her. He, at least she thought it was a he, had a dish of food in front of him. Chihiro took the opportunity to beg again.

"Excuse me, Mr. Shadow Spirit but I'm in real trouble." She said. The spirit simply cocked its head to the side, as if it were requesting her to continue. "I'm a human, and unless I eat some food from this world I'll disappear. I have no money to buy anything from the stands and no one will give me anything. Can I please, please, please, have just one bite of your food; even if it's just leftovers? Please don't let me fade away."

The shadow spirit continued to stare at her, as if it were considering something. Chihiro began to feel hopeful, until-

"Hey, human!" A spirit, that looked like a cross between a man and a dinosaur, came out from the back of the food stand. "Stop bothering my customers! Go on, get lost before I-"

The shadow spirit held up his hand and made grunting noise. The spirit in charge of the stand gave his customer an odd look, but didn't say anything else. Chihiro looked at the shadow spirit hopefully.

The shadow spirit grabbed a piece of, what looked like chicken, and handed it to Chihiro, who gratefully took it.

"Thank you so much." She said, bowing to it.

The shadow spirit nodded and went back to its meal. Chihiro stared at the food in her hand a moment, not sure if her theory was correct. Did she dare eat the food of the spirits? That question was quickly solved when she noticed she could barely see her hands.

"Please don't turn me into a pig." She prayed, and put the food in her mouth.

It was delicious! No wonder her parents couldn't stop eating the when they came here. But Chihiro was only concerned with one thing, and that was not disappearing. She chewed and swallowed as fast as she could, then slowly opened her eyes. Her hands were already beginning to reappear.

Chihiro sighed and sat back against the wall. Thank goodness it worked. Now the question was, would Yubaba turn her into a pig, or spare her. Only time would tell.

She wasn't sure how long she just sat at the food stand waiting, but the shadow spirit had finished its meal and left without her noticing. And once it was gone, the owner of the food stand was quick to get rid of Chihiro.

"You still here?" it said. "Get lost! Your stink will keep away my customers!"

Chihiro jumped to her feet. She was tired of being told she smelled bad. "I do not stink!" she shouted, a little louder than she meant to.

The spirit pinched his nose. "You do so. You smell like your world; all that pollution and everything. Why don't you go home?"

Chihiro turned away from him and crossed her arms. "I can't. The water is blocking the path. Besides, I am home."

The spirit groaned. "Well then, just get away from my stand."

"FINE!" Chihiro shouted angrily, and stormed away fuming.

As she continued walking away she realized that she wasn't out of the woods yet. She had to get a job or Yubaba would still turn her into some type of animal, or a lump of coal, or some other thing that Chihiro was sure she didn't want to end up as.

'I didn't exactly think past getting back here.' she thought to herself.

She made her way in the direction she knew the bathhouse was in. Yubaba would already know she was here. Whether she recognized her or not probably didn't matter. If she didn't realize Chihiro for who she was, she would probably be treated the way she was the first time she came here. If she did recognize her… well they hadn't exactly been on the best of terms when they had last seen each other.

Soon the bathhouse came into view. Chihiro suddenly got a feeling of finally coming home. But would she be accepted back? Only one way to find out.

Chihiro crossed the bridge, trying, and failing, to blend in with the spirits. Last time she had crossed the bridge Haku had cast a spell that prevented her from being seen as long as she didn't breathe. She wondered what would have happened if she had held her breath the entire time. Unfortunately, a talking frog had startled her and she took a breath.

Carefully, Chihiro made her way into the bathhouse. It was great to be back, but she was feeling slightly awkward at the moment. She looked around for Haku, Lin, or anyone familiar. Eventually she followed the other spirits until she came up to the foreman.

"Hello, welcome, enjoy yourself." The foreman greeted every customer. "Hello, have a nice bath. Welcome, enjoy your stay. Welcome, have a… Hey, you're a human!"

So, she was finally recognized, but only by what she was, not who she was.

Chihiro bowed to him. "Hello Mr. Foreman." She said politely.

"What are you doing here?" the foreman demanded. "You're not supposed to be here. Go away."

Chihiro crossed her arms. "Don't you remember me?" she asked.

The foreman looked surprised by her question. "Recognize you? What are you talking about? We haven't had a human here in years."

Chihiro smiled. It was time to let the cat out of the bag. "Let me guess, not for 12 years, right?"

The foreman nodded. "Yes, but how did you know…" he stopped talking as the truth suddenly hit him. "Wait a minute! Are you? Can you be?"

Chihiro nodded, still smiling. "I knew that would jog your memory."

"SEN!" the foreman cried, jumping from behind the counting and giving her a bone-crushing hug. "Sen, it's so good to see you again!" He let go of her just long enough to scream at the top of his lungs, "HEY EVERYONE, SEN IS BACK!"

Chihiro felt herself turn red with embarrassment as she heard her servant name being muttered all over the bathhouse.

"Sen?"

"Sen's back?"

"She's really back?"

"Look, it is her!"

"She came back!"

"Sen's back! Sen's back! Sen's back!"

The next thing Chihiro knew, she was being surrounded by all the bathhouse's servants, being swamped with greetings and questions.

"Welcome back!"

"How are you?"

"My, how you have grown!"

"You stink again, but I'm glad you're back!"

"Did you miss us?"

"Sen's back! Sen's back! Sen's back!"

Chihiro was beginning to feel awkward from all the attention. Apparently, everyone had missed her as much as she missed them. She kept a look out for Haku and Lin, but couldn't find either of them in the crowd. What she did see was several customers looking very irritated about being ignored.

"Uh, not to be rude or anything," she said, trying not to offend anyone, "but as great as it is to see you all again, I think the customers are getting upset."

The foreman looked at the customers and saw that she was right. "Ok people, back to work! We can all catch up later! Come on, we've got customers here!"

The spirits reluctantly returned to their duties, although some lingered behind a little longer, including the foreman.

"So Sen, how have things been going?" he asked. "We've all really missed you here."

Chihiro smiled. "I missed you all too. It looks like the bathhouse is doing well."

"Yup, business is booming." The foreman replied. "You know, after you left, Yubaba was really in a bad mood for a long time."

Chihiro frowned. "She's not still mad about the whole No-Face incident, is she?" If the old witch still held a grudge against her, this meeting might not be pleasant.

The foreman snorted. "She was pretty upset about the whole thing for awhile, but then she began pestering us about doing a better job. It was all 'why can't you work as good as Sen', or 'I should fire you all and get more humans', or 'Sen was the best worker I ever had, I can't believe I let her go'. She just wouldn't stop talking."

That brightened Chihiro's mood. "She's been comparing you all to me?"

"Criticizing is more like it." The foreman replied. "Hey, maybe now that you're back she'll give it a rest. Uh, that is, if you are back. You are, aren't you?" He sounded really hopeful.

Chihiro nodded. "I hope to be. If Yubaba gives me a job again. I was just on my way to see her."

The foreman looked up at something behind her. "It looks like she wants to see you too."

Chihiro looked at what the foreman was staring at. Circling over their heads was what looked like a crow with the head of an old woman.

"Yu-bird!" Chihiro cried, happy to see her friend. The last time she had seen Yubaba's messenger Zeniba had turned her into a little bird.

Yu-bird squawked loudly and landed on Chihiro's shoulder. Chihiro petted her old friend.

"It's good to see you too." she said. "I'm guessing that Yubaba sent you to get me." Yu-bird nodded. "Well then, best not to keep her waiting." She turned back to the foreman. "It was good to see you again."

"Take care, and don't let the old bat get to you."

Chihiro laughed. "I won't." She was about to leave when she suddenly remembered something important. "Oh, Mr. Foreman, may I have a pencil and paper."

"A pencil and paper?" the foreman repeated. "Uh, sure. Here you go."

"Thanks."

Chihiro took the paper and wrote four simple, yet very important words.

My name is Chihiro.

She hid the paper in her pocket and turned to Yu-bird. "Ok, let's go."

Yu-bird led Chihiro through the bathhouse. It really wasn't necessary since she knew the way, but she wasn't one to complain with spending time with an old friend. It was strange though. She remembered her way through the bathhouse as if she had just been in it yesterday. Right now she was currently at the elevator she had met the Radish Spirit. She remembered Lin saying that this elevator didn't go up any higher. Both Lin and the Radish Spirit had been so nice in helping her reach Yubaba's office. Now that she thought about it, where had the Radish Spirit gone after he had brought her to the correct floor.

"So, you're back."

Chihiro looked up at the voice. It was the strange talking doorknocker that had accused her of being rude for not knocking those 12 years ago.

"Um, hello, again." She said. It was weird talking to a doorknocker.

The doorknocker snorted. "Well, you sure shot up. At least you're not the scrawny little brat you were 12 years ago."

"I was not scrawny!" Chihiro objected.

"Whatever." The doorknocker opened the door, allowing her entry. "Yubaba's expecting you. Can you walk in on your own, or is my master going to have to pull you in again?"

Chihiro merely grunted angrily and stormed past the doorknocker. She heard the knocker mutter something inaudible before closing the door. Yu-bird had stopped flying and settled itself on Chhiro's shoulder. Chihiro didn't mind. Besides, she knew the way to Yubaba's office, even after all this time.

As it turned out, Yubaba's office hadn't changed at all, and neither did the old witch. She looked exactly the same as she did 12 years ago. Still the same blue dress, the same hairstyle, and all the gaudy jewelry. She watched as Chihiro entered the room with a thoughtful look on her face.

"Well now," she said, sounding amused, "this is a pleasant surprise. I must admit that I hadn't expected to see you again."

Chihiro stared at the witch. "I was beginning to think I wouldn't see you here again either."

Yubaba snickered. "Actually, what surprises me the most is that you actually came back. And after the big deal you made about wanting to leave last time, I'm curious to know what made you come back."

Chihiro felt irritated. She could tell that Yubaba was trying to overpower her, but she wouldn't be intimidated. She wasn't the same scared little girl she once was. "Well this time I don't have to worry about my parents being turned into bacon."

Yubaba raised an eyebrow. "So, you're saying that if your parents hadn't been pigs you wouldn't have left?" she asked curiously.

Chihiro didn't have a ready answer. She hadn't been sure back then. She was just a young girl who was worried about her parents. But now she could safely say that yes, she would have stayed.

"Back then, I'm not sure what I would have done." She said. "But now, I can honestly say that I wish I never left."

"Really?" said Yubaba. "May I ask why?"

Chihiro really didn't want to get into her whole personal life with the old witch. She decided to give her a brief summary of how she had been felling these past 12 years.

"Because this place is my home." She said. "I just didn't realize it until after I left. I never felt like I belonged back in the human world. I never reconnected. All I've been wanting to do these past 12 years is to come back."

Yubaba started laughing at Chihiro's speech. "I see. So you decided to come back because you felt like you didn't belong. How sad. Are you sure it didn't have something to do with a certain river spirit, hmm?"

Chihiro tensed up. She would be lying if she didn't say that one of the biggest reasons she came back was because of Haku. It was true that she had never felt like she belonged in the human world, but the Kohaku River spirit was the main reason why she came back.

Yubaba seemed to get the answer she was looking for from the look on Chihiro's face. "Ah, I see my suspicions were correct." She cackled. "I thought there was a little something going on between you and my apprentice."

"I thought he quit being your apprentice." Said Chihiro.

Yubaba 's expression suddenly began angry. "He did, thanks to you. Ever since you gave him back my name he's been doing things his own way."

"So he's still working for you?"

Yubaba snorted. "Of course he's still working for me. I may not be able to control him anymore, but he's still my employee." She sat back in her chair and gave Chihiro a knowing look. "And I assume you're here to get your job back, am I right?"

Chihiro nodded. "Yes ma'am."

Yubaba grinned. Oh how she was going to enjoy this. "And why should I give you your job back?"

Chihiro crossed her arms. "I seem to remember that after my first customer you hugged me in front of everyone saying how the bathhouse made so much money and told everyone to learn from me." She said smugly.

Yubaba seemed shocked by what Chihiro said, as well as the tone she said it in. She immediately took on her high and mighty attitude again. "How dare you speak to me like that! Honestly, what kind of person speaks like that when they're having a job interview?"

Chihiro shrugged. "You asked why you should give me my job back." She replied. "And from what I heard around the bathhouse, you can't stop talking about how good of a worker I was."

Yubaba growled in frustration. This wasn't exactly going as planned. "Don't put words in my mouth!" she cried, slamming her fist on the desk. "Yes, you did do good on the river spirit, but I haven't forgotten the incident with No-Face."

A smile crept up Yubaba's face. She thought she had the human on this one. Little did she know that Chihiro had been expecting this.

"I sincerely apologize for that." She said. "I thought that No-Face was a customer and was only thinking of business for the bathhouse. Everyone else thought he was a customer too. And it was me that got him out of the bathhouse."

"So what!" snapped Yubaba. "Do you have any idea how much damage that stupid monster caused? And all that gold that he gave us wasn't even gold, it was dirt! He cleaned out the kitchen, got a free stay, trashed the bathhouse, and threw up all over the place, even on me!"

Chihiro couldn't help it. She began laughing. Even Yu-bird and the 3-green-heads started laughing.

"Shut up!" shouted Yubaba. Everyone immediately stopped laughing. "And No-Face wasn't the only problem. Did you know that I had been trying to get Zeniba's golden seal for centuries? I finally got it and you returned it to her."

Chihiro glared at the old witch. "First of all, the seal was not yours, so you had no right to take it." She said angrily. "And I thought that returning the seal would help Haku. Would you rather have had him die?"

Yubaba grinded her teeth together. "No, I wouldn't have, but returning the seal wasn't what broke the spell, was it?" Chihiro blushed as she remembered Zeniba saying that love was the only thing that could break the spell. Yubaba didn't appear to notice Chihiro's embarrassment. "And then you go and give Haku back his name. I lost my apprentice because of you!"

Chihiro stamped her foot. "You shouldn't be allowed to take people's names anyway!" she cried. "And I notice that you're only pointing out the things I did wrong. But even for those 'misdeeds', as you call them, they were all intended to be for what was best. And in case you didn't notice, besides the incident with No-Face, everything that you're saying I did wrong was actually your fault."

Yubaba's mouth dropped open at Chihiro's accusation. "What? My fault? What are you talking about?"

Chihiro smiled smugly. "Well, if you hadn't sent Haku to steal your sister's seal, your son and Yu-bird wouldn't have been turned into animals, and I wouldn't have returned the seal to Granny, thus giving Haku his name back, although I'm glad I did."

Yubaba looked very irritated, but also thoughtful. She obviously hadn't thought about it from this perspective. But Chihiro wasn't done yet.

"You know, instead of blaming me for everything, you should be thanking me for saving Haku and bringing your son and Yu-bird back safely. The only thing you really can blame me for is No-Face. But I was still new to everything back then. I didn't know I was doing anything wrong."

Yubaba crossed her arms. "Ok, you have a point, but how do I know you won't make the same mistake twice? I don't want an incident like that happening again."

Was she giving in? Chihiro hoped so. "Well, since this time I plan on staying, I'll have time to learn more about this world."

Yubaba raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so you're staying this time, are you? What if I decide not to give you you're job back?"

Chihiro sighed. Yubaba was really pushing it. She imagined that keeping her in suspense was a bit of revenge for what happened 12 years ago.

'That's an awful long time to hold a grudge.' Thought Chihiro. 'Can't let her get to me though. Must show no weakness.'

Yubaba watched Chihiro carefully, wondering what the girl was thinking about. "Well?" she asked.

Chihiro thought for a moment. Suddenly something Yubaba said those 12 years ago came back to her. Chihiro snickered at what she was about to tell the witch.

"Well, first of all, I'm older and more mature, therefore being a much better worker. But besides that, there's also the fact that I'm asking you for the job. And I remember you saying something about having to give a job to anyone who asks."

Yubaba's mouth dropped open. Chihiro was certain she had this in the bag as she watched Yubaba trying to find some sort of comeback.

"That's… how did… why I…" the old witch stuttered. Chihiro snickered as Yubaba tried to speak. "You can't just… I'm trying… Grr. That stupid oath! Every single time. Give a job to anyone who…" She stopped talking and looked like she was deep in thought. Chihiro didn't see how the witch was going to get out of this one, but the smile on Yubaba's wrinkly face suggested that she had a way. "I believe I may have found a loophole in that oath. Yes, I do have to give a job to anyone who asks, but I already gave you a job. You just quit it. There's nothing in the oath saying that I have to give back your job."

Chihiro was speechless. The old hag had actually managed to get out of her oath. It was a lame excuse, but it looked like she could actually use it. Yubaba grinned at her triumphantly.

"Ha! Now how are you going to get out of that?" she asked smugly.

Chihiro began to panic. She had thought she had this in the bag, but it looked like Yubaba was the one pulling the strings again. Did she want to see her beg? Chihiro would if she had to.

"Please Yubaba, give me my job back." She cried. "Please, I really want to stay."

Yubaba laughed. "Not so confident now, are you? Next time you should think things through more fully before you-"

"MAMA!"

Yubaba was cut off by a loud cry coming from the room next to her. Chihiro knew who's room that was, having been in it once before.

The doors burst open and the biggest baby Chihiro ever saw waddled out, looking like he just woke up.

"Mama, you're being too noisy." The giant baby said. "I'm trying to go nap-nap."

Yubaba smiled up at her giant son. "Bôh, sweetie, mommy's having a meeting." Said Yubaba. "Just go back to sleep and-"

"Sen?" Bôh muttered sleepily, staring hard at Chihiro. His eyes suddenly widdened and he broke out into a huge grin. "SEN!"

The giant baby rushed across the room, shaking everything as if there were an earthquake. He grabbed Chihiro and gave her a bone-crushing hug.

"Sen! You came back! I'm so happy! I missed you so much!" he cried happily. He turned to look at Yubaba. "Look mama, Sen came back!"

Yubaba, obviously amused at Chihiro's discomfort, smiled. "Yes, I see that, dear. Now let her go before you crush her."

Bôh looked down at Chihiro who was turning blue from his hug. He quickly dropped her, grinning apologetically.

"Sorry Sen, I'm just so glad you're back. Are you going to stay this time?" he asked hopefully.

Chihiro massaged her ribs, which were aching from Bôh's hug. "I'm not sure. I would like to, but it all depends on whether you're mom gives me my job back or not."

Bôh turned to Yubaba. "Mama, give Sen her job back!" he demanded. "Please, mama. Please. I want Sen to stay with us forever. Please."

Yubaba groaned. She wasn't very good at denying her son anything he wanted. "Sweetie, that's what we're discussing. I'm trying to decide if it will be worth taking her back."

Bôh looked confused. "But mama, you've been saying for years how you wanted Sen back and how you wished everyone was as good as her." He said.

Chihiro gave Yubaba a look that said 'I knew it'.

Yubaba groaned. "Oh, alright fine. Spoil all my fun."

"Yay!" Bôh cheered happily, along with Yu-bird and the 3-green-heads.

Yubaba reached into her desk and pulled out a contract, which floated over to Chihiro.

"You know what to do." She said. "Just sign and you'll have your job back."

"Ok." Said Chihiro happily. She signed her name. "Uh, does this mean my name is Sen again, or are you giving me a new one?"

Her name floated off the paper and Yubaba snatched it out of the air. "No, Sen is fine. That's how everyone knows you, why bother changing it?"

"Can we play now?" Bôh asked.

Yubaba shook her head. "No Bôh, Sen needs to get settled in first. You two can play later." She turned back to Chihiro. "So, go and get yourself together. You can stay with Lin again if you want; the two of you hit it off pretty well last time."

Chihiro bowed. "Thank you ma'am. And thank you Bôh."

Bôh nodded. "I'll do anything for you Sen." He said. "Come back and play soon."

Chihiro nodded. "I will. See you later."

She left the room and closed the door behind her before leaning back against it, breathing a sigh of relief.

"That was close." She muttered. "If it hadn't been for Bôh, the old hag probably would still be teasing me."

As the moment past, Chihiro suddenly began to be filled with an overwhelming sense of joy. She was back! And this time she was back to stay. But there seemed to be something she was forgetting. Something she was supposed to remember. Suddenly it hit her. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the note she had written earlier. The four simple words on it had so much meaning.

"Chihiro." She whispered. "My name is Chihiro."

Voices
(Any ideas?)