Summary: With no memory of her time in the Spirit Realm that took place more than seven years ago, Chihiro Ogino is content with being a normal teenager. However, an encounter with an other-worldly being forces her to rethink her past, and she soon finds herself in a world where she has supposedly been before.

A/N If you've been following my first Spirited Away story at any given time, you're going to kill me. And if you are one of the few readers who got to read the first two chapters of the second Spirited Away story I put online for approximately twenty-two hours, you're going to kill me as well. *For those of you that don't understand, I recently wrote a second SA fanfiction but quickly deleted the story altogether since it was that bad. I published it on New Year's Eve since I didn't have anything better to do (insert Forever Alone meme here), so not many people know about it.

Anyways, I know that I haven't updated to my first story in quite some time. I really don't have a legitimate reason other than the fact that I think it sucks. I guess that's common in every hobby/profession in the sense that somebody will start a work, leave it alone for a while, then come back to it and realize that he/she can do much better than what was left behind. So while I'll finish the story eventually, I just really wanted to start a new one since inspiration has finally hit me again.

"Come with me."

"For the millionth time, no."

"Why not?" Kagura demanded, moving to stand over the bed where her friend laid. "You don't even know where we're going."

"I don't care."

"Then come! It's not like you're doing anything else right now."

Pathetically enough, it was true. Chihiro Ogino had made absolutely no plans for her Saturday night, and she'd intended on keeping it that way.

It's not like she didn't enjoy having fun. In fact, she detested boredom and sought out anything that was considered remotely enjoyable by a third-year in high school. She'd attended more than one party during the summer with her friends. While she'd never done anything illegal like drugs or underage drinking, she did socialize with fellow peers and dance the night away.

But it wasn't summer anymore. It was fall, and just on the brink of winter, too. Nobody was throwing any parties now, not that it mattered. Kids her age were currently in their respective houses curled up in their respective beds, trying to refill the energy that was lost during the school week. Which is exactly what she'd been trying to do, until Kagura invited herself over to recruit help for a school project.

"I don't care if I'm not doing anything," Chihiro said, rolling on her side, away from her friend. "The last thing I want to do is a school project. I had four tests this week, and I'm exhausted. Go away."

"Oh, c'mon," Kagura begged. "I need you. I still have so much to do, and I haven't even started!"

"When is it due?" Chihiro asked, her voice slightly muffled by her comforter.

"This Monday."

"And when was it assigned?"

"Two months ago."

Chihiro rolled back over to throw her friend a disdainful glance. "You're pathetic."

Contrary to popular belief, Kagura was smart. Incredibly so, actually. She never earned anything less than an A on any of her tests, and she had always been in the top five percentile of her class.

Unfortunately, she just so happened to be the world's most skilled procrastinator in the history of procrastination. She could, and often did, postpone any assignment until the very last minute.

"I'm pathetic? Look at you!" Kagura gestured to Chihiro's body, wrapped up like a sushi roll in a multitude of sheets and blankets. "My grandmother looks more lively than you. And she's been dead for five years!"

"I already told you. I'm tired." Chihiro forced a yawn to back up her statement. "And don't drag me into your school affairs. You should have started this project a while ago."

"Jeez, what is it with everyone lately?" Kagura asked, her eyes cast upward as if waiting for the heavens to give her the answer. "Mai was in bed today, too. You're all so... bleh."

"I can't believe you're not bleh. How do you still have this much energy by the end of the week?"

"Probably the coffee."

"Oh, right," Chihiro mumbled into her pillow. "How could I forget the fifteen cups of coffee you drink per day?"

"Fifteen?" Kagura repeated offendedly. "The most cups I've had in a day is only ten."

"Only?" Chihiro asked, managing to add some degree of disbelief to her sleep-deprived voice.

"Yes, only. The record is eighty-two cups in seven hours. And you're changing the subject." Kagura reached over and stripped the comforter off of Chihiro. "Come with me."

Chihiro shivered against the suddenly cool air, her arm fumbling for the blanket. "No."

"Why not?" Kagura demanded of her friend once again.

Chihiro grabbed the comforter back. "Do you think that asking the same question over and over again will eventually result in a different answer?"

"That's what I'm hoping for."

"I can't go anywhere. I have work to do."

"Nice try. But I think you're forgetting the fact that we've known each other since middle school. If you did have work to do, you'd be getting it out of the way right now instead of lying in bed like a dead person."

Damn. Kagura was sharp.

"My parents won't let me go," Chihiro tried.

"Ah, the classic excuse." Kagura shook her head. "Please. Your parents aren't even here."

"Yeah, but -"

"But nothing. They're far more lenient than my parents when it comes to going out. Besides, where we're going is just a few minutes away. I promise."

Chihiro raked her brain for any other excuse. She found none.

Kagura sighed impatiently. "You're a terrible liar, by the way."

Chihiro turned groggily toward Kagura. "You really want me to go?"

"Yes."

Chihiro sighed. She knew she'd eventually give in to Kagura's request. She always did.

No wonder Kagura's nickname was "Miss Relentless."

"Please?" Kagura asked, proceeding to sit on her blanket-wrapped friend. "Please please please please please -"

"Alright, fine!" Chihiro snapped, sitting up. The sudden movement caused Kagura to fall backwards off the bed and onto the floor. "I'll go with you."

"Yay!" Kagura clapped from her place on the floor.

Normally, Chihiro would have laughed hysterically at her friend's fall, but four tests and an endless supply of homework given over the span of less than a week could definitely leave a teenager feeling drained. That, combined with the fact that the coffee-obsessed, procrastinating Miss Relentless was pestering her on a weekend night did not make Chihiro a very happy camper.

"You know, on some days – today especially – I wonder why I'm even friends with you," Chihiro said as she pushed herself out of bed, directing her gaze to her friend who was still applauding on the floor.

"Because I'm awesome?" Kagura suggested, not at all bothered by Chihiro's hostility as she flipped a blonde strand of hair behind her shoulder.

Chihiro shuffled to her closet on the other end of the room. "If that's the case, then I'll have to ask you to crank this supposed awesomeness down a few notches. It's annoying." She opened her closet and grabbed her winter fleece. She quickly shrugged it on and grabbed her cellphone from her nightstand. "You owe me for this."

"Yeah, yeah," Kagura said. She grabbed Chihiro by the arm and began leading her out of the room and down the stairwell.

"Wait," Chihiro said, stumbling along as she held her phone up to her face.

"Are you texting somebody?"

"Yeah."

"Who?"

"My mother. She and my dad are still at work." She sent Yuko a text explaining that Kagura had whisked her away for something school-related and that she'd be back in time for dinner.

"Seriously? It's getting kind of late." They were nearing the front door.

"Since mom's a teacher, she's probably still at the middle school grading papers or something. And since dad is the manager of some insurance company, he's always the last to leave."

"When do you think they'll get home?"

Chihiro shrugged. "Probably within the next hour or so."

"Don't worry, I'll have you home by then." Kagura flashed a cheesy smile to which Chihiro rolled her eyes.

By that point, they were just getting out the door.

The crisp, late autumn air immediately chilled Chihiro to the bone. Her breaths came out in wispy puffs of steam, and she huddled into herself for warmth. Winter was on its way, its nearness marked by the fine layer of frost that coated the ground.

It was nearing six o'clock in the evening, the sun just an orange, glowing crescent against the flatness of the horizon. It would be completely dark soon.

"By the way," Chihiro started as she climbed into the passenger seat of Kagura's beat-up gray sedan. "You never told me where we're going." She wrinkled up her nose – the interior of the car smelled like coffee.

Kagura started the car and, after cranking up the heat, peeled out of the Ogino's driveway.

"Well, this project is for my economics class."

Chihiro waited. "Okay, so?"

"So," Kagura continued, "part of this project includes an essay about the importance of money management. You know that abandoned amusement park just down the street?"

Chihiro nodded. "Of course." Though she'd never been there, all the locals knew about it.

Rumor had it that staying there past sunset would whisk the visitor into another dimension. But like most urban tales, there was no evidence to support this claim, and the rumor was acknowledged more as a silly children's story.

"My essay is going to be based on the failure of this park," Kagura said as she sped smoothly down the road. "I mean, why not? This park, just like all the others in Japan, was most likely shut down due to financial issues. It definitely goes hand-in-hand with economics."

"Yeah, but why do we have to go there if you're just going to write an essay about it?"

"Like I said, the essay is just a part of the whole project. I need visual evidence to support the essay." Kagura pulled off the main road and into a dirt one. "That's why we're taking pictures."

"You don't own a camera."

Kagura scoffed. "I don't need a camera. I have something called a cellphone."

"It's going to be dark soon."

"Then it's a good thing the cameras in our phones include flash."

"Why couldn't you have used pictures from the internet?"

"Because there are no pictures of this place on the internet. This place doesn't even have a name!"

"Okay, one more question. Why am I going?"

"Because an abandoned anything is creepy, especially at night. There's no way I was going to come here by myself." Kagura shuddered.

"Then you should have come tomorrow during the day and left me out of it altogether."

Kagura shook her head. "I wouldn't have had the time. I figured I'd gather all the visual keys tonight, then do the writing tomorrow."

Chihiro sighed and turned to look out the window.

As the car ventured further into the denseness of the woods, the texture of the road became rockier. Twice, Chihiro was thrown against her seatbelt and had to grab the dashboard to support herself. She did a double-take as they passed a smiling statue that stood in a thicket of trees.

"You're right," Chihiro said, turning to Kagura. "This place is creepy."

Kagura laughed. "We're not even there yet."

The car hit a nasty bump, nearly flinging Chihiro out of her seat.

"Is this safe?" she asked, a small trace of nervousness beginning to form in the underlying tone of her voice.

"Don't worry," Kagura reassured her. "I've got a four-wheel drive."

Chihiro was suddenly hit with a sense of déjà vu. She'd heard that line before.

"Wait, say that again -"

Suddenly, the car braked sharply, its tires struggling to find purchase in the dirt road. Both girls were flung back into their seats, their hearts thumping erratically against their chests. The vehicle painfully made a screeching stop, kicking up a cloud of dust and dirt.

The girls sat in a few beats of stunned silence.

Chihiro was the first to break the tension. "What the hell, Kagura?"

Kagura gave a nervous laugh. "It's a good thing I have fast reflexes."

"What are you talking about? You braked out of nowhere!"

"I braked when I saw that we were about to become roadkill." Kagura pointed out in front of the windshield. "See?"

Chihiro turned and looked. There, sitting directly in front of the car's hood, was a stone statue.

It looked like the one she had just seen in the woods. Its chiseled grin seemed to taunt the girls, saying, You idiots almost crashed into me!

Kagura shut the car off and stepped out. Chihiro promptly followed.

"This would have sliced the car into two," Kagura said, knocking her fist against the stone hardness of the statue.

"Exactly. We could have died!"

"But we didn't," Kagura pointed out. "Thanks to me. You're welcome."

"I knew I shouldn't have come."

"Oh, stop that. This will be fun." Kagura brushed past the statue and stood before the tunnel that it guarded. "The actual park is just on the other side."

The sun was still making its slow descent behind the horizon, casting the scenery in a muted, orange glow. Shadows were beginning to stretch further out, and they would soon blend completely into the darkness of night.

Maple leaves covered the ground here, and Chihiro watched in a strange fascination as the leaves were blown toward the inside of the tunnel.

Another hit of déjà vu.

"Hey, Kagura. Have we ever been here before?"

"Well, I certainly haven't," Kagura said as she scoped out the area. "Mai is the one who gave me the directions to this place. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know," Chihiro said. "I just keep experiencing something like déjà vu."

"Then that probably means you've definitely never been here."

"What?"

Kagura's face sobered into something serious and calculating, which only happened when she was consulting the depths of her photographic memory.

"The feeling of déjà vu is simply the brain failing to relate a current experience to a past one," Kagura explained, a small degree of her intelligence making its first appearance of the night. "So if you think you've been here before but can't remember when, it's likely you've never been here before, period."

"What I'm experiencing seems a bit more complicated than that." Chihiro shuddered.

"Relax," Kagura said, her tone and expression already back to its usual cheery demeanor. "It's all in your head. Now, come on." She grabbed Chihiro by the hand and marched into the darkness of the tunnel.

Chihiro stumbled in the darkness, grasping her friend's arm in a vise-like grip.

"Ow," Kagura complained. "You're just about cutting off my circulation."

"Sorry," Chihiro muttered. "But how are you able to see?"

"I can't. I'm just walking forward."

"Hold on. There's a flashlight feature on my phone." Chihiro dug in her pockets for her phone.

"No need, my friend," Kagura reassured. The last of the sun's light still managed to seep its way into the end of the tunnel, guiding the pair toward the exit.

They emerged from the other side, which led out to a vast, open plain, the long grass nearly up to the girls' knees. A few random statues – a monk, a toad, another grinning figure – were placed randomly about the sloping landscape. To their right sat two small, decaying buildings, their exterior paint jobs long faded and chipped by the constant breeze. To their left was a stone set of stairs that led up to the first glimpse of the abandoned town. Above, stars began to appear in the purple of the sky that separated day from night.

Though eerie as it all was, it was also beautiful.

"I wonder why this place failed," Chihiro wondered aloud.

"Probably due to exorbitant investment," Kagura answered as she set off for the stairs.

"Huh?"

For the second time of the night, Kagura's expression became cool and pragmatic as she formulated a coherent answer.

"The original owner probably put most of his money into the construction of this park in hopes of receiving the payments back twofold once customers began pouring in." Kagura sighed as if she felt sorry for the owner. "Obviously, this park didn't receive its anticipated income."

"So it was shut down?"

Kagura nodded. "Harder than that guy you rejected last week."

Chihiro blushed. "'That guy' has a name. Tamaki."

"Whatever."

"Anyway," Chihiro said once they reached the top of the stairs. "It's so beautiful here. I don't understand why enough people didn't come here just for the sights."

"The sights?" Kagura scoffed. "Keep in mind that Japan's stock market crashed back in 1989. Wages were reduced dramatically. Who knows if that had anything to do with it?"

"Wow, Kagura." Chihiro was impressed. "It sounds like you know quite a bit about financial history."

Kagura nodded in quiet flattery, eating up the compliment. "I did my research."

"If that's the case, then why did you bring me here? You could have written up your report tonight."

Kagura pulled out her phone. "Visual evidence, remember?"

"Oh, right."

"Now, start snapping!" Kagura commanded. She bounded up the path that led into the town, quickly disappearing from Chihiro's sight.

Chihiro scratched her head in confusion. Kagura was the one who didn't want to come here alone, and now she was hurdling solo off into the sunset.

She pulled out her own phone. She turned and stood at the edge of the stairs, preparing to take a scenic photo of the clock tower they had come from.

Don't look back.

Chihiro spun around so fast her phone flew out of her hand and clattered against the ground.

She half-expected Kagura to be behind her, but there was no sign of anybody around. There was no source or explanation to the voice she'd just heard.

"Kagura?" she called out into the emptiness.

Now go... and don't look back.

Chihiro gasped. There it was again. And this time, the image of two, smiling green eyes suddenly appeared in her mind.

This was beyond déjà vu. She'd seen those eyes before. She knew them. She'd even dreamed of them on more than one occasion.

But who they belonged to was beyond her.

She didn't like the vibes that were radiating off this place. This mysterious voice was telling her to go and not look back, and she would happily comply. She just had to find Kagura first. And fast.

She scooped her phone off the ground and dialed Kagura's number.

After a few rings, she went straight to voicemail. She grit her teeth in frustration. Instead of leaving a message at the tone, she sprinted right into the town where she had last seen her friend.

"Kagura?" Her voice bounced off the empty shops and vendors, resounding through the streets.

There was no answer.

"Kagura? We have to go," Chihiro tried again as she jogged through the abandoned town.

Still, there was no answer.

A stab of panic began to pump its way through her body. Where could Kagura have gone, and why wasn't she answering?

Chihiro was rounding the corner of a building when she ran straight into somebody's torso. With an audible gasp, she fell straight onto her backside.

"Kagura!" Chihiro exclaimed as she brushed herself off. "Where have you been? I called your cell and you didn't answer."

Chihiro looked up and blanched. This person was definitely not Kagura.

He stood before her, tall and proud. He appeared to be about nineteen or twenty years old, not much older than her. He wore expensive-looking leather shoes, a pair of dark-wash jeans, and a collared black t-shirt. His arms were folded across his chest as he peered both curiously and condescendingly down at Chihiro.

His facial features are what caught the most attention, however. Even in the dimming sunlight, she could see that his messy hair was an astonishing hue of bright red, the kind that only came in artificial hair dyes. And those eyes that seemed to judge her entirety from head to toe were practically glowing neon yellow - he had to be wearing colored contact lenses. Natural eye color just didn't come in that shade.

Mr. False-hair-false-eyes continued to watch Chihiro without uttering a single word, and Chihiro suppressed a shiver of uncertainty at his sudden presence.

She stood up and tentatively approached this stranger. "I'm sorry for running into you. I didn't know that anybody else would be here."

Mr. False arched an eyebrow at her apology, still saying nothing.

Chihiro fidgeted under his gaze. "Um, you haven't happened to see a blonde girl run by, have you? She's about my height and age." She waited for an answer but was met with more silence. "I'm assuming that's a no. Well, I'd appreciate it if you could keep an eye out. If you see her, could you tell her that -"

He snorted. Something in what she said was funny to him.

Chihiro bit her lip. "Is something wrong?"

Mr. False shook his head in disbelief. "Why would I waste my time in helping you?"

Chihiro raised her eyebrows, taken aback by his unjustified rudeness. "Because it's the nice thing to do?"

He exhaled sharply. "Your kind always takes and never gives."

"I only asked if you've seen my friend."

He ignored her. "I'd love to see the day when a human helps me."

"Excuse me?"

"If anything, you should be bowing down to me. Don't you know when you're in the presence of a higher being?"

Either this guy was so indulged in his peculiar appearance that he sincerely thought he wasn't human, or he was one hell of an actor.

"What are you doing here, anyways?" Mr. False continued. "This place is forbidden to the likes of you."

"Really?" Chihiro snapped. "Gee, I didn't know this ghost town of an amusement park was owned by an arrogant redhead."

He didn't want to be nice? Fine. But he'd better expect to receive the same amount of maliciousness that he was showing her.

"What did you say?" he demanded, having the nerve to look offended. "Is a human actually showing me a form of disrespect?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you're still a human even if you dye your hair and wear contacts?" Chihiro asked, placing her hands on her hips. "Enough with the act already."

"You think these are fake?" Mr. False gestured to his hair and eyes. "These are all natural."

One day, this guy would either find himself on the grand stage of a Broadway production, or inside the barred room of a mental hospital.

Chihiro personally thought the latter option was more likely to happen. "You're insane."

"Could it be that you're just attracted to my good looks? I know that humans show their affection in different ways."

Chihiro's jaw dropped. "What?"

Mr. False nodded. "I knew it. You humans are suckers for beauty. It's sad, really."

Chihiro waited for the punchline of his joke, but he was being completely serious as far as she could see.

She fought the urge to puke. She had never met a more self-entitled, actor-wannabe of a brat in her whole entire life. There were a few runner-ups, like the spoiled kids who attended her town's elite private school, but this guy beat them by a landslide in the department of arrogance.

"I think it's safe to say that this sunny personality of yours negates any other aspect of your entire being," Chihiro spat, her voice dripping with venom. "I am so not attracted to you in any way, shape, or form. Get over yourself."

Mr. False shook his head. "That's not possible. My genes are far superior than yours. Perfect genes equal perfect looks, right?" Mr. False threw up his hands in a gesture that said, What can you do? "It's how my kind ensures survival."

She couldn't believe this guy. So he remained mute when asked about Kagura, but once his appearance was up for negotiation, he couldn't close his mouth. Unbelievable.

"And what is your kind, might I ask?" Chihiro cocked her head to the side in feigned curiosity. "Is it a group of audacious, egotistical jerks who step all over those who cross their paths? Or is it a ward of escaped schizophrenic patients with no real grasp of the real world?"

He blinked at her. "You're a stubborn one, aren't you?"

"Well, I'd rather be stubborn than an arrogant son-of-a-"

"Chihiro!"

She turned around in time to see Kagura running toward her. "Kagura! Where were you?"

Kagura stopped when she reached Chihiro. "I was taking pictures on the other side of this town. I came looking for you when I heard you shouting my name."

"Didn't you get my call?"

Kagura displayed a sheepish grin. "Yeah, I kind of ignored that."

"Kagura!"

"I'm sorry! It's just that I was in the middle of taking shots of this really big, red building. You should go see it – it's gorgeous!"

"Not now," Chihiro said, suddenly remembering why she had called Kagura in the first place. "We have to go."

"Why? What's the rush?"

"I'll explain later."

"Did you get any pictures?" Kagura asked.

"What? No."

"What do you mean, 'no'?" Kagura demanded. "What have you been doing this whole time?"

"Well, first I ran through the streets of this place trying to find you, and then I discovered this jerk." Chihiro pointed behind her.

Kagura peered around her. "Um, who?"

Chihiro looked back. Mr. False was nowhere to be seen.

"How is this possible?" She looked all around. Nobody just disappeared like that. "He was just here!"

"Who was?"

"That guy I met!"

"Chihiro, when I was running up to you, I didn't see anybody."

"Seriously?" Chihiro asked. "You didn't see that guy with the red hair and yellow eyes?"

There was a pause.

"I think it's time we started heading home," Kagura said as she began making her way out of the town.

A/N Ah, I just loved writing Mr. False into the story (just in case you didn't already guess this, "Mr. False" is not this guy's real name). I had my friend read over this chapter, and she expressed her concern over what Mr. False is. Though I didn't want to give anything away, I feel the need to say that he is, in fact, NOT a vampire; that's what my friend thought he was, and I didn't want readers thinking the same thing since that could be a major turnoff for some.

Anyway, thanks for reading!