Legal Disclaimer: This is a fanfic. I own none of the characters, nor the setting. Don't sue me.
While You Were Gone
Chapter Two
Nine years had not changed the ostentatious decor of the bath house. Yubaba had prided herself on offering high class service to the spirits in a building that gleamed with wealth. That much had definitely not changed. Chihiro frowned, trying to remember specifics from her dreams - no, her past - but her memories stayed securely hidden. Frustration threatened to bubble up inside of her. She wanted to remember. She wanted to understand her relationship with Haku, to understand what had happened between herself and Yubaba.
Yubaba's office had not changed. The entire scene held eerie similarities to the first time she had come here. The only difference - and perhaps most important - was Haku's presence as a friend. Chihiro fidgeted slightly, twisting the hem of her tank top between the fore and middle fingers of her left hand. She shifted her weight to her left foot, and scuffed the carpet with her right. It felt plush beneath her toes, as soft as it looked.
Yubaba settled behind her desk with a pleased grin, leaning back in her seat. "Now then. Nice and settled. Isn't that right. Sit, sit."
She waved her hand as she spoke, and a chair flew away from the wall and came to rest behind Chihiro, nudging insistently at the back of her knees. Rather than act stubborn, she sat. Haku settled into a seat beside her, and the silence stretched between the three of them. Sitting in Yubaba's presence felt wrong, as though something terrible might happen. To sit before her felt too much like she considered them equals. Chihiro didn't remember enough to be certain, but she had a feeling that Yubaba didn't consider anyone her equal.
The witch lit up a thick cigar, and Chihiro frowned. While it wasn't entirely out of character, the image seemed wrong...it didn't fit with something her subconscious knew. Haku sat in studied silence. He stared at Yubaba. His gaze bored into the witch, challenging and more than a little unfriendly.
"Oh, don't look at me like that, Haku. You've worked for me long enough to know what this is about."
A nasty smile spread on her lips, and Chihiro felt a shiver pass through her. The sinister smile made her feel a lot like a fly caught in a spider's web. She could only wait while the spider began to wrap her in it's silk.
"What do you want with Chihiro," Haku asked. Ice had nothing on how cold his voice sounded.
"You know what I want." Yubaba exhaled. Smoke hung heavy in the air, curling around her massive head and mountain of hair like a snake.
"But I don't," Chihiro said.
Yubaba frowned at her. Her eyes narrowed, and she leaned through the smoke to stare Chihiro down. "Don't know? Do you expect me to belie-"
"Her memories are still lost." The words came with an almost pained sound from Haku, and Chihiro looked from him to Yubaba in confusion. The witch was smiling all too happily at those words.
"Doesn't remember me, hmm? At least not in full. Not yet." A delighted cackle escaped her. "But I suppose you won't let me get her secured in the wrong kind of contract, will you Haku?"
Relief spread through Chihiro as Haku nodded. He looked so serious beside her. She felt like a dope, fidgeting uncomfortably. She knew she had to have that stupid, confused look on her face that she always seemed to get. A bewildered, doe-eyed stare as her mother liked to say. She cleared her throat, drawing both Yubaba's and Haku's attention to her.
"What do you want?"
Yubaba regarded her over her cigar. "You cost me a lot, brat. You owe me something for all the damage you caused." She sniffed.
"B-but...that can't be right. I...I won a contest. And that freed me from debts. It freed my parents and me."
"Wrong! It let you leave without hindrance! I never agreed to wipe your debts away entirely!"
"But-"
"No buts. You have a hefty debt to me. Not to mention kidnapping my baby, conspiring with my sister." Yubaba sniffed angrily. "I should kill you where you sit! Oh sit down, you stupid dragon. I said should. It doesn't mean I'm going to."
Haku had been on his feet so fast that Chihiro hadn't seen him move. He sat slowly, his eyes glowing an eerie silver color. Smoke curled from his parted lips, and he bared his teeth at Yubaba. The witch had the decency to look a little uneasy as she watched him.
"So...you want me to do what," Chihiro asked. She sounded hesitant, but the question did have the effect she wanted. Haku stood down, Yubaba relaxed.
"Work for me again, of course. You haven't learned much since you left, have you?" Instead of anger, Chihiro simply stared. Yubaba's smile faded just a bit, and she harrumphed. "You will work with no wages received until you have paid back what you owe."
"Do you have an itemized list of what I owe? How much standard wages are here at the bath house?"
The questions caught Yubaba off guard. Despite her lack of memory, Chihiro had been going to school for the past few years. She had worked part time to build a stronger resume and to reinforce her work ethic. And she had learned that you never agreed to anything without a written contract that you had read fully. Her first adventure in the Spirit World had taught her that - in part - and a rather terrible first job in the real world had taught her the rest. Haku glanced at Chihiro, and amusement crinkled the corners of his eyes. He radiated pleasure at her outsmarting Yubaba. The respect and approval made Chihiro feel warm from head to toe, and she smiled at him while Yubaba fished papers from folders on her desk.
"Now. Here it is. The total destruction that you caused me by letting that filthy monster into the bath house that we still have not recoup-"
"In nine years, you haven't managed to make up for that damage? Has the bath house fallen on hard times?"
Yubaba sputtered, then glared. "The bath house is carrying on perfectly well, you little brat. It's the principle of the matter. You cost me money. And I don't like losing money. Since you obviously can't just repay me from your own pocket-" she eyed Chihiro dismissively "-working for me is the next best thing. I get free labor until you repay me what you owe."
It seemed, to Chihiro, to be a useless way to do things, but she considered how often Yubaba would take any tips she made on top of her wages. That could add up quickly, when the witch was allowed to take any and all gold that Chihiro earned. She frowned as she gazed at Yubaba. She leaned back, her hands clasped and resting on top of her knees.
"I want to keep ten percent of my wages. For any expenses that might come up. Trading gold for something special from the employees or something."
Yubaba considered this, eyeing her warily. Haku didn't look pleased at the situation, but he didn't argue against Chihiro signing the contract. He could try to get her out of the Spirit World, but he could only go so far before she had to go it alone. Similarly, he doubted Yubaba would let them get very far. And then, of course, the question remained if the Spirit Realm would let her leave at all.
"Fine. Ten percent. No more."
"How much do I owe the bath house. And how much are standard wages?"
"You owe the bath house a lot of gold."
"That's not an amount."
"Fine!" Yubaba said the word sharply, flicking her fingers and sending the paper rocketing toward Chihiro. She plucked it from the air and looked down at the figures. Her eyes widened and she glanced up at Yubaba.
"You have got to be kidding. There are charges on here that have nothing to do with Noface."
"Now liste-"
Haku had shifted, ever so slightly, and Yubaba fell silent.
"You can't leave the Spirit World without my say. You should take what I offer you."
Chihiro smiled faintly and glanced up at her. "My staying here means more to you than my being stuck here matters to me, though."
Silence stretched between them, and as Chihiro stared at her, a vague memory of her sister surfaced.
"Besides. I can always go to your sister's if need be. I can follow the train tracks to Swamp Bottom."
"Oh no you don't! You're not leaving the bath house. Not until I have a contract." The threat of being stuck there was certainly real, and Chihiro folded her arms over her chest.
"Well we have to come to some kind of agreement. I want some of this debt reduced. I'm not responsible for anything from the river spirit's visit. And I am not being held accountable for employee losses after I left with my parents."
Yubaba ground her teeth, but the paper flew back across the room to her and she scratched out some of the figures. And then the paper returned to Chihiro. She scanned it, gave a nod of approval, and glanced at Haku. He didn't look thrilled that she was agreeing to a contract, but he didn't argue.
"How much are standard wages, so I know how much you're getting from every night of work." And so Yubaba couldn't make her an indentured servant for forever.
"Most of it is from tips from our generous guests, of course, but you'll earn a bit of silver per night. Enough to equate with about one gold piece a night."
That seemed low to Chihiro, but she also had no idea how spirit currency worked. Rin had taken care of any financial needs during her first experience here. And that thought made Chihiro rub her eyes. Rin...one of her first friends and mentors in the Spirit World. Did she still work here? Would Chihiro see her? She pondered over the possibility of it, and with a jolt she also remembered the boiler man, Kamajii, and his funny little soot ball minions. Had he ever made it out of the bath house?
She shook her head as if to clear it and looked to Haku for help, not sure if this was a fair wage or not. He didn't speak, but instead got to his feet and approached Yubaba. He took a pen from the table and looked over the contract, scratched something out, and then handed it back to Yubaba. Her eyes narrowed, and her lips pressed into a thin, tight line, but when she looked on the verge of arguing, a glance from Haku made her fall silent.
"Fine. I'll triple your wages. Just don't expect to do the easy jobs when you're repaying this much debt. And I get most of your tips."
Chihiro nodded, and a pen and the contract flew toward her. She took both from the air and then slid off the chair to press the contract to the floor. In a mimicry of the first time she'd signed a work contract with the bath house, she affixed her name to the contract while kneeling beside the fireplace.
Haku, standing behind her, smiled faintly at the familiar mannerism. She finished signing her name while Yubaba muttered about swindlers and cheats, and while the old woman wasn't paying attention, she wrote her name on her left wrist. As she'd knelt before the fire, she remembered that Yubaba had stolen her name, and she also heard Haku's voice reaching through the years. "She takes your name. It's how she controls you."
"Are you done yet?" Yubaba growled.
"Yes, ma'am." Chihiro straightened up and got to her feet, carrying the contract and the pen to her desk.
A smile formed on Yubaba's lips. "Excellent. Now...how does your old name sound, Sen?" As she spoke, she passed her hand over Chihiro's written name, lifting characters from the contract until they settled in her palm.
"Yes, ma'am." A smile ghosted across Chihiro's lips, but she didn't let on that she'd outwitted the old witch.
"Good. Now both of you get out of my sight. You both work for me, and there are preparations to be done before the night begins."
With that dismissal, both Haku and Chihiro were magically jerked from the room, all the way back into the entry hall with the elevator. They stood for a moment in silence, looking first at each other and then away.
"Chihiro, do you-"
"I have it covered," she said. She held up her arm, showing him her name written on her left wrist. Haku gave her another approving look, and her cheeks flushed. She smiled and looked away. "So. Where to? Does Rin still work here? Kamajii?"
An almost palpable excitement filled her. Haku smiled, but when Chihiro saw it she recognized the sadness behind it. She didn't want to purposefully hurt him, but she got the feeling his sadness came from her not remembering him fully. She knew they were friends, that she could trust him, but there was something she was missing. An important piece of the puzzle had yet to come to light. She lightly touched his arm, and he smiled a fuller smile at her.
"Yes. They both still work here. They still look and act the same, if you can believe it."
Chihiro laughed and stepped onto the elevator alongside him. "I can believe it."
The elevator glided down several levels before they had to disembark and find a different one that went further down. As they stepped out of the elevator, one of the employees stopped to look at her. "Sen?"
She glanced at the man, her eyebrows rising. "Oh. Um. Yeah. That's me. I'm back." She tried to sound cheerful, but the words came out hesitantly.
The man didn't notice. He smiled widely. "Welcome back!"
Chihiro's eyes widened and she looked at Haku. "I guess I'm being forgiven for my human stench?"
Haku smirked. "Something like that. People remember you fondly. You caused Yubaba trouble and they can appreciate that. Things improved around here after you left. Better attitudes. Noface scared people. Made them realize their greed and self-centeredness could get them hurt."
The mention of Noface made Chihiro's mind go to work again. As they walked across one of the bridges that spanned the central floor of the bath house, she looked around and remembered, briefly, the flight from the monster. She remembered the way he'd slowly released the various people he'd eaten, transforming back into the timid creature from when she'd first encountered him. And she remembered his ultimate fate. The monster had stayed with Zeniba, away from the dangerous influences of the bath house.
She could remember these small factoids about Noface, about her time spent here...but she couldn't remember much about the man beside her on the elevator. Even though she couldn't remember much, she held his hand, taking comfort from his presence. He held hers in return, occasionally squeezing as if to reassure her...or perhaps to reassure himself. A thought struck her, that she clearly meant more to him than just a friend, but try as she might to explore her memories of him, nothing came to mind.
They exited the elevator on the first floor, and Haku casually released her hand as they made their way toward the foreman.
"Master Haku! What can I do for you tonight?"
"We have a new employee. Sen has returned to work. Can you assign her to work with Rin?"
The foreman leaned over his podium, staring at Chihiro with eyes as big as saucers. "Sen? You're back?!"
Inwardly, Chihiro wondered if this was going to be how every conversation started for the next week. She smiled, ducking her head. "Not purposefully. I just stumbled back into the Spirit Realm, I guess."
The foreman eyed her, though he smiled. "Welcome back. HEY RIN! You've got fresh meat!"
"Why do you have to stick them with me?" A familiar voice came from a room nearby, and a moment later the rice paper door slid to the side to reveal Rin. Haku had told the truth. She hadn't changed at all.
"Aww Rin. Is that any way to greet a friend?" Chihiro couldn't help herself.
Rin turned to her with her lips pursed. She rested her hands on her hips and walked up to her, looking her over. It took a minute, but something clicked, and a smile broke across her face.
"I don't believe it. Sen? Is that really you?! What are you doing back here, you big dope?" Before Chihiro could answer, she had been pulled into a bear hug by the older woman. She gasped for breath, and it was about that moment that Rin released her with a laugh. "Sorry. Got a little carried away."
"It's all right," Chihiro said with a big smile. "I'm excited to see you, too. And, uh...I don't know why I'm back here. I stumbled into the Spirit Realm on accident and now Yubaba won't let me leave. She wants me to repay my debts."
Inexplicably, Rin and Haku shared a brief look before Rin shrugged and looked back to Chihiro. "Well that's the worst. So you're stuck here again? At least you don't have to worry about your parents being carved up for bacon." She cracked a smile, and Chihiro answered it with one of her own.
"Yeah, that relieves a lot of the stress of being back. At least if it's just me I don't have to worry about my family's safety. I'm still trying to remember everything from last time, though."
"You don't remember it all? That's rough. Come on. Let's get you a change of clothes, some food, and we'll go visit Kamajii." Haku started to step away from the group, but Rin fixed him with a stare. "Oh no you don't, mister. You're coming with us."
"I don't think that's wise, Rin."
"Oh, why not?" Chihiro spoke this time, giving him wide eyes.
"I have business to see to. Yubaba was right that we both work for her…"
"Psh. Your duties can wait, dragon man. C'mon," Rin said, catching hold of his arm and dragging him along behind her.
Chihiro laughed into her hand and trailed behind them, letting Rin guide them first to the employee quarters. It didn't take nearly as much effort to find an appropriately sized outfit for her this time around. Rin tossed her the clothes and Chihiro caught them with only a minor bit of a scramble, smiling faintly at the older woman. She changed, and when she carried her clothes out from behind the rice paper screen, Haku looked her over.
"We should see if Kamajii will hide your clothes again. We don't want you to lose them in case you have to leave the bath house."
She bit her lip and nodded. "That's a good idea. I wish I had my shoes with me still…"
"What are you two going on about? Come on. Kamajii will be excited to see you."
Rin led the way, and Chihiro followed behind her, fidgeting with her bath house uniform and getting it settled. The outfit felt strange, but comfortable, and she remembered with clarity the emotional turmoil after Rin had handed her the new clothes during her first visit.
They made a brief stop to collect breakfast for Kamajii and the soot balls, as well as themselves, and then they headed off down the elevator to the boiler room. Kamajii shouted from the other side of the sliding wooden door, and Chihiro and Rin shared an amused look as they realized he must be arguing with the soot balls again. The door slid open, and Rin pushed the tray of food and the basket of candies through before crawling in herself.
"Fighting again? Nothing ever changes with you all, does it?"
"Not my fault they're a bunch of lazy little ash clouds!"
Chihiro and Haku crawled into the boiler room and Haku slid the door shut. Kamajii, absorbed in his work, didn't notice the old friends at first. When he turned to settle down and grab his rice bowl, he stopped completely and stared at Chihiro.
"Sen?"
"Hi, Kamajii."
Silence stretched between them for a moment before he reached over with one of his six hands and lightly patted her head.
"Nice to see you again, Sen. How's the memory coming along?"
"You...you know I can't remember everything?"
Kamajii snorted. "Of course you can't. It's a part of the Spirit Realm's protections. You get as old as I am and you've seen just about everything. Including a human who makes it into the Spirit Realm twice." At this, he eyed Chihiro with a measure of uncertainty. "And that's something that is very uncommon except for...certain things. But I'm not wise enough to try and explain it all. Better leave that to Haku. Or Zeniba."
Chihiro and Rin both looked from Kamajii to Haku expectantly. He gazed at them both with his customary cool and distant look.
"I don't think now is the right time to discuss it."
"But, Haku-"
"Sen, please just trust me. Everything will be explained in time."
Silence settled over the boiler room for a few moments, aside from the sound of excited soot balls collecting and eating their hard candy breakfast, and Kamajii munching on his rice. Rin frowned, poking at her bowl of rice with her chopsticks, and then she dug in. Chihiro met Haku's green-blue gaze steadily, waiting for him to change his mind, tell her he was just kidding, or something similar. But he held steady, and with a defeated sigh, she collected her rice bowl and began to eat.
Haku gazed at her even after her eyes had dropped, a warmth spreading from his heart and to the extremities of his body. Chihiro had returned to the Spirit Realm, considerably earlier than anticipated, but she had returned. It could have meant bad, bad things, but he found it hard to worry about it with the woman right in front of him. She'd become beautiful, with the spirit that had grown during her last adventure here shining in her eyes.
And she couldn't remember him. Not properly. Not yet. It made his heart hurt. He wanted so badly to grab her and pull her to him, hug her tightly and never let her go. But to do so would put her on edge, make her uncomfortable. He wouldn't do that to her. He had to keep his distance until she remembered, but the physical separation was almost as bad as the psychological pain at her lack of memory.
After a while, he ate, looking away only to find Kamajii giving him an assessing look. Kamajii, Haku realized, understood what Chihiro's lack of complete memory meant. Kamajii smiled sadly and went back to eating. The entire group ate quietly, each lost in their own thoughts. As joyous as a reunion with Kamajii and Rin was, Chihiro still had to face the fact that she was stuck in the Spirit Realm again. Some part of her felt angry, and another part felt exhilarated. Yet another part felt worried.
"Kamajii, would you let the soot balls watch over my clothes again? I don't want any of Yubaba's minions to throw them out, just in case."
"Doesn't bother me, as long as the soot balls don't mind."
Chihiro smiled and scooted over to the edge of the area the soot balls worked in. They greeted her excitedly, and she held out her clothes. "Will you all watch over these for me?"
A variety of squeaks and bouncing soot balls met her question, and she gently lowered the clothes down into the recessed area. The soot balls marched them away while she returned to her bowl of rice. She finished eating and glanced at Rin, who sighed contently as she finished her food.
"We should get a move on. Don't want Yubaba to think you're slacking or anything. Otherwise she might increase your debt." Rin gathered dirty bowls on a tray and moved to the small door, pulling it open and sliding out. "Sen, pass me that candy basket, will you?"
Chihiro grabbed it and passed it through. She glanced up at Kamajii and smiled. "I'll come visit later!"
"Lookin' forward to it."
Haku gave a parting nod to the boiler man and followed the women back into the elevator room. Chihiro turned to him with a smile, though it was tinted with annoyance.
"You're going to tell me what you know as soon as you get a chance, right?"
Haku held his hands up to placate her. "I promise."
"Good." She turned and walked away with Rin, and Haku closed his eyes.
"C'mon, dragon breath. 'We've got work to do' includes you, doesn't it?" He moved on over to the elevator and rode it with them to the main bath floor.
"Good luck on your first day back, Sen." And then he continued upward, leaving Rin and Chihiro to their own devices.
"He's always such a stick in the mud when work starts," Rin complained.
The daily bustle of the bath house had not changed much, if at all, and Chihiro fell into her duties as an employee with a fair amount of ease. It didn't take much to remember how to clean the floor, and she had gotten considerably stronger since she was ten. She'd also learned a great deal more about hard work. By the time they were assigned their tub for the evening, Sen had thoroughly impressed her former coworkers, and her new ones. Her tasks were completed without complaint, and with relative ease.
"Well, fortunately we weren't assigned the big tub," Rin said with a grin, elbowing Chihiro in the upper arm. She grinned in reply, though the thought did remind her of her first and only time helping a customer in that monstrous bath.
"So where are we assigned?"
"One of the regular tubs near to it. The foreman said we should be expecting a particularly dangerous spirit. It's why we're helping her and not some of the guys."
"Do you know who it is?"
"Not sure. Seems like it might be a harionago, but we'll find out when she arrives."
"Is there...uh...anything I should know?"
"Just don't laugh at her or anything. Simple stuff. She's not interested in hurting women."
"Right. Which is why we're helping her."
"Yep. And look at this bath token." Rin held up one of the wooden tokens, and Sen frowned, trying to remember the different bath token classifications.
"That's a nice one."
"Yep! Yubaba must want to make a good impression."
"Is it anyone that we've ever dealt with before?"
"Eh. The foreman seemed uncertain, so I'm guessing not. Maybe a long time ago."
Chihiro nodded and set to work cleaning up the tub and scrubbing it down. It wasn't especially dirty, which made the job a lot less difficult than the first time she'd scrubbed a tub. "Hey, Rin? Does the big tub still not get scrubbed regularly?"
"Huh? No. Why bother? We only get guests who require it once every few months."
"Oh. I was just thinking that maybe if I cleaned it really well it would knock off some of my debt."
"Hmm. Maybe. You'd have to make arrangements with the foreman, but I doubt he'd mind. It's not like anyone volunteers to clean that thing."
The bath area didn't take very long to get cleaned up, and their guest was late in arrival. It left Chihiro and Rin bored, waiting in uncomfortable, stiff positions, not wanting to appear lazy or slouched. The foreman had little information for them, but Rin's guess that it might be a harionago turned out to be correct.
"Right this way, ma'am," Rin said when the woman lowered her parasol. Chihiro had to fight not to gasp as she gazed at the spirit. The woman's appearance flickered between lovely and ghoulish. Her hair remained the same, however. Thick and wild, with wicked thorns and barbs at the end. Chihiro could remember studying harionago in mythology studies, but seeing one in person definitely made things a bit different.
The woman sauntered past Chihiro, dropping a coat of sorts into her arms. "Take care of that for me." She stated simply. Chihiro scrambled to do just that.
"Ugh. All these bath houses. I swear, it's like they're run by the same person in a different guise. They're all the same. And they never let me have any fun." The woman pouted as she spoke, licking her lips when she spied one of Chihiro's male coworkers. "I suppose letting the guests eat their employees would be bad for business. Then again, didn't someone do just that a few years ago?" She laughed, and Chihiro remembered Rin's warning. She pressed her lips together, and the guest sighed. "Oh poo. You know my secret. Well. I guess we'll just have to be friends."
Rin smiled at her and bowed as they reached the entrance to their tub. The water steamed, and the room smelled sweet with the herbal mixture. The woman didn't hesitate to strip herself of her garments and take a towel before she climbed into the tub, sinking into it with a delighted purr of sound. "Ooooh. That's the spot. Soooo luxurious." She stretched her legs and arms out, her barbed hair floating along the surface of the water. "Tell me, girl, what are you doing here. You smell human."
The abrupt change in topic, and the direct address, made Chihiro go still. She looked up from where she'd been kneeling and politely looking at her knees, and she cleared her throat. "Oh. I stumbled into the Spirit Realm on accident. Mistress Yubaba was kind enough to give me a job."
The spirit's eyes gleamed as she stared Chihiro down, moving through the water to rest her chin on the edge of the tub.
"A human stumbles in...just stumbles...and Yubaba gives her a job. I don't think she did it from the kindness of her heart, though, and I don't think you're telling me the whole truth." Chihiro's mouth opened as she struggled for words, and Rin gave her an arched eyebrow and a shrug, as if to say "I don't know, make something up?" But the spirit ended the awkward silence for her. "No mind. You'll smell like spirits soon enough. It's just curious. A human in a spirit bath house. You'd better make sure your scent is good and spirit-like soon, though...I'd hate for you to traverse the spirit realm smelling like that."
Silence resonated in the small room for a moment, and Chihiro's eyes widened. "Ma'am...why would I need to traverse the spirit realm? I don't think Yubaba will let me leave the bath house any time soon."
A laugh escaped the woman, and she closed her eyes as she turned around and rested her head against the side of the tub. She positioned a towel as a cushion and sighed. "Oh...it won't matter what that old witch bitch wants. One of her employees has a bit of a problem on his hands...and she's about to make an appearance."
Rin and Chihiro glanced at each other, then looked back at the spirit. "What do you mean?"
The harionago frowned, sitting up to look at them. Her eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me you haven't heard. Oh...this is too good. You mean you DON'T know? Ha." She fell back in the water with a splash. "You poor, poor souls. You are going to have a very bad time in a few days' time."
"Would you please tell us what you mean, ma'am?" Chihiro asked tentatively.
"I suppoooose. Come here, girl. Massage my shoulders and I will tell you." The spirit sat upright and Chihiro did as asked, climbing up the side of the tub. She perched there precariously and began to massage the woman's shoulders. "The word in the wide Spirit Realm is that a particularly vengeful Kiyohime is coming after one of Yubaba's henchman." She sighed as Chihiro worked the knots out of the woman's muscles...even as those muscles and the woman's form shifted slightly every few seconds. "You see, a few decades ago, he stole a very important item from her. Something for Yubaba, I'm sure. But Kiyohime doesn't care about that. She just cares about finding him. He hurt her like her priestly lover did oh-so-long-ago." A dreamy tone fell over the woman's voice, and then she laughed.
"Kiyohime has been plotting her revenge for a long while. She wants to make sure to exact it when it will have the greatest impact. Something happened recently that has made her decide it's time." She clapped once. "Revenge stories are so wonderful, don't you think?"
"Please, ma'am. Who is it that Kiyohime is after?" Chihiro had a bad feeling she knew who. Haku had been Yubaba's main henchman when she'd arrived at the bath house. She couldn't remember much, but she could remember that.
"Some dragon creature. Haku, I think is his name. Or a close approximation of his name." The spirit shrugged Chihiro's hands off and sank deeper into the water. "Not my problem, but I thought I'd see the bath house in question before Kiyohime comes and destroys it."
Rin had stayed quiet for the exchange, but she looked decidedly panicked. She glanced at Chihiro, mouthed "be right back", and casually slipped out of the room, darting off to find a higher-up in the bath house.
Rin didn't return until their spirit was almost finished bathing, and she sidled back into the room just as the woman straightened up and stretched. "Well. That's enough of that. I suppose you two deserve some kind of tip." She pressed a few gold tokens into both Rin and Chihiro's hands, then slid on her freshly cleaned and pressed clothes.
When they had escorted the spirit out, they turned back from the door, only to face Yubaba, Haku, and Chichiyaku - the bath house manager. "Now, Rin. Tell us again what she said." Chichiyaku spoke in that calm, pleasant voice of his, the one he always adopted when things were going utterly wrong and he hoped desperately to make it right. Rin took a deep breath and reiterated everything the harionago had told her and Chihiro. Yubaba and Haku shared a dark look, while Chichiyaku waved his hands in the air and shook his head.
"Surely it's a mistake! I mean…" He hesitated, looking to Haku and Yubaba. "Isn't it?"
Yubaba growled out something about a magical bell and walked away without a word. Chichiyaku spared them a glance, then hurried after her, leaving Rin, Haku, and Chihiro alone.
Chihiro eyed Haku, who stood tall and with his back straight, his face impassive despite the moment of concern he'd shared with Yubaba. "Rin, I'm going to get some fresh air before we have to pick up our next customer. Do you mind?"
"Nah. Go on ahead. I might need some air after that customer, too."
Chihiro gave Haku a brief, pointed look, and led the way out into one of the bath house courtyards.
"Chihiro…"
"What are we going to do? Who is Kiyohime? You and Yubaba looked really worried."
"She's an angry spirit. She transformed into a serpent when she was spurned by the man she loved, and she killed him by melting a bell around him."
Chihiro absorbed that information before she offered her next question. "Why does she want to come after you?"
Haku grimaced, clearly unhappy that he had to tell her about it. He turned, paced away, came back, and looked her full in the face. "When I was fully under Yubaba's spell, before I ever met you, I went to Kiyohime and befriended her. Yubaba wanted a small version of the bell that Kiyohime had crafted from the melted one. It had magical properties."
"And Yubaba wants anything magical she can get her grubby hands on."
Haku smiled faintly. "Something like that."
"So go on."
His smile disappeared. "I tricked her into giving me the bell."
"Simple as that?"
"It's safer if you don't know the full details."
"You never give me the full story," Chihiro complained.
He had the good sense to look ashamed. "I want to tell you more, but until you have all of your memories back, adding more to the confusion won't help anything."
"Huh." Chihiro looked thoughtful, and she turned her head to look away. When she looked back, she began to say something else...only for Haku's lips to meet hers. At first, she could only stare at him as he kissed her. Surprise flooded through her at the boldness of his action, and she inhaled sharply as he tightened his grip on her, holding her a little closer. She started to lean into him, when a warning bell went off in her head.
Haku had been Yubaba's right hand man for a long time. Was part of his job to placate her? Trick her? She didn't have anything Yubaba wanted, but maybe having someone to care for would help her remain docile in the bath house? The thought made Chihiro tense, and she pulled away from Haku at the same time she pushed on his chest.
He fell back and landed on his butt a bit harder than Chihiro had intended, and she blushed. "I'm sorry, Haku. Until I remember everything...I can't...I don't want to...well…" She hesitated, fighting to find the right words. Eventually she gave up and gave him a helpless shrug.
Haku stood up and shook his head, his long hair pushed back by one hand as he managed an embarrassed smile. "Please don't apologize, Chihiro. I'm...I got ahead of myself, is all. I'm the one who should, and will, apologize. Please accept my apologies, Miss Chihiro." He bowed to her. He held that position until Chihiro murmured an acceptance, offering her forgiveness. He looked up, gave her a nod, and walked away. While he managed to look casual, Chihiro could sense the urge to escape coming from him.
"Way to go, numbskull," she muttered.
A/N: This chapter has been edited and re-uploaded as of 3/28/14. No major changes have been made. The edits were to address minor errors and redundancies.