Disclaimer: Spirited Away and its characters belong to Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miazaki.

Chapter 3: Visitors

Chihiro lay on her bed, gazing at the plain ceiling of the yuna's room. She did have her own room, of course, but after the events of the day, Rin hadn't really wanted to let Chihiro out of her sight. So, Chihiro got to sit, listening to the bantering of the workers while she tried to sort things out in her head.

Kamaji had been terribly cryptic as they walked back down to the boiler room. The more questions she asked, the more evasive he became. In the end, all he had really told her was that she had to figure it out for herself, but he and Rin were allowed to push her in the right direction. He then told her that she needed to get out of the boiler room, as her had too much on his hands already.

Dejected, Chihiro had let Rin guide her back to the main floors of the bathhouse, where she sulked on a bridge that spread over the baths. When most of the customers were in their rooms, Rin led her to the staff's mass bedroom. As she tried to block out the chatter of the yuna, she had, at one point, fallen asleep.

So, here she was, staring at the ceiling. When Rin and all of the other spirits had gotten up, she supposed that she could have gone to breakfast with them, but she hadn't found it in her to get up. So, as the futons were cleaned up around her, she stubbornly buried her head in her pillow and groaned pathetically when Rin checked to see if she was awake. She was left in the room, but she heard and felt a note being dropped on her blankets before Rin left the room. No doubt a letter of condolences, she thought sourly.

Chihiro heaved herself up, disregarding the way her muscles wavered from sleep. The paper slipped to the floor. She stretched her arm over to pick it up. The characters twisted together slightly in her tired vision, but she blinked and she could read clearly.

Sen

You have breakfast waiting for you in the kitchen, if you want it. If you want to leave the building, find me first; I'm sure that the foreman will know where I am. Kamaji apologizes, but he cannot see you until tomorrow, he has to clean the boilers all day. Well, supervise the soot cleaning the boilers all day. I know you wanted to talk, but it can wait. Wear yourself up today so that you can sleep tonight, you kept me awake with all that tossing and turning.

Rin

Chihiro groaned. With Rin and Kamaji busy all day, she couldn't try to weasel more information out of them. That aside, it wiped her schedule of the day clean. Now what's stopping me from killing myself? she huffed as she stood up and rolled her futon. She walked over to the wall opposite the sliding doors. In one of the cabinets, she stuffed her futon among the others and jammed the door shut again, though it protested with groaning as the wood bend to accommodate the extra baggage.

She walked outside to the railing, closing the door behind her. She looked at the pig barn -- that damned pig barn -- and mused. She couldn't possibly do anything worthwhile; Haku had yelled at Rin the last time she helped the yunas; Kamaji always complained when she distracted him from the constant flow of tags; and the forman glared at her constantly when she just sat around. Something about loafers and the bathhouse's image. She sighed, pushing herself off of the railing, and slouched down the stairs.

I guess I'll just go out to the town, there has to be somebody there, she thought as she went. She found Rin without going to the foreman. She was yelling at a few of the younger girls for "lounging around." Chihiro explained to her that she was going out to sightsee. The older spirit waved her away nonchalantly, and Chihiro picked up that she didn't actually hear what she said. She turned away anyway and headed towards the town.

The shadow spirits occupied the town. They only came out after dark, for obvious, albeit cliched reasons. They still did business during the day, though. The credit system -- as Zeniba liked to call it -- of the bathhouse and its surrounding town made it so that vendors knew exactly who the spirit was. This made it difficult for stealing during the day, as all spirits knew not to mess with the calamitous temper of the shadow spirits.

Chihiro passed the dark shops. She would have called, but she knew it was a pointless endeavor. She stepped lightly through the streets, and decided that she would explore the fields. For whatever odd reason -- as so often was the case behind his actions -- Haku was very reluctant when she asked to see them. In fact, he had only ever let her look at them. She glanced behind her, an instinct to protect a guilty action. Well, there's no time like the present.

She took the first step down the short flight rather hesitantly. She put her hand on the top of the frog, gathering her strength. The rest of the steps were taken two at a time. She carefully navigated the stones that sat at the bottom of the steps.

She wasn't sure why, but during the day the river became a mere trickle under the stones which she had just stepped over. It was one of the odd things that nobody bothered explaining to her.

She felt herself fill with a fluttering feeling -- whether it was the thrill of breaking stupid rules or the beauty of the open space around her, she wasn't sure. Overcome by the giddiness, she twirled through the tall grass before a strange sound cut her short. It was a soft wailing, a strange mix of frustration and anguish. Chihiro cocked her head and, curious, followed the sound. It pulled her away from the town and towards a building with a clock tower in the distance. As she came over a hill, she saw her.

The girl had tears streaming down her cheeks and her face was blotchy from crying. At Chihiro's appearance, her distraught face shifted to bear a look of disgust. Deep pink lips beneath a button nose parted to violently snarl at the unsuspecting spirit. "So she sends the cleaning lady instead of getting me herself. Tell her I don't want her fake compassion. You should be happy, at any rate. You'll have one less room to clean with me gone."

Chihiro stared worriedly at the shrieking creature. She would have wondered what was wrong, but the foul stench the permeated the air forced her to borderline suffocation. She felt like her face would shrivel from exposure. She was barely able to comprehend the other through her nausea.

"You don't even care though! You were just sent to get the spoiled girl who flipped out because her room was too small. Is that what you're thinking? Cause I wasn't actually mad about that, for your information!" Chihiro felt like rolling her eyes. This girl was obviously a newborn; the way she carried herself and handled her problems gave away that much. "I've been mad all of this time because she still insists on planning my life around my music. I used to love the flute, you know! But because I had to be the best at it, I hate it! I can't even stomach--"

"Quiet!" Chihiro screeched.

The girl looked a bit taken aback at the other's sudden outburst; it was obvious to Chihiro that, while the girl was used to being pushed around, she expected people to listen to everything she managed to get from her mouth.

Chihiro took a swatch of fabric from her front pocket and held it over her face. "Why do you smell so rotten? You do not look a stink spirit," she choked out, her voice muffled by the cloth.

The girl stared blankly. "What smell?"

Chihiro finally let herself roll her eyes as her annoyance got the best of her. "Have you removed your sense of smell? The air is too putrid to stomach." An idea hit her and embarrassment followed it quickly. "Oh, you must be Akemi's new daughter!" She laughed awkwardly, noticing quietly that the other was still tensed. "Well this is a bit humiliating. I'm really sorry, truly. We haven't met before, so I could not recognize you." She walked up to the girl, grabbing her by the arm. "I've heard from your mother that you are simply dying to meet Haku, but he's away in Tokyo. But I think you should stay anyway; we know so little about you."

The two women were walking through the streets of the bathhouse's little town; rain was patting lightly on their heads, but growing increasingly stronger. Chihiro tried to ignore the smell the simply oozed from her companion. Akemi was a nearby earth spirit who had bonded to a stink spirit. It's a wonder that those spirits manage to keep from extinction, Chihiro thought as she led the other across the bridge to the bathhouse.

"What is your name?" Chihiro asked as they passed the hidden door and into the building.

The girl, who looked thoroughly confused and terrified, answered quietly, "Misora."

"Sen!" cried Rin as the pair walked up to the disgruntled spirit. "What Gods-awful pit of mud did you--" She cut herself off when she saw the girl standing next to her friend. Her face paled instantaneously. "A human! Sen, what are you playing at?" Silence shuddered over the staff room, yunas turning to stare, frogs holding their breath as the stench hit them. Then the room filled with shouts and cries of protest.

Rin grabbed Chihiro, who had been stunned into silence and was now staring in awe at Misora, and the human in question. She dragged them out of the room, despite the wailing of the staff within.

Chihiro felt her arm being dropped when they turned the corner, but flinched to see the vice grip that was still present on Misora's. They passed through and exited the kitchen before Rin finally broke the silence.

"We need to get her to somebody who can manage any sickness that she has to deal with. Chihiro," the young spirit looked up when addressed. "Take her to Kamaji, I'm going to send for Zeniba. And Haku, if I can." Rin dropped Misora's arm and walked the opposite direction.

The doors and cogs creaked and clanged obnoxiously as the ancient contraption reached its destination. Chihiro turned to the service elevator, then to Misora. "I suggest that you follow me. I've read about the sicknesses that humans can get when they cross over, Kamaji is the one to go to right now."

Misora, who seemed to have come out of whatever stupor she was in before, hesitated.

"You know, we won't bite. I think that I'm just as scared as you are. I've never met a human before." Misora continued to look unconvinced. Chihiro wished she could laugh to break the tension, but could not bring herself to. Instead she pulled a sigh. "You won't get anywhere if you don't take a few chances."

The girl looked down the hallway, to where the other had disappeared. Turning back to Chihiro, the fear from her face had left -- or, at least, she had managed to hide it well enough. Seeming to decide that she did not want to appear meek, Misora marched into the elevator, glaring defiantly at Chihiro. The spirit would have rolled her eyes if she hadn't been fascinated by the surprising physicality of the human.

When they reached the bottom, Misora stared in wonder at the large cogs and weights that powered the bathhouse's interior. They crawled through the hole to the boiler room with Misora first, her mouth still agape. Kamaji looked up from his herbs, an air of curiosity about him. When he saw (and smelled) Misora, his eyebrows rose far above his glasses.

"A human? Sen, what have you been up to?"

Chihiro, finding room for sarcasm, replied, "Nothing too interesting."

He laughed, but Chihiro heard the well concealed tension that she had watched flow through his body. After the false laughter died in his throat, a heavy silence reigned throughout the boiler room, punctuated only by the rain beating on the door to the steps and the soft rustling of the susuwatari•. Suddenly, Kamaji extended his arm across the room -- an action which shocked the human girl -- and beckoned the young girl over.

She took uneven, frightened steps over to the wizened spider. He chuckled again. "Don't worry; I am one of the few harmless spirits of my power."

She looked only slightly reassured, but her footfall immediately evened and strengthened. She stood in front of him, gazing with no reservations into his face -- not at his shriveled legs, or his six flexible, stretchable arms. No, she stared at his face. She doesn't belong in the mortal world. No, like Chihiro she belongs with the spirits.

He smiled a crinkled-eyed smile. "There's the spark humans rarely have." His gaze turned serious. "But you might lose that. Tell me, do you remember if you looked behind you when you when through the old clock tower?"

She was puzzled at this question. She furrowed her brow, as if trying to remember. "Probably not," she answered slowly after a pause. "But I can't be sure."

He nodded. "Have you felt queazy or weak since exiting the clock tower?"

She paused again in thought. "No."

"Well then," he said, already retreating to his work, "it seems that our little friend here has nothing to worry about. If, by some chance, she does start feeling unwell, just bring her down to me."

Chihiro nodded and tugged Misora towards the door, deciding that Kamaji had been delayed long enough. They walked back up to the main floor. In the elevator, Misora asked, "So that's it?"

Chihiro looked at her and, seeing no worry or fear left in her eyes, replied. "Kamaji is one of the truest spirit I know. If I couldn't trust him, I wouldn't trust anybody." This seemed to reassure the other, and a two small, almost invisible smiles were seen in the elevator.

Misora spent most of the rest of the day following Chihiro and Rin around. The rain didn't let up until a little before the end of Rin's shift. When they were ready to sleep, they went through the cabinets in search of a spare futon. After a while, they gave up searching and sat down to eat their dinner on the balcony.

"You know, Misora, it's funny," Chihiro whispered contemplatively.

The girl glanced at her. "What is?"

"I only met you today," a smile broke onto her face, "but I already feel like we're friends."

Misora shared the grin. "I feel the same about you." She turned to the other spirit. "Both of you."

Rin nodded appreciatively, and the three turned out to the soaked grassland.

Misora sighed, gazing at the scenery through the wooden railing. The water covered the ground entirely, showing the full expanse of the landscape. She bit into the onigiri. "It looks like an ocean."

"What did you expect," Rin snapped at her irritably, "after all that rain?"

Chihiro gasped. Misora turned to see what her problem was. The woman's eyes were glassy and she stared off into the distance. She didn't move, didn't breathe. Misora glanced at Rin. "What's her problem?"

Rin put her hand on the other spirit's shoulder. Slowly, Chihiro's head turned; she was smiling. "I remembered, Rin. When I --" she paused. "The first time I came here, we were celebrating something and I said that it was like an ocean."

Rin smiled, and Misora felt confusion well up and bubble over. "Come again?"

Laughing, Rin answered, "Sen's had her -- Well let's just say that she's getting back to normal." Rin smiled and turned away, mentally begging for the others to follow suit.

Misora was still unsatisfied. "Chihiro, what have you been seeing?"

The woman's smile faltered, and she looked down. When she looked up, she responded, "I don't really know what it is. It's like, remembering a life I've --"

Rin's voice broke through her friend's. "Haku, you're here!" She was waving out to something in the distance, above the water.

The other two turned, Misora nearly screaming. Rapidly approaching was a shining white dragon, with a sea green mane. When it was close enough that she could see the individual scales, it changed into a man. He was tall, but not exceedingly so. His face was average sized, though if she wanted to be picky, she would have said that it was on the thin side. His hair looked black in the dim light, but she saw green flashes when it caught the lamps' rays.

He smiled at her, making her heart flutter. It was terrifying the way his pointed teeth fit together in perfection -- maximizing prey vulnerability, she thought grimly. And yet, whether she admitted it or not, it was charming in it's own way. It's own petrifying way.

"So here you are," he finally said, breaking the silence. "What is your name.?"

Misora wasn't sure if she could convince herself to move, let alone respond, but somehow her social ticks got the better of her fear and her voice managed to choke out, "Misora."

"Well, Misora," he said, still smiling, "it seems that you have stirred up quite a bit of excitement. Would you mind talking to me for a few minutes?"

Misora glanced at the other two women. Chihiro seemed overcome just by the sight of the man and didn't even look at Misora. Rin, however, gave a reassuring, though slightly hesitant nod. Misora heaved herself up, deciding to ignore the hand he had extended to assist her.

He led her around the corner of the walkway. He peeked back while she turned around to insure they were out of earshot. I seem to be doing that a lot, lately. He faced her.

"Do you know that you should not be here?"

She looked taken aback by the question, but she forced a mindless, default answer. "No, how would I be able to know that? I've only been here half a day."

He felt frustration well up inside of him. He had forgotten how difficult some humans enjoyed being. "Listen, if you stay, it could have serious effects on a person who means more to me than anything else."

Misora glared indignantly. "What's your problem? Your friends don't mind me."

"My problem?" He wanted to scoff. "My problem is that you could undo everything I've worked to protect for half a decade. That aside, you are putting yourself in danger by staying. I'm not required to take you back, but as one of the few people who knows of your presence here, I would be held responsible. You don't realize how many would have simply ended your life on sight."

"But I'm still here, and obviously there aren't many people nearby who would, or I'd be dead already."

He grunted, but it sounded more like a prissy huff. "You're still not seeing my side. You are endangering the only person who ever meant something to me."

She felt her heart ache a bit at the romantic implications of what he was saying. Then the lonely stab provoked the anger again. "How terrible that must be for you, to love someone," she spat.

"Just because you're a whining teenage girl who thinks the whole world hates her," he snarled, glaring, "doesn't give you the right to judge me. I learned a long time ago not to scoff at something when I would die to have it."

Misora was taken aback. Then, as she realized the truth, her expression softened. "You're right, I would kill for that. Chihiro's very lucky to have somebody so concerned about her." Lucky to have someone concerned at all, she added internally.

He blushed. Or, she supposed, he did the spirit equivalent of blushing. Either way, he spluttered to cover her discovery. "How -- what? Who says that I'm in love with Chihiro?"

"Please," she smiled, "It's too obvious. Besides, if you didn't give it away, Chihiro would have. She was making google eyes like I've never seen."

He stared at her for a second, ruffled, then continued as if there was never a detour from his intended subject. "You need to leave as soon as possible. If you cared an ounce for your parents, you would consider that they are going to be worried."

It was Misora's turn to look incredulous. She took hold of his arm, ignoring the way his skin turned white around her ragged fingernails from the excess pressure she exerted. "Well they don't, so I have no reason to go back"

"You forget that you do," he shot back, tearing his arm away from the talons. "Every second you spend here adds to the danger of an innocent person, and if you are any type of decent, that would make you concerned."

"Not as concerned as it makes me not to know all of the facts. What is so strange about me that could threaten somebody's life?"

He dodged, "Why does that matter? It should be enough to know it could."

"Oh, so I'm just going to assume that you're not lying even though we just met?"

Haku shook his head. "Why would I have reason to lie? As you said, we just met; I can't have found a reason to trick you."

"Con artists lie to people they've never met," she retorted easily.

He smiled, despite himself. "Touche."

Misora grinned. "Don't set traps for yourself." Her smile faltered. "But seriously, I'm not careless. If you don't want me to talk about it, fine. But don't take the only people who talk to me away. Besides," she continued, as her grin returned carrying a hint of sadness behind it, "you wouldn't want to deprive Chihiro of her new favorite playmate, would you?"

He smiled obligingly, but did not answer verbally. It didn't matter, Misora knew she had won. She followed him back to where Chihiro and Rin were giggling together.

Before Haku had the chance to clear his throat, the young spirit had already given him her complete attention. Misora would have felt sorry for her, but the jealousy that still coursed faintly through her overpowered any pity that rose in it's expanse. The pity lay underneath it, watching the pathetic way that the young women clung to every word that left his lips. Misora couldn't deny that he was magnificent, and something about him made her know that he would never hurt a person unless they deserved it. Or provoked him enough.

But she didn't miss the way Chihiro's soul sunk away from her eyes, as if it was submitting completely to the man's. She either has an inferiority complex or she's too stupid to stand for herself.

"I know," said a gravelly voice in her ear. "It's difficult to believe how powerful her love is." Misora turned to see a woman with eyes as big as saucers and a nose that could be its own country. She felt her heart seize in fear. She couldn't speak.

"Yes, it's true. She's not stupid, she's not humble, she's just in love." The woman looked at her full on. "And you, being starved of it yourself, are unable to understand why she reacts as she does."

The trembling human had no idea how to reply coherently, so she fainted.

"Oh, dear!" Zeniba wailed softly, but without any conviction so that Rin had to stop herself from laughing out loud.

Haku's annoyance spread clearly across his face. "When did you get here, Zeniba."

"Oh," Zeniba trailed nonchalantly, "a few minutes before you did."

He snarled. "Do you mean that you could have helped me deal with her?" He pointed to the collapsed girl as his sentence finished.

"Well I see that you definitely needed it, since you seem to be in no hurry to put her in a comfortable position." Chihiro, who has been snapped out of her love's trance by the thump of the human's body on the wood, was moving the girl's head onto her lap instead of face-down onto the floor while Rin, who had only followed Chihiro's intentions, was adjusting the lax limbs into a more natural position. "At least women have some manners," Zeniba continued. She leaned over the limp body and, tutting in disapproval, turned back to Haku. "She's going to be sore in the morning. Can't you handle anything by yourself?"

Haku sputtering in an attempt to point out that it was Zeniba who had shocked the girl enough to faint, but was cut off before he could utter a word.

"So, how are we to deal with her?" Zeniba said.

Chihiro was the first to speak. "Oh please let her stay! She's so interesting, even if she does smell."

"But Sen," Rin said, her tone making it almost a coo, "her parents will definitely be worried about her. She can't never go see them. And, if she's still with her parents, she also has to worry about school. These are very important for humans."

Chihiro felt her face wrinkle slightly. She didn't remember her parents; she wasn't even sure she had parents. What was it with humans that kept children and parents together for a quarter of the child's life?

"Haku," she pleaded, "You can't send her away. None of the humans are friendly with her. And I can't just let her to wallow in her suffering."

Haku paused, second guessing himself. He turned to the ancient witch. "What do you think?"

Zeniba smiled a smile that was on the brink of terrifying. "I don't see any harm in letting her visit when she can." But I think we should return her to her parents. Take Kane, she has the shift now, and she's the most human looking yuna at your disposal."

Haku nodded solemnly and took the girl in his arms. "I'll explain to her when she wakes up; she's bound to soon." He walked over to Chihiro. "I'll have to go straight back to Tokyo afterwards; I can't return just to see you."

A tear slid down her face, to her frustration. "I know." He pressed his lips to her temple, and she closed her eyes, savoring the contact. When she opened them, he was gone.

{{A/N: New chapter for all of you. Sorry that it's so late, but I do what I can. So, some might have noticed that I changed the title from "Secrets" to "Floral Fabric Falsehoods". I wouldn't really worry about it -- unless you have OCD or something -- I just didn't feel it was flashy enough. So when you see a flowery fabric print, think of me! Or this story, at any rate.

Side note: I tend to bounce back and forth between spellings -- especially the words where there's more than one spelling. Just ignore me; I'm strange.

I'd tell you to review, but let's assume that you already know to do that.

1• Susuwatari are the soot balls in the boiler room.}}