Fourth crossing: Bonds
All women had gone to sleep, including the two little humans who were sleeping together under a camellia-patterned blanket due to lack of place but also because it was more reassuring for them to be with each other. They had only the dull black piece of clothing they had to wear under their working kimono. It looked like a swimming suit, covering the front, tied behind the neck, and leaving the arms and the back bare, save of course for the lower back. The little one was sleeping like a baby, hugging her older sister and her head resting on her arm. Her scent, the contact of her skin, her heartbeats... for awhile, she was able to imagine herself back at home and go into a peaceful sleep, grateful, and comforted by her presence.
On the contrary, sleep seemed to avoid Chou like a pest. She could keep her breathing steady for her sister's sake, her arm under the little one's head was also wrapped around her shoulders and her other arm was lying on top of the blanket, stroking the baby sister's hair. Sen had been trembling for a time at first but she had stopped. But when Chou heard footsteps she closed her eyes and her hand kept still on the blanket, across her sister. The door slid open, someone entered and walked on the futons to where the siblings were lying. Chou felt a hand touch her arm and lightly rub it as if to wake her up before it went up to stroke her cheek ever so gently, like the person was afraid she would break from that single contact. That hand, that gentleness... how much she wanted to give in but she fought back the tears and nothing showed on her face.
"Meet me at the bridge, I'll show you your father and your mother." Haku whispered. He tucked a few strands of silky brown hair back behind her ear, his fingertips sliding over her cheek one last time like a feather before leaving. She heard the door closing, after a time she opened her eyes and slowly, carefully, without waking her still tightly sleeping baby sis, she raised herself a little, they were all still sleeping. She freed herself from her sister and dressed, then she tucked her better in the bed and left soundlessly. The young girl climbed down the stairs to the boiler room. Kamaji, as everyone else, was sleeping, and snoring. It brought a smile to her face. And as she searched for her shoes, the little soot balls saw her and brought them to her. She thanked them with another sweet smile and put them on, sliding the socks in her trousers' pocket. They followed her a little, but could not go farther than the step. At the door she turned back, they were squeaking and jumping, trying to get another glimpse of her, she waved at them, smiling, and passed outside. She went up the stairs again, and passed through the garden and the little side door next to the main entrance. Chou paused at the bridge. There was no one else except that same black shadow with the white mask on from earlier. It looked like it was smiling. She went on resolutely, just slowing down a little before the black shape to bow slightly with a little smile in polite and friendly greetings, its gaze following her as she crossed the bridge. Then she turned back, wondering who it was and what it was doing, finding it strange that a customer, if it was one, should be just standing there in broad daylight.
But her thoughts were interrupted when she heard footfalls on the ground and felt someone behind. She turned around.
"Follow me." Haku said, taking her hand. He led her through bushes and bushes of fragrant and colourful flowers which stopped when they reached a slope. Looking downward, Chou could see a farm, fields of growing vegetables, hay and straw, and three long barns. They went down the slope and entered one. It was a pigsty, with several hundreds sleeping pigs. Two were in the pen just before the entrance. It was them, she could feel it but didn't want to believe it. Somehow, she had also hoped that everything had just been a nightmare, that she would wake up, but as she turned her hopeful and scared blue eyes to the boy next to her, as she saw him shake his head, her heart tightened in horror tightened so much that it was painful and made her eyes swell. She ran to the pen, called her mother, called her father. Chou was calling them. And as that name, Chou, left her lips, she felt it was wrong and stopped herself.
"That's not it." She muttered almost inaudibly. But the pigs made no response at all. Haku went next to her.
"Say, do they remember ever being human? Do they have anything human left in them?" She asked him, her voice barely above a whisper.
"No." Despite the gentle tone, the answer fell like a blade. She clenched her teeth, her hands clutching the metal so tight her knuckles were turning white. It hurt so much. Yet she would not give in, she would not give up, she would not cry, no matter how much she wanted to, she was not allowed to be weak. She mustered all the courage her despairing heart could give to smile and pose like a hero in one of those American comics.
"Father, mother, rest assured, your daughter has come to save you! Your Chidori will protect Chihiro and save you, she promises. Until then, don't get too fat ok? She doesn't want to have to serve you as a main dish for some god. So just be a little patient she'll come back, ok? Bye!" She joked, trying with all her might not to let her voice quiver, but when she turned back she could not walk calmly away as she had planned to and dashed. She ran until she was too tired to stand and sat against a tall and thick row of peas, breathing heavily. Haku had followed her. After a minute he broke the silence.
"Here, I hid these for you." He said handing her clothes as well as her sister's.
"I thought they had been thrown away." She took them and held them close against her chest. Haku sat next her. "Chidori is my real name isn't it? And Chihiro is my sister's real name." It was an affirmation more than a question. The boy nodded.
"Yubaba rules others by stealing their names. You're Chou here, but keep your real name secret." He advised. The young girl punched the ground. She looked quite angry.
"Damn that dirty old hag, she almost got me there. I have to warn Chihiro too." Chidori was not the type to speak foul, but she was very protective and would not forgive easily tricksters who tried to harm her loved ones.
"But I'm surprised and glad you could remember it." He smiled. "If she steals your name, you'll never find your way home. I no longer remember my real name." Haku stared off into the distance. He looked so sad. Suddenly her face brightened into a smile as she turned toward him and put her hands on his. Haku was quite surprised by this sudden gesture and seeing her face so close to his, his heart skipped a beat and red rose to his cheeks.
"Then I promise! Haku, I promise that when I'll get out, I'll do everything I can to find your real name! Well, more exactly I'll do everything I can to remember it, because I..." But she could say no more. "Haku?" In a flash he had pulled her to him and was now holding her in a fierce yet soft embrace.
"Isn't it strange?" He asked softly, "How can I remember your name when I can't even remember mine? Chidori, thank you." Was it such a wonder, that he always needed to see her and touch her? To fall in love with a person with such a kind and beautiful soul? That all the tears she wouldn't shed felt like icy knives slashing his heart? Behind that house, in the elevator, in the barn, she was strong, but more than anyone, he wanted to be there for her, to protect her, to be the pillar supporting her. She was always smiling, making it so that the others don't worry, but then who would worry about her?
"Also..." He tightened his grip around her, "It's alright to cry." He whispered, because that was all he could do for her now. Chidori's eyes widened and slowly filled with tears, because she was at her limit, because of his kindness and gentleness, because it was him, she finally surrendered and broke down. She cried a long time in his arms, hugging him and clenching the back of his kimono, washing away all the fear and sadness, despair, frustration and anger she had kept hidden for so long in the darkest corners of her heart.
And, though he wouldn't tell her, when Haku had seen Chidori on the bridge at that time, he had felt something break loose within him. She had been like the rain to a long dried-up spring, making it overflow and run strong through all his veins, making him remember things and act in ways he had thought forgotten.
Then she slowly calmed down and when she felt ready, she pulled away. Her eyes were red and a bit swollen, since it has been so long since she last cried.
"Haku..." She began but he did not let her finish. His hands cupping her face and his thumbs on her lips, he tilted her hand and kissed her closed eyes, healing them.
"A charm." He said, smiling. The young girl blushed slightly. Then he took out he bundle from his kimono and unwrapped it to reveal four onigiri.
"Go ahead, eat, you must be hungry." He gave her a rice ball.
"I'm alright, but Chihiro will be glad to have some." She refused politely
"I put a spell on it to give you back your strength." Haku added, he wanted her to think about herself for once.
"I..." A rumble was heard, she blushed a deeper shade of red and held her belly. "I'll gladly accept it." She sighed as the boy smiled. And indeed, after eating it she felt refreshed. She wanted to bring the rest to her sister but he convinced her to eat another one.
"Haku, thank you, for everything." She smiled at him, sweetly and gratefully. An earnest smile. Then he led Chidori back to the bridge when he had to leave her, he had errands to do. She can find her way back on her own.
"Don't worry about us, we'll do our best." She grinned.
"Good." Chidori crossed the bridge, and when she looked back, she saw a white dragon slithering away before disappearing in the blue sky. She went back inside, unknowingly followed.
And when Kamaji's thirst woke him up, he saw Chidori curled in a ball, using folded clothes as a pillow and hugging them tightly against her. She was cutely and soundlessly sleeping with a little smile delicately curving her cherry lips. The man smiled despite himself and covered the young human with a remaining cushion. He had never thought she could sleep so serenely and with that kind of smile here, something good must have happened and he was glad, for over such a short time, he had grown quite fond of the little girls.
Then, hours later, when dark clouds gathered and a heavy rain fell, Yubaba and her bird came back and the lights were lit.
"Where were you? Sen was worried sick!" Lin scolded her as they put the futons and blankets back in the cupboards.
"Sorry! Were you worried too?"
"Of course I was!"
"It's so good to be loved." Chidori joked with a sigh.
"Don't get ahead of yourself."
"Haaaai!" But still, she could not help but keep smiling. She was feeling much better, like a heavy weight had been thrown off her shoulders and she had one person to thank for that. Lin and Chihiro had noticed it, she was in especially good mood today.
And so the first day of work began. With other girls they had to clean the wooden floor, run back and forth, bent back, apply pressure on the wet rags with your hands and let it slide. Chidori was pretty much used to that, since it was exactly like cleaning a dojo or a temple and she could keep up quite easily. Unlike her much slower little sister who could barely run a length without tripping and falling and whose skinny arms were hardly able to wring the excess water out of the rags.
It was at that moment a 'supervisor' came in and said that the three, Lin, Chou, and Sen, would get the big tub as of today. Lin complained, saying the big tub was Frog work. But as he said, it was orders from above, so they better give it their all. Somehow that situation seemed to amuse him.
While Lin and Chihiro brought everything necessary to clean the big tub, Chidori went to throw the dirty water outside, since it was a bit too heavy for her sister, and as she did, she noticed the white mask standing there, in the rain. She bowed slightly with a little polite smile.
"Aren't you getting wet? Maybe you should come inside." She suggested. But then her 'sempai' called her, she had to hurry. The young girl joined her 'co-workers', leaving the door open for the mask to come in if it wanted to.
As they walked toward the big tub, the women peaked from behind the panel0s hiding the tubs they were cleaning, they all seemed to find that situation particularly amusing. A friend of hers even joked. And indeed, when they arrived, they understood. It was all slimy and full of weeds. As Lin said, this must not have been scrubbed in ages. Behind them, two frogs sniggered. They started working immediately, cleaning the wooden floor first. Though, Sen slipped and fell after two steps. Then they scrubbed the tub itself. Lin explained that this bath was for their filthiest guests, but already, the first guests were arriving. That was clearly harassment. She sent Chou to get a tag from the foreman, this bath needed an herbal soak. Since it was harassment, a human going would of course face bullying but she trusted Chou to get through it better than the little one. And so Chidori went to do as she was told.
"I can't waste that on you." The foreman said although he was all smiles and gladly handing tags to the other women.
"And why not? I work just as hard as everyone else, thus I must be treated equally."
"Even though you're just a human."
"And you're just a stingy frog. Come on, give me the tag and I'll leave already."
"You're too mouthy, I don't like your attitude!"
"And I don't like yours."
"Geez you're so dense, I told you to scrub with your hands, your hands!"
"You're the dense one, I told you it must be an herbal soak, herbal soak! Order from Lin-san. You would give it to her, you have no reason not to give it to me. We must work together for our customers' sake." She reasoned.
The two cursed the other's stubbornness. Then white mask appeared behind the foreman, Chidori smiled, he wondered what was up with her but had to answer the phone. Then a tag was given to her, she gave a bright smile, bowed and left with a "thank you very much, I'll be sure to remember your kindness.". She knew it was the white mask who had given her the tag and directed to him the smile and word of thanks had been sincere. But directed toward the foreman, it had just been another display of sarcasm, though she was not sure he had understood it.
"Wow, you got a really good one." Lin said, impressed.
"Of course, I said I would do my best!" Chou grinned.
"Well, this goes right to Kamaji." The 'sempai' explained hooking the tag and pulling on it. She closed the panel, barely an outline of it remained on the wall. "Water'll be right up, it's not too busy now." A beam went down with the rolling sound of a pulley. A rope with a noose was tied to it. The girls climbed on the tub. "Yank on this for hot water." Lin gave the noose to the youngest one. But taking it, she slipped and fell. The water flowed.
"You're such a klutz." The two older women lamented with their fists on their hips. Chihiro aided herself with the rope to get back up
"Look at that colour." She said, trying to make them forget her little fall. But at least she didn't fall in the tub.
"That's dried worm salts. With water this murky, who's gonna see the sludge?" Lin explained again with a satisfied smile. "Yank it again when it's full, it'll stop. Chou, come, let's go get breakfast." She said again going down and leaving.
"Yes!" Chou followed her but stopped after a time. "Ah, please go ahead, I'll come soon." She said going back.
"Hurry up!"
"Yes ma'am!" The young one went back to her little sister.
"Here, Chihiro, eat that first." Chidori said, giving the two remaining onigiri.
"Chihiro?" She repeated.
"Yes, that's your real name, and mine is Chidori. But keep that secret, here, you're Sen, and I am Chou. Yubaba controls people by stealing their names, remember it. But eat these first, they're a gift from Haku, he put a spell on them to give us back our strength." The little one agreed and ate them. "Now I must go back, mind the water." Chidori warned again before leaving.
But soon the young girl was face to face with white mask, he wanted to give her tags, many tags. Touched as she was by his kindness, she did not need them.
"Thank you, but if it's alright, would you please give them to my sister, Sen, instead of me? She will probably need them more than me. She will refuse but please, insist." She requested with a smile. He did as she wished. They bowed slightly and went their way.
Then Chidori noticed something, there was much ruckus, the customers were asked to leave their baths and return to their rooms for now, from the room she had just left, the girl heard the water overflow and Sen stifle a scream. Someone came and called them, Lin, Chou, and Sen. He said that Yubaba was asking for them. What was it again?