Chapter IX
〜Umi〜
Revised 6-23-16
Rolling around on an unfamiliar futon, Chihiro had to be covered in a least five different blankets. It was making her suffocate and sweat; usually in warm weather like this Chihiro preferred no blanket at all. The bandage on her forehead was getting nasty too and she hoped to get it changed soon. Not sure how late in the day it was, everything seemed quiet and Chihiro was still tired. By now her mom was bound to have something cooking and nag her awake...
Chihiro's eyes snapped open and after a moment of hesitation, she shot upright and flung the blankets off her body. Covered in a layer of perspiration, she ignored the various aches and sores throbbing throughout her body and looked around as if she forgot where she was. Then just on time the fusuma slid open–
"Good morning~ Chihiro-san are... oh," the servant looked at the disheveled human and deadpanned. "My—what happened, are you alright?"
Chihiro looked over at the servant with a ghostly face and said, "I remember something."
The lady holding a tray of food stared a little distantly at the human before reacting herself. "What is it you remember?" Her question left Chihiro in a daze as she recalled her sudden recollection.
"I remember Shiroryu, the village and the people there... its vague but I can see faces, houses and even their voices. I lived with my parents, but I don't know where they are now... Something happened to them, I know it."
The servant watched as Chihiro went from curious to anxious, thinking about it too much would only make her depressed. "Chihiro-san do not force it all at once, it will come back to you." Walking closer the servant gave Chihiro her breakfast. "You look quite disturbed; after you eat I will take you to the baths alright?"
Smiling pleasantly – she was still waiting for an answer. Chihiro looked up through her eyelashes and nodded her head once. The tray of food sat on her lap and she forced herself to nibble on some rice, just to be nice to the servant who went through so much trouble to take care of her. As for the water, Chihiro gladly accepted and drank it all like the night before. She was told some sort of medicine was placed in the water to help her strength return and injuries heal.
The servant looked at the human with pity on her face and smiled weakly. "Are you finished," she asked and stared at the nearly untouched breakfast. Chihiro nodded her head without raising her gaze from the floor. She couldn't help but think about Shiroryu, the faces of her mom and dad she could see in her head. Where they were now and how she ended up in this place was beyond her comprehension; Chihiro braced herself for the worst.
Without realizing it, the servant had Chihiro standing on her feet and ready to head to the baths. "Here," said the lady handing her a towel as they left the room. "Use that until I find you some clothes." Silent, Chihiro followed the lady through a maze of halls. All the women and frogs in the temple seemed to stare whenever they walked by; Chihiro assumed none of them had seen a human before either. The staring would take some getting used to; after all she wondered what she looked like. Right now it was probably something like sweaty skin, bags under her eyes, and matted hair. If that the case, she couldn't blame them. On the other hand – she was kind of doing the same thing to them...
Together they walked through a doorway when the atmosphere suddenly changed – all the walls were colored a deep cream. Every other wall panel had delicate paintings on them, some more elaborate than others. Lined along the walls were fusuma doors leading into private baths arranged one after the other. The atmosphere was dense and hot, it was a little hard to breathe. Steam floated aimlessly in the air which seeped from underneath some of the doors. Every now and then a worker could be seen cleaning one of the rooms. Inside was a rather private bath, each one she looked into also had a few stools. One door in particular had giggling coming from the other side; Chihiro pictured one of the women here being chased playfully by a frogman and scrunched her face in abhorrence.
"In here Chihiro-san." The servant went inside a room which had a large circular tub elevated in the middle – filled with steaming water.
Chihiro hugged the towel to her chest and walked up to the water. "Why's it so murky?" she asked. It reminded her of the water surrounding the temple and bathhouse.
"Dry worm salt, it is good for you," replied the servant. The water had a salty smell to it and Chihiro wondered if this is what the ocean smelled like. "Come...," In the corner of the room the servant stood by a wooden stool and motioned for Chihiro to sit. "Over here Chihiro-san."
Walking over to the stool, Chihiro started undoing the sash around her body. The robe barely fell from her shoulders when the servant blurted.
"There is no need to do that while I am here, I am just removing your bandage." The lady's cheeks turned a light red.
"Why not, I might as well wash myself. Were both girls—so there's nothing to be embarrassed about?"
"V-Very well." The servant stammered and Chihiro was actually a little surprised how flustered she was acting. Nonetheless, the lady stayed and motioned once more for the naked human wrapped in a towel to sit down and gasped so abruptly Chihiro almost peed herself! "What happened to your shoulder?"
Turning around, Chihiro wasn't sure what she was talking about and stared at the servant's bewildered face. "Huh?" Bending her arm – Chihiro reached to touch the skin on her right shoulder blade. "Ow...," she hissed as the familiar soreness that kept her awake all night greeted her good morning. The servant instantly shooed the hand away and leaned in to look closer at the black and purple splotchy skin.
"Very damaged vessels, you do not remember how this happened?" Asked the lady still intently staring. The realization that it was a bruise only made Chihiro feel gloomier than before. Something bad really did happen for her to be so banged up. The faces of her mother and father flashed into her head being all she really cared about remembering and inwardly sulked. "Do not worry Chihiro-san—it will heal in due time." The coax was ignored since Chihiro was too busy roaming around her thoughts. After another moment of silence, Umi said, "We shall ask Nushi-sama to help find your parents."
Chihiro was skeptical that Haku would go through all that trouble just to help a human that stumbled into his land. "Really," she asked with bright eyes and looked at the servant behind her whose cheeks were still burning.
The lady nodded proudly, "Of course—I think he is a little worried about you."
The god was worried about her, but why? Chihiro didn't understand nearly any of the people in this place. "Why would he worry about me, I'm just a human?"
It was quiet as the servant discarded the nasty bandage and used a comb to gently tease out the tangles in her hair. Then she said, "I do not know but he was very strict in wanting me to take care of you. Ever since you came here he seems to be acting abberrant."
When the servant ceased to go into more detail Chihiro had to ask for herself. "Is it because of what happened at the village?"
Both girls were silent but the servant's face was scrunched in contemplation. "Perhaps, but he appears more... lively than desolate."
Chihiro thought some more and had to ask... "He doesn't have family or any concubines to keep him company?" Something that sounded like a scoff erupted from the person behind her.
"Chihiro-san, Nushi-sama is not a social person and pays no mind to the ladies here. He tends to keep to himself as you can tell."
That was true; Haku did seem a little distant and gloomy all the time. Chihiro was surprised he didn't fall for some of the women working here, some of them were very beautiful. As wrong as it felt to admit, her village God was actually pretty alluring himself. Then Chihiro turned to look at the servant girl who was still trying to comb her hair. She was beautiful, almost a perfect match for Haku.
"What's your name?" Chihiro asked.
They stared at one another before the servant registered the question. "I did not tell you my name?" She looked a little puzzled that she never once introduced herself. Chihiro had been calling her 'lady' and 'servant' in her head for quite a while now. Shaking her head no, the servant was a little too flabbergasted. "Please call me Umi," she then smiled and went back to brushing Chihiro's hair, forcibly turning her head back being careful of her injury.
"Umi-san," testing out the sound of her name Chihiro accidently caught her attention.
"Yes," she hummed.
Deciding to inquire anyways Chihiro gazed at the bamboo paneled flooring. There was a hole close to her feet that was probably a drain for excess water. When the atmosphere quieted down even more, that's when Chihiro asked... "Are you close to Haku-sama?" As much as she wanted to turn around Chihiro decided to just let her finish combing.
Umi smiled without Chihiro's acknowledgment and reminisced about her past. "I thought about pursuing him many times, but I soon realized it was impossible"-Chihiro froze from the next statement-"...because no man can compare to a woman's beauty." From her face to her ears Chihiro turned crimson with embarrassment! Stock still – she has exposed her body after all. "Heheh—don't worry Chihiro-san, I won't fall for you!" Dying from embarrassment Chihiro hastily went to get into the tub before she had the chance to wash.
. . .
Umi had left Chihiro to bathe on her own but would be back later with some new clothes. With the time she had to herself, eventually she was emerged all the way to her neck and sighed from the relaxing heat of the water. Everything about this temple was so luxurious, she hoped wherever her parents were that she could bring them here too, if Haku let her that is. After all Chihiro was a prisoner here due to the rules that even Haku had to follow but broke them anyway. She spent the next few minutes wondering what would happen to Haku if someone important found out he left the spirit realm. Would he be killed, tortured or imprisoned? It wasn't the most pleasant way to pass her time, but her thoughts kept roaming around until someone knocked on the door frame.
"Come in," Chihiro said and hoped they heard her. The fusuma slid open and Umi came walking inside with a pile of clothes.
"Nushi-sama wishes to speak with you Chihiro-san, I told him you had a favor to ask." Turning to look at Umi, all the servant could see was her nose and up. "Ask him about your parents Chihiro-san." The human's eyes lit up and she raised her head to reveal a small smile.
"Thank you Umi!" Chihiro forgot to be polite, (by adding san) but didn't even notice.
"Take your time, I will be waiting outside until you are ready." Umi said and bowed for the first time to Chihiro with a smile on her face. She left the girl alone again but waited patiently in the hall. Meanwhile, Chihiro lounged in the water waiting a little longer until she got out. After a minute or two she climbed out of the tub and dripped water everywhere before drying off with the towel she discarded earlier.
Looking around for the clothes, they sat in a neat pile by the door. Without even looking at them, she slipped on a short pink robe that was tucked under a pair of pink pants that fastened at her ankles. The last thing to put on was a white sash that tied around Chihiro's pants where her robe was tucked underneath, securing them to her body. Without any shoes or socks, Chihiro left the tub room; her hair was still soaking wet but she wasn't sure what to do with it.
Umi stared at Chihiro and seconds later grabbed her massively long hair in a fistful. It was as black as her eyes and stretched all the way down to her thighs where a pastel pink ribbon tied the strands together at the ends. Umi pulled the thread lose and handed it to Chihiro. "You can use that," she said smiling and helped Chihiro to tie her hair back against the base of her skull which thankfully was healed enough to not bleed anymore. "Come, Nushi-sama is waiting."
The two girls walked from the hallway which was stuffed with steam to the point you could barely breathe. On the way to see Haku, Chihiro felt pretty nervous. She wondered what his reaction and answer would be about retrieving her parents wherever they may be. That would make three humans total in his land, there was no way he'd be okay with that, but Chihiro held hope anyway. She spent her time walking through the temple thinking about her parents, picturing their faces in her head, smiling at her. She could see them perfectly, her memories were returning more quickly than she anticipated.
