"I think we have some free time before our next assignment." Lin said, wiping some rice off the side of her mouth. "Looks like we have to separate after we finish eating. Do you think you can handle that?" Lin asked. "Sure, Kohaku is guiding me around the bathhouse for the time being." I answered, gulping down the last of my rice. "You're lucky. When I was put to work, I was a loner. I had to figure everything out myself. It was hard work, but…" Lin went on and on, as usual. It was good to know that I had a friend in the bathhouse. I had made many friends over night, but Lin was special. No matter how sad someone could be, if they were near Lin, they would brighten up.
That's something I liked about Lin. She always seemed to be in a little world of her own. I bet she'd just call it 'Lin's World', that's self-explanatory. Imagine if she called it 'Super Mario World', but then again, she doesn't even know what a video game system is. "I'm leaving. See you, Lin." I said, getting up from my seat. "But I was just about to tell you…" Lin reached out for me. "I don't have the time now. Just write a memoir, I'd buy it." I replied, heading for the hallway. "A memoir?! You know how long that takes to write?!" Lin called out. I didn't listen, because I wasn't going to the foreman to get another assignment.
I went out the back door and onto the same steps I did last night; the missing step was finally replaced. I went past the boiler room and further down the steps. The very last door led to the mines. It was a metal door, and a sign on it read 'DANGEROUS - MINE FIRE'. I felt the doorknob with my hand. It wasn't too hot, so I turned the knob. A cloud of smoke greeted me and my eyes burned. They're forcing Chi to work here? I thought. It must be torture. I blinked a lot, and the smoke cleared. Then I saw a person with a mask and shovel. The person looked at me, and took their mask off. It was Chi.
I looked around and saw that he was the only one in the mine. "Ichigo! It's you!" I hugged him. "Get off! I've got ashes on me. And I'm sweating. Anyone would know that." He sneezed. I walked away and looked at him. His face was covered with ash and dirt, and his hair was stained black. "Why aren't you wearing a mask? More importantly, why are you here anyways?" He asked. "I would like to know why you're the only person in the mine. You're being overworked!" I said, taking the shovel from him. "I'm the only one assigned here today, so I have to work hard until curfew." Ichigo said, wiping his head.
"Now, to the point. What have you discovered so far?" I asked. "I've asked around, and many of my roommates say that the cloaked one's name is 'Tama.'" Ichigo said. "Tama means…'perfect', right?" I suggested. "From what I've heard, I'd say her name matches her personality. The other male workers say she's really pretty, and they would do anything for her. She's nice, too." "She sounds like a Mary Sue. But why does she wear the cloak when she's so eye-catching?" I wondered. "They said they felt uncomfortable talking about it. That it was 'traumatizing'." Ichigo answered. Then we both heard a knock on the door. "Open up!" A familiar voice shouted.
*~*~*
My winter vacation starts today! Yay! Word Count: 680
P.S. Thanks so much Narlth! It's nice to know people like you read my stories. ^^