Unkind Mankind

Disclaimer: I am in no way, shape or form of the male gender, so therefore I cannot possibly be Hayao Miyazaki.

A/N: As a response to a review I got from a Guest, of course there'll be more! I have a feeling I'll never finish this fic ^^"

Chapter 21 – Lin

Sen. Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long, long time; eleven years to be exact. As I gaze into the sharp russet eyes of my dear childhood friend, I reminisce the days from when I worked at the famous Aburaya Bath House under Yubaba's harsh ruling claw. The work was tough, yes, but it was nothing that my determined ten year-old self couldn't handle. I was on a mission; I had to save my parents from their presumed fate of turning into bacon.

"Is that really you?" Lin's voice is just barely audible, and I notice that her lower lip is trembling. A soft smile spreads across my face.

"Yeah, it's me, Lin." I stand, and only then does Lin come at me with such a great force that I almost fall over, if not for her amazingly strong arms lifting me off the ground. I let out a squeak of surprise, not prepared for the sudden impact. She embraces me tightly, as if I were about to slip out of her grasp and disappear forever. The thought makes me smile, and I return the embrace almost as tightly as she.

"It's good to see you, Lin." My voice is just barely above a whisper, and I'm struggling to hold in my emotions.

"You too, Sen." She sniffles. "You're such a dope… I missed you; we all did." She says, and I move to hold Lin at arm's length.

"I thought you would have forgotten me by now." Hearing this, she gasps in mock horror, before grabbing my head and ruffling my hair.

"Why ever would you say that?" I can tell she's trying to feign hurt, though I can hear the grin in her voice.

"It's been eleven years, Lin. Besides," I grin. "Who would remember a clumsy, scrawny, stinking old human like me?"

"Are you kidding? Before you came around, everyone was so bored working at this dump; of course everyone remembers you. You were the talk of the whole town!"

"Really?" Lin's about to reply, when Haku suddenly clears his throat. 'Whoops.' I think. 'I forgot he was here.' I laugh at my forgetfulness. "Sorry, Haku." Lin lets go of her grip on me, and I straighten up, scratching the back of my head.

"It's alright," He says, waving the matter off. "But we need to get going soon if we want to get to Zeniba's before dark."

"Yubaba's sister? Why are you going to see her?" Lin queries. "What are you planning, Lizard?" She jabs an accusatory finger into Haku's chest, whilst furrowing her brows.

"Now Lin, why ever would you want to know that?" Haku smirks, crossing his arms casually.

"Because," She jabs hard at his chest again. Lin prods with each emphasised word she says. "I, unlike you, actually care about my family's wellbeing. You on the other hand, are apparently incapable of caring about someone other than yourself, you self-centred bastard." With one final jab, Lin folds her arms defensively over her own chest. I'm genuinely surprised by her harsh words, and I wonder if all that prodding is going to leave a bruise. I notice that Haku's eyebrow starts to twitch in frustration. It must be getting on his nerves.

"…Lin? Who did you mean by 'family'?" I ask, unsure if I'd heard correctly. She turns towards me, smiling a warm smile.

"You of course, ya dope." She grins. "You're like a little sister to me, Sen. I am capable of caring about people, ya know." She shoots her gaze back to Haku. "Unlike you." She deadpans.

"What do you mean I don't care? Of course I care!" He shoots back, finally snapping.

"And so he speaks! That's nice, otherwise I would've thought you didn't have the guts to say something." Sarcasm drips from her voice like a raindrop sliding down a leaf.

"Lin." He growls. Sighing, I clear my throat at an attempt to grab their attention. It fails miserably.

"Erm, guys?" They merely stand on the spot, glaring at one another. Lin fires a victorious smirk towards Haku, and I can see that his fists are now clenched tightly at his sides.

"What're you going to do, Lizard Breath?"

"Why you-"

"Stop fighting!" I all but yell out. My hands are balled into tight fists at my sides, at an attempt to keep myself from exploding. I don't want to have a fight with my closest friends just after I'd met them again for the first time in eleven years. Lin's hands drop to her sides. They both look directly at me, before bowing their heads in guilt.

"Sorry." They say in unison. I would've thought the action to be quite funny, had I not been ticked off by the both of them.

"Lin," I start, and she looks up at me. "Haku and I are going to Zeniba's to find out… To find out why I was brought back to life." She furrows her brows, clearly confused.

"Brought back to life? Sen, what's going on?" Taking a deep breath, I mentally prepare myself. For what exactly, I'm not sure.

"I died yesterday, Lin." Her eyes widen considerably. Lin slowly looks over to Haku.

"So, that's why you left so suddenly yesterday…?" Haku only nods, a guilty look spreading across his face.

"I'm sorry I- I didn't get to you on time…" He looks away, but I don't need to see his face to be able to see that he's ashamed of himself, and my heart goes out to him.

"…We should tell Kamaji." Lin suggests suddenly. "He should know what happened, too." A small, sad smile forms on my face, and I nod.

"Okay." We head for the old, rickety stairs down the side of the bath house, with Lin right in front of me, and Haku following behind gloomily.

~o~o~O~o~o~

A/N: Sorry for another short chapter this week, but I did update early for once in my miserable life. I reeeeeally wanted to just update on time, I love you all so much *lessthanthree* If I can get an early start on chapter 22, I will hopefully be able to update next Friday, just like I used to. But, I am very, very busy this week and next week. I'll try to update my profile to keep you guys updated on what's happening with my fics!

Now to thank my awesome sheep peeps that reviewed! Thanks to:

binglebop, NarutoSwag99, Heartz4Jesus, WhiteTiger246, diety, Sereenalovesanime, Hikaru69, Guest 1, PeanutGallerySama, Hana no Kamisama, Jikarashino Haruko and Guest 2!

Jikarashino Haru: No problamo, friend! Anything I read from such a kind person can never be taken badly, I think. No worries! If you ever decide to write something in English, don't hesitate to ask me to proofread it for you! I'd be glad to go over it c: And thank you very much, I quite enjoyed the fluffy part myself ;)

Of course! I'll try not to push myself too hard, but then I do need to motivate myself, otherwise I'll get nothing done! Again, thanks for more of your endless kind words, they always warm up my heart and make me smile. Until next time! o/