The bathhouse had always been a noisy place. During business hours, there was the chatter of the customers, the gurgle and splash of the water in the tubs, the sliding of the doors on their tracks, and the shouts of the staff; even after the bathhouse closed, and in the morning before it opened for business once more, there was the creak of feet on wooden floorboards, the giggles of maids cleaning the tubs, and the crash and clatter of cookware from the kitchens.
Yet even through all this noise, the soft strains of music from Kii's lute were all Haku heard as he made his way down the hall lined with shadows behind delicate rice-paper doors.
He could see Kii's shadow as he neared the last room in the hallway: a small, delicate figure lost in ornate robes, accompanied by the hulking form of a much larger creature—The Radish spirit again, Haku thought disgustedly. It escapes me how Kii could… But that's his job, not mine. He could hear Kii humming softly to the tune of his lute, see the Radish spirit swaying to the melody.
Haku hated that damned lute. The sound of it made his skin crawl. He'd seen it sitting in Kii's room on occasion: to him, just a hunk of carved wood and strings. He wanted to snatch it up and bash it to pieces on the hard wooden floor, throw the splinters into the fire in the boiler room. But he wasn't allowed to touch it; no one was, not even Yubaba, just as no one was allowed to touch Kii… without paying first.
Kii finished his song; the sound of the lute died into silence. Haku cringed, straining his ears to hear something, anything over the din of the other customers in the hallway. Much as he hated the sound of the lute, the silence was worse. He couldn't bring himself to watch the shadows through the door; instead, he stared at the floor, fists clenched, waiting for Kii to emerge.
…And to Haku's great relief, in a few moments the door slid open and Kii appeared, cradling his lute in his arms like an infant child. He stared at Haku calmly and silently, as if he'd been expecting him to be standing there all along—and perhaps he had. Haku swallowed.
Kii was several inches shorter than Haku, with soft feminine features and silky black hair that he tied into a loose bun at the nape of his neck. He wore a rich scarlet kimono that was embroidered in gold, and so loose on him that it was often seen slipping off of his shoulders, as it was now. Long lashes lowered, Kii demurely covered himself more properly and said in a low, silky voice, "Do you mind? You're in my way."
"I—" Haku began, then cleared his throat. "Do you have a moment? I'd like to speak with you."
Kii stepped gracefully around him, kimono rustling. "I'm sorry; I don't. I have another customer waiting."
Haku ground his teeth silently. Of all the bathhouse staff, excepting Yubaba, Kii was the only one allowed to talk down to anyone he liked, as long as he got his work done. It grated on the nerves, but Haku wouldn't like to have Kii's job, either. He turned and followed Kii as he moved with a studied grace down the hall. "Is there some time when I can talk to you?" Haku bristled as Kii ignored him. "Kii, I—" he sighed and dug out two gold coins from his pocket and shoved them in Kii's face. "I'd like to make an appointment!"
Kii stopped in the middle of the hallway and raised his eyes to meet Haku's. He lifted a slender hand and took the gold coins, then dropped them into an embroidered pouch that hung at his waist. "I can only see you after the bathhouse closes; I'm too busy otherwise. Wait for me in the third room on the right in the first hall."
"In the hallway?" Haku looked around, reddening. "But—"
"Then where?" Kii looked annoyed. "On Yubaba's oriental rug? Please don't waste my time."
Haku took a breath. It was useless asking Kii to lower his voice, since the his tone was so low already that it was the topic of conversation, and not the volume, that made people stop and listen. Assuring himself that he wasn't asking Kii to do anything unsavory, he said, "My rooms. Second floor from the top."
Without so much as a nod, Kii swept away again. Haku had only the knowledge that he'd kept the money offered as assurance that he'd come. Ignoring the curious patrons that had cracked the doors to listen in on his conversation, Haku continued down the hallway.