Chapter 5: A New Name
She wasn't sure what it was about him. Something about this hauntingly beautiful man standing before her was disconcerting yet comforting at the same time. She wanted to shun his piercing gaze but she couldn't stop marvelling at his emerald eyes. She wanted to hide from his imposing demeanour yet she felt the urge to run up to him and tell him… tell him… tell him what?
"I'm sorry," the words tumbled out of her half-open mouth before she knew what she was saying. A tear rolled down the corner of her eye and Chihiro absentmindedly brushed it away with the back of her had. Why am I crying? She couldn't understand what was happening to her.
"I'm sorry," the quiet words rang loud in Haku's ears and shook his world. No, please, don't be. It's me. he wanted to run over and hold her. I'm sorry. It's me, it's… But the dragon man stood still, rooted to the ground as though he were frozen in time.
Chihiro's short, messy hair fanned out around her face. Her dark wide eyes betrayed her confusion as she stared agape at Haku. Her skin looked tired and dull and her eyes were red-rimmed. But despite her dishevelled appearance, she was still perfect to Haku. She had the most adorable slightly upturned little nose and puckered lips that reminded him of a tulip in half bloom. She had lost her baby fat and her jawline framed her delicate face. He loved the feminine features that have developed since the last time they've met.
Composing himself, Haku walked towards the girl he had yearned for for so long. He could feel her feelings as though it were his own through the connection he built within her at the banks of his river. Her fear, her confusion, beneath that a dull sense of sadness. and… and… there was something else in the layers of emotions…something warm, but he couldn't seem to reach it.
"Took you long enough to drag your ass from Kaeda's room here," an old witch with a gigantic head appeared next to him. And in an instant, the spell between Chihiro and Haku was broken. Zeniba walked towards Haku, blocking his view of the human girl and glared deep into his eyes.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, DRAGON? The witch thought at him. Haku knew what she meant - the witch could sense his scent emanating off the human girl.
"Wh-when did you arrive?" Haku asked, trying to evade the question.
"Well, just a few moments ago, really. Chihiro's a little tired. Let's give her a little bit of space for a while shall we-" Zeniba chirped cheerily, turning around to face Chihiro with a forced smile.
"No please don't leave me again." Chihiro reached out to grab Haku's sleeves but caught herself halfway.
"Again?" The witch raised a brow at her.
"I mean, please don't leave me," Chihiro spoke quietly, starring at the blankets. "I'm sorry I'm just… I must have caused you quite a bit of trouble."
"Oh! Dear, you're no trouble at all," Zeniba rushed over to her and sat at edge of the bed, "darling, my name is Zeniba and I'm here to help you." Chihiro ogled at the strange, disproportionate witch and gulped. It wasn't just her enormous head and short body that threw her off, it was also her impossibly large eyes and the wart on her forehead that was making her feel nervous. However, despite Zeniba's strange appearance, Chihiro felt like she could trust this strange old woman. A small smile tucked the edge of Chihiro's lips and she began to relax a little.
Feeling the shift in Chihiro's mood within him, Haku excused himself to make the weary girl a hot cup of tea. He wanted to cast a spell and make her feel better but his instincts told him that openly performing magic in front of her right now wasn't a good idea. Instead, he decided that a warm cup of 'spiked' tea might do her more good for now.
As Haku was preparing a pot of peppermint tea and some biscuits, a thousand thoughts were racing through his mind. He was so preoccupied with worrying over when she would wake that he had forgotten the other trickier problems he needed to deal with in order to keep her alive in this plane.
"And just how much more honey are you going to add into that?" Zeniba's crackly voice brought Haku back to reality.
"Oh, shit!" Honey was spilling over the brim of the teacup, spilling onto the tray and even drenching some of the biscuits. Haku rolled his eyes at the mess he's made. With a snap of his fingers, honey flowed backwards into the jar where it was from and his utensils were clean again.
"Let me do this," Zeniba said, knowing what Haku was doing with the tea, "go speak with her. We will talk later."
Stepping back into the room, Haku sat next to his futon, close to Chihiro. Clearing his throat, a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, "it must have been difficult for you… I'm Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi, master of the bathhouse. The staff call me master Haku."
"It's nice to meet you, master Haku and I'm thankful that you've given me so much help," Chihiro replied with a quiet voice. Sitting up a little more, Chihiro reached her hand towards Haku, "my name is Ch… my name is…" A puzzled look washed over Chihiro's weary face.
"Who am I?" She gasped.
She can't remember her name? Haku's frown formed a deep crease on his forehead.
After finally making sure all the baths were thoroughly cleaned, Rin decided to visit Haku in his room to visit the human girl. The last time she checked, Chihiro was still sound asleep, caught in a different dimension. That tends to happen when some kind of bonding took place between a human and spirit.
Pushing the lever of the lift, Rin entered the lift discreetly and pressed level 12. Just as the doors were closing, a pair of hands intercepted the doors and a tall figure walked in.
"Pardon me, Mistress Rin," Kaeda's hummed, "are you going to visit Kohaku? I think I shall come with you."
Come with me? Shoot. "I'm sorry lady Kaeda, master Haku's room is off limits to guests. I'm just going to give him the usual nightly reports," Rin mastered as smoothly as she could.
"Reports? Surely a sick spirit deserves some rest and time away from work when he's unwell?" Lady Kaeda's velvety voice cooed, "I shall visit him to see how he's doing."
The elevator was reaching the higher floors and Rin was running out of ideas to keep Kaeda away. She prayed for a miracle to happen so Chihiro wouldn't be found out. Heck, the human only just got here! With a bing, the two women stepped out of the lift and kept in step with each other. The floorboards creaked as the pair raced each other to the master's room.
Just as Rin and Kaeda tried to beat each other to the door, it slid open suddenly and revealed a stony-faced Haku. He didn't have a bulky build but there was always a sense of gravity in the way he held himself. Standing firm and tall, Haku blocked the entrance to his room with his rather imposing demeanour.
"Can I help you, ladies?" He questioned.
"I'm uh…" Rin could sense the tension radiating off Haku and felt guilty for something she didn't do. What's going on? "I'm here to send you the nightly reports… as I do each evening," She managed eventually.
"Oh, Kohaku, are you alright? I was so worried about you," Kaeda soothed as she moved towards Haku, trying to manoeuvre her way into the room, but Haku simply stood his ground and blocked the entrance.
An uncomfortable silence passed between the trio before Haku finally spoke up, "Lady Kaeda, thank you for your concern but you know that this level is off limits."
"I'm feeling much better now, after Zeniba made me her herbal drink," he softened his voice and tried to smile, "I'm currently having a meeting with her about some important matters."
"Oh, well… it's good to know you're feeling better…" Kaeda forced a smile, sensing that she wasn't welcomed at the moment.
"I'm so sorry I left so abruptly before," Haku soothed, realising that he had created some tension. "I'll visit you again and we can finish where we left off," he whispered in her ear as he held her wrist in his hand, the one with the bangle on it.
Nodding her head, Kaeda's face turned a little red at Haku's proximity. "Goodnight Kohaku," she said beneath her breath, bowed lowly, and left.
When Kaeda had long disappeared into the elevator, Saku let his guard down and spoke with a sense of urgency. "Rin, come in quickly so we can have this meeting together."
"Damn you Haku stop playing these stupid games!" Rin exclaimed, throwing her hands at the dragon exasperatedly.
"Chihiro's awake."
"You're not going to forgive yourself if Chihiro-"
"Chihiro's awake."
"She… SHE IS?"
Everything felt so bizarre. As Rin gave Chihiro a guided tour, she felt a strong sense of Deja Vu at every turn. She could have sworn she had never seen so many strange creatures before yet it all felt so… familiar. The bathhouse was enormous and different levels were strategically allocated for different guests. It was all a bit too much to take in but the general rule was that the higher floors were meant for important guests and the Master stayed all the way at the top.
"You can take two days off and rest for a bit, Chihiro," Rin touched Chihiro's shoulder lightly. Their tour ended at the girls dorm and Rin had prepared the futon for Chihiro. Glancing down at the human girl, she could tell Chihiro was still tired from the effects of Haku's magic and Zeniba's herbal concoctions. Rin felt a pang of sadness in her heart. There was so much she wanted to tell the her but so much she couldn't talk about. Nodding dumbly at Rin's instructions, Chihiro thought it was better to take the Mistress' advice and get some rest. She thanked Rin quietly and made her way to her futon at the edge of the room.
The girls dorm was a long, rectangular space. A long row of shelves ran across on one side of the room while a long panel of sliding doors ran across the other side. Curious, Chihiro opened the sliding doors and was pleasantly surprised to find a balcony that stretched across the length of the room. Taking in some fresh air, Chihiro calmed her anxious heart as she mentally prepared herself to accept her new life at the bathhouse.
New life. What was her old life like? Chihiro didn't know. She couldn't remember a thing. Closing the sliding door behind her, Chihiro made her way towards her futon and decided that she had enough thinking for one day.
But… She couldn't keep the day's events out of her mind. As she lay in her futon, she thought about all that had happened so far - waking up in a stranger's bed, meeting a large headed witch and touring a gigantic bathhouse.
Most of all, she couldn't keep her mind off the master of the bathhouse - Master Haku. There was no denying he was utterly attractive but Chihiro knew in her heart that she wasn't simply captivated by his looks. There was something familiar about him; a little like how the bathhouse made her feel. But…sweeter.
Everything happened so quickly. Before she knew it, she was the employee of the bathhouse. Master Haku had taken the time to briefly explain how this world works. She needed a purpose to stay alive here or she would lose all meaning of her existence and turn into a shadow of herself - quite literally. She shuddered to think what that would be like.
Pulling the woollen blanket over her head, Chihiro revisited the events that had happened in Master Haku's room just a few hours ago.
"You'll work here as an employee so you have a purpose to justify your existence," Master Haku's firm voice echoed in her head. "But before having a purpose, you'll need an identity. Since you can't remember your name, as Master of the bathhouse, I'll gift you one." Chihiro could still remember the way he said the next words:
"From now on, your name is Chihiro."
She thought she heard his voice quiver a little when he released the name to her, but she could have been wrong.
"CHI-HI-RO" she mouthed over and over again as she tossed and turned in the futon, trying to find a comfortable position. Chihiro? A thousand fathoms?
"Perhaps Master Haku gave me this name as a blessing… to pick things up and understand things quicker since I've already caused him so much trouble," Chihiro reasoned. Closing her eyes, Chihiro massaged her temples to ease the headache she was still experiencing. She went through the terms of her contract with Master Haku in her mind.
"Once you've accepted this name, you'll be bound under my authority. You must only work for me and not anyone else," she could still hear his tenor voice ringing in her head. She remembered bowing lowly, accepting the terms of her life here as a bounded employee. And then, she remembered the strange tingling sensation in her chest which lasted no more than a few seconds. In the next moment, she felt as though she were Chihiro. Felt as though she is Chihiro. She knew that names were important and she's more than grateful that the kind master of the bathhouse had gifted her one. She was determined to give her best and not let her master down.