Chapter 17
Sen and Haku
Hideki, having left the auditorium upon the conclusion of the lecture, was on his way back to the lab to work a little more on his project. He was mired in thought and totally oblivious to the heightened activity due to Professor Natori's stroke. He had a serious crisis of confidence. As advantageous it was to have full access to a spirit, as quick a study he was, he wasn't the department's top student; there was something lacking in his work. Hideki knew this as well as anybody. At one point, his guidance counsellor suggested he switch to structural engineering. He was determined, however, to be an architect--and no dam placed in his way was going to divert him from his goal. The ambulance in the distance finally got his attention and he looked up to see that something dreadful had just happened. His curiosity overtook his immediate concerns and decided to catch up with the crowd.
Shinobu and Chihiro tried to return to their seats in the lobby. The emergency room area was beginning to get crowded with the curious and concerned. The hospital staffer who took the next-of-kin information noticed their predicament and offered them a small examination room to discuss matters without distraction.
Shinobu wasted no time with her story. "It was the first year of the Showa era--1926--when my sister and I chanced upon an abandoned thatched-roof house near our home in Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture. Mit-chan was a few hours older than I was and was always getting us into trouble. On that day, we were in the process of running away--something we did whenever we were angry at daddy. We seldom stayed out later than dinnertime and, until that day, we never spent the night away from home."
She went on to describe how the eight year old twins wandered into the spirit world, had a thoroughly enjoyable time, and returned a few days later. As Chihiro did, the twins lost all memory of the event until it was recalled later in life. As Shinobu described, the entire family changed it name when their father disgraced them by getting arrested for a political crime when they were just under twenty years old. Miyu changed her name to Natori after she accepted the job Chihiro now accepted. It was a pun aimed at Yubaba's penchant for stealing names.
Miyu and Kaya were busy with Sen, teaching her the fundamentals of separation. [WE ALL KNOW AN ENTITY AND ITS SPIRIT ARE PHYSICALLY CONNECTED AT AT LEAST ONE SPOT. THE PROBLEM IS FINDING A POSITION WHERE YOU CAN EXERT ENOUGH FORCE TO PULL FREE FROM THE HOST.] Sen had tried to separate a few times before, but she wasn't successful. Without prompting, she manipulated the connection point to Chihiro's left little toe to Sen's right foot. She the strectched herself a meter and wrapped herself around Chihiro's right shoulder. [IS IT SOMETHING LIKE THIS?]
Miyu was astonished. [IT'S EXACTLY LIKE THAT!]
Kaya agreed. [HERE IS WHERE TRAINING COMES IN. AS PAINFUL AS IT SEEMS IT MIGHT BE, IT'S NEITHER PAINFUL NOR HARMFUL TO USE YOUR LEFT FOOT AS A LEVER AGAINST HER BODY AND PUSH AS HARD AS YOU CAN]
Before she gave it a try, Sen was curious: [MIYU, IT SEEMS PRETTY EASY TO FIGURE OUT. WHY CAN'T MALES DO IT?]
[FEMALE SPIRITS IN INFANCY ARE FAR MORE SPIRITUALLY ACTIVE THAN MALES. WHEN THEIR HUMAN PARENTS MOVE THEM, THE FEMALE SPIRITS CLING HARDER, WEAKENING THE BOND BETWEEN SPIRIT AND HOST. FEMALE TWINS ARE CONSTANTLY BINDING TO EACH OTHER, SO THE CONNECTING FABRIC BECOMES EXTREMELY WEAK. SOMETIMES TWINS CAN SEPARATE WITHOUT NEEDING TO USE FORCE. IF THE BOND IS NOT WEAKENED IN INFANCY, IT WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO SEPARATE IN LATER LIFE] Miyu stopped for a brief instant as if she sensed something in the air. [KAYA, PLEASE CONTINUE WITH SEN. I NEED TO CHECK ON SOMETHING RIGHT NOW]
Hideki was just outside the hospital entrance, trying to gather from people in the crowd just what happened to the professor. Miyu floated out and spotted him--just as she suspected. [HAKU, HIDEKI: YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE. SEN IS INSIDE WITH CHIHIRO, LEARNING A MOST IMPORTANT AND DIFFICULT SKILL...]
Just then, another spirit wandered out of the hospital. [IT WASN'T SO DIFFICULT, MIYU.] It was Sen. Haku recognized her instantly. [SEN!!] Haku and Sen immediately intertwined. Miyu had to interject. [SEN, YOU KNOW YOU'LL...]
[KAYA TOLD ME WHAT I NEEDED TO DO. THIS WILL WORK VERY WELL FOR ALL OF US. I WILL TRAIN FOR MY POSITION IN THE SPIRIT WORLD AND VISIT HAKU WHENEVER I DESIRE. CHIHIRO WILL NO LONGER GET MESSAGES DIRECTLY FROM ME, ALLOWING HER TO LIVE A NORMAL LIFE.]
Miyu added: [I DIDN'T TELL YOU THIS BEFORE, BUT HAKU AND HIDEKI CAN TRAVEL FREELY BETWEEN OUR WORLD AND THE HUMAN WORLD WITHOUT TRANSFORMING; IT'S A BENEFIT OF BEING A FULLY ENMESHED HUMAN AND SPIRIT. HE CAN VISIT YOU WHILE YOU ARE THERE. ALL HE NEEDS TO KNOW IS THE PORTAL SCHEDULE. AS A HUMAN, HOWEVER, HE WILL HAVE NO MORE CAPABILITIES AND POWERS THAN HE HAS HERE. YOU, AS A PURE SPIRIT, WILL BE A POWERFUL SORCERESS PAIR]
Sen and Haku were taken a bit by surprise. [PAIR?]
[YOU WERE TOO FAR AWAY TO HEAR MY LECTURE, WEREN'T YOU, SEN?]
Haku heard the lecture and he recalled, [OF COURSE. THE GODS NEED TO HAVE SPIRITUAL AS WELL AS PHYSICAL REJUVENATION. YUBABA AND ZENIBA ARE BOTH NEEDED--EVEN THOUGH YUBABA GETS MOST OF THE BUSINESS. SEN, YOU WILL SPLIT WHEN YOU ENTER OUR WORLD. ONE WILL RUN THE BATHHOUSE AND THE OTHER WILL ENTERTAIN AN OCCASIONAL GOD IN NEED OF SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT.]
Miyu added a final note before heading back into the hospital. [HIDEKI?]
"Yes?"
[YOU KNOW YOU WILL NEED TO MARRY CHIHIRO. IT'S QUITE POSSIBLE SHE COULD FALL IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE ELSE IF SEN DOESN'T RETURN TO HER HOST OFTEN ENOUGH. YOU MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO WAIT UNTIL YOU'VE ESTABLISHED YOURSELF AS AN ARCHITECT.]
"If I ever become an architect is a bigger question to me right now..."
Sen got the message through Haku. [WHAT IS HIS PROJECT?] Haku imprinted an image of the project into Sen's awareness. [HAKU, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SENSITIVITY YOU SHOWED ME LONG AGO? THIS DESIGN HAS NO SOUL.]
Hideki was a bit upset even if he did see truth in her words. "I suppose you can make it better."
Sen replied to Haku, [EASY. MOVE YOUR TREES A LITTLE CLOSER AROUND THE PARKING GARAGE HERE AND GET RID OF THAT ATROCIOUS WINDOW THERE...]
Hideki was able to envision what she suggested. He was impressed. All it took was someone with the time to see what would be harmonious with nature.
[...AND TURN THAT ROCK TO FACE THE SOUTH.] Hideki laughed at the comment. "Sen, Chihiro and I will have an interesting life together." Hideki bid Miyu goodbye. Miyu called, [SEN, DON'T FORGET. 9:00 AM AT USHIKU STATION NEXT THURSDAY] Hideki was eager to get back to his project and try out Sen's suggested changes. "Why not turn the rock to face the East?" Hideki was in a playful mood. [HEY, I MEAN IT...]
Sen and Haku
Hideki, having left the auditorium upon the conclusion of the lecture, was on his way back to the lab to work a little more on his project. He was mired in thought and totally oblivious to the heightened activity due to Professor Natori's stroke. He had a serious crisis of confidence. As advantageous it was to have full access to a spirit, as quick a study he was, he wasn't the department's top student; there was something lacking in his work. Hideki knew this as well as anybody. At one point, his guidance counsellor suggested he switch to structural engineering. He was determined, however, to be an architect--and no dam placed in his way was going to divert him from his goal. The ambulance in the distance finally got his attention and he looked up to see that something dreadful had just happened. His curiosity overtook his immediate concerns and decided to catch up with the crowd.
Shinobu and Chihiro tried to return to their seats in the lobby. The emergency room area was beginning to get crowded with the curious and concerned. The hospital staffer who took the next-of-kin information noticed their predicament and offered them a small examination room to discuss matters without distraction.
Shinobu wasted no time with her story. "It was the first year of the Showa era--1926--when my sister and I chanced upon an abandoned thatched-roof house near our home in Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture. Mit-chan was a few hours older than I was and was always getting us into trouble. On that day, we were in the process of running away--something we did whenever we were angry at daddy. We seldom stayed out later than dinnertime and, until that day, we never spent the night away from home."
She went on to describe how the eight year old twins wandered into the spirit world, had a thoroughly enjoyable time, and returned a few days later. As Chihiro did, the twins lost all memory of the event until it was recalled later in life. As Shinobu described, the entire family changed it name when their father disgraced them by getting arrested for a political crime when they were just under twenty years old. Miyu changed her name to Natori after she accepted the job Chihiro now accepted. It was a pun aimed at Yubaba's penchant for stealing names.
Miyu and Kaya were busy with Sen, teaching her the fundamentals of separation. [WE ALL KNOW AN ENTITY AND ITS SPIRIT ARE PHYSICALLY CONNECTED AT AT LEAST ONE SPOT. THE PROBLEM IS FINDING A POSITION WHERE YOU CAN EXERT ENOUGH FORCE TO PULL FREE FROM THE HOST.] Sen had tried to separate a few times before, but she wasn't successful. Without prompting, she manipulated the connection point to Chihiro's left little toe to Sen's right foot. She the strectched herself a meter and wrapped herself around Chihiro's right shoulder. [IS IT SOMETHING LIKE THIS?]
Miyu was astonished. [IT'S EXACTLY LIKE THAT!]
Kaya agreed. [HERE IS WHERE TRAINING COMES IN. AS PAINFUL AS IT SEEMS IT MIGHT BE, IT'S NEITHER PAINFUL NOR HARMFUL TO USE YOUR LEFT FOOT AS A LEVER AGAINST HER BODY AND PUSH AS HARD AS YOU CAN]
Before she gave it a try, Sen was curious: [MIYU, IT SEEMS PRETTY EASY TO FIGURE OUT. WHY CAN'T MALES DO IT?]
[FEMALE SPIRITS IN INFANCY ARE FAR MORE SPIRITUALLY ACTIVE THAN MALES. WHEN THEIR HUMAN PARENTS MOVE THEM, THE FEMALE SPIRITS CLING HARDER, WEAKENING THE BOND BETWEEN SPIRIT AND HOST. FEMALE TWINS ARE CONSTANTLY BINDING TO EACH OTHER, SO THE CONNECTING FABRIC BECOMES EXTREMELY WEAK. SOMETIMES TWINS CAN SEPARATE WITHOUT NEEDING TO USE FORCE. IF THE BOND IS NOT WEAKENED IN INFANCY, IT WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO SEPARATE IN LATER LIFE] Miyu stopped for a brief instant as if she sensed something in the air. [KAYA, PLEASE CONTINUE WITH SEN. I NEED TO CHECK ON SOMETHING RIGHT NOW]
Hideki was just outside the hospital entrance, trying to gather from people in the crowd just what happened to the professor. Miyu floated out and spotted him--just as she suspected. [HAKU, HIDEKI: YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE. SEN IS INSIDE WITH CHIHIRO, LEARNING A MOST IMPORTANT AND DIFFICULT SKILL...]
Just then, another spirit wandered out of the hospital. [IT WASN'T SO DIFFICULT, MIYU.] It was Sen. Haku recognized her instantly. [SEN!!] Haku and Sen immediately intertwined. Miyu had to interject. [SEN, YOU KNOW YOU'LL...]
[KAYA TOLD ME WHAT I NEEDED TO DO. THIS WILL WORK VERY WELL FOR ALL OF US. I WILL TRAIN FOR MY POSITION IN THE SPIRIT WORLD AND VISIT HAKU WHENEVER I DESIRE. CHIHIRO WILL NO LONGER GET MESSAGES DIRECTLY FROM ME, ALLOWING HER TO LIVE A NORMAL LIFE.]
Miyu added: [I DIDN'T TELL YOU THIS BEFORE, BUT HAKU AND HIDEKI CAN TRAVEL FREELY BETWEEN OUR WORLD AND THE HUMAN WORLD WITHOUT TRANSFORMING; IT'S A BENEFIT OF BEING A FULLY ENMESHED HUMAN AND SPIRIT. HE CAN VISIT YOU WHILE YOU ARE THERE. ALL HE NEEDS TO KNOW IS THE PORTAL SCHEDULE. AS A HUMAN, HOWEVER, HE WILL HAVE NO MORE CAPABILITIES AND POWERS THAN HE HAS HERE. YOU, AS A PURE SPIRIT, WILL BE A POWERFUL SORCERESS PAIR]
Sen and Haku were taken a bit by surprise. [PAIR?]
[YOU WERE TOO FAR AWAY TO HEAR MY LECTURE, WEREN'T YOU, SEN?]
Haku heard the lecture and he recalled, [OF COURSE. THE GODS NEED TO HAVE SPIRITUAL AS WELL AS PHYSICAL REJUVENATION. YUBABA AND ZENIBA ARE BOTH NEEDED--EVEN THOUGH YUBABA GETS MOST OF THE BUSINESS. SEN, YOU WILL SPLIT WHEN YOU ENTER OUR WORLD. ONE WILL RUN THE BATHHOUSE AND THE OTHER WILL ENTERTAIN AN OCCASIONAL GOD IN NEED OF SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT.]
Miyu added a final note before heading back into the hospital. [HIDEKI?]
"Yes?"
[YOU KNOW YOU WILL NEED TO MARRY CHIHIRO. IT'S QUITE POSSIBLE SHE COULD FALL IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE ELSE IF SEN DOESN'T RETURN TO HER HOST OFTEN ENOUGH. YOU MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO WAIT UNTIL YOU'VE ESTABLISHED YOURSELF AS AN ARCHITECT.]
"If I ever become an architect is a bigger question to me right now..."
Sen got the message through Haku. [WHAT IS HIS PROJECT?] Haku imprinted an image of the project into Sen's awareness. [HAKU, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SENSITIVITY YOU SHOWED ME LONG AGO? THIS DESIGN HAS NO SOUL.]
Hideki was a bit upset even if he did see truth in her words. "I suppose you can make it better."
Sen replied to Haku, [EASY. MOVE YOUR TREES A LITTLE CLOSER AROUND THE PARKING GARAGE HERE AND GET RID OF THAT ATROCIOUS WINDOW THERE...]
Hideki was able to envision what she suggested. He was impressed. All it took was someone with the time to see what would be harmonious with nature.
[...AND TURN THAT ROCK TO FACE THE SOUTH.] Hideki laughed at the comment. "Sen, Chihiro and I will have an interesting life together." Hideki bid Miyu goodbye. Miyu called, [SEN, DON'T FORGET. 9:00 AM AT USHIKU STATION NEXT THURSDAY] Hideki was eager to get back to his project and try out Sen's suggested changes. "Why not turn the rock to face the East?" Hideki was in a playful mood. [HEY, I MEAN IT...]