Shugorei
by Shadou-sama

Yubaba sat at her desk, scribbling on a few sheets of paper. Nothing too important, just the usual paperwork. Her Kashira bounced around quietly and Bou was asleep in his nursery. Yu-Bird was out scouting the town for any 'guests' that just happened to forget to pay their bill. Everything was normal in Aburarya Bathhouse. Except for one thing, and it would be taken care of quickly.
"You wished to see me?" A calm and quiet voice asked. Yubaba looked up from her paperwork.
She had the looks of a normal human girl. But she was no human… She was Ka-Shoku, the red Ka-Riu dragon. Her dark red hair was tied up in a high ponytail, bangs falling over her dark red eyes. She wore a simple gray yukata and black obi. Her face was serious, but otherwise expressionless. Like she always was, even when Yubaba first met her.
"Yes, I did." Yubaba leaned back in her chair. "Have you heard about beyblades?"
"No, ma'am."
"In the human world there is this sport called beyblade. Two spinning tops fight each other with the last one spinning wins. It's quite a popular sport in the human world."
"And why are you telling me this?" Ka-Shoku asked.
"Because in there is going to be great turmoil in the human world over the World Championships. If this one team loses, then the other's corporate sponsor, Biovolt, will be able to take over the human world," Yubaba explained.
"And why do we care about the human world? It doesn't involve the spirit world and it certainly does not involve the bathhouse."
"It does involve the spirit world. Some of the beyblades hold very powerful spirits. They want to use these spirits, who they call Bit-beasts, and their own artificial Bit-beasts in their plans. These spirits do not want this. They would be very grateful for our help and could pay us a very large amount of money."
"I see."
"So I want you to go to the human world and join the Bladebreakers team to help them to win. Because if they don't, Biovolt will—"
"Biovolt is involved?" Ka-Shoku interrupted.
"Yes. They will—"
"I will be fighting against Biovolt?" she interrupted again.
"Yes," Yubaba said, annoyed. "Now as I was trying to say, Biovolt will defile the poor Bit-beasts and we lose out on lucrative customers."
Ka-Shoku nodded her understanding.
"You will leave when the sun rises for the human world. Once there, you will instantly have knowledge and skill of beyblade. You will meet with a human called Mr. Dickinson. I have already talked to him and he has agreed to let you join the Bladebreakers. He will introduce you to your new team."
Yubaba casually waved a hand and a red object went zooming towards Ka-Shoku, who easily caught it in one hand. She looked at the object. It looked some kind of top, and it had a circle in its center with the picture of a red dragon.
"That is a beyblade. And that red dragon is a Bit-beast that agreed to help. Her name is Dryu and she is quite powerful. Treat her with great respect." Yubaba waved another hand and a gym bag flew in from another room, also grabbed by Ka-Shoku. "In there you will have everything you will need in the human world. And don't forget to change in human clothes before you leave. Oh, and please tell Rin that if she wants a new assistant, that she has to clean the big tub this week."
Ka-Shoku knew she was being dismissed. She turned around and left.
Biovolt. She didn't like Biovolt. Biovolt had kidnapped her from her home and mercilessly experimented on her. She couldn't remember what it was like before then, but she knew she had been happy. Happy, and other emotions, were something that was denied to her these days. She walked around the floors of the bathhouse. It would be time to leave when the guests left. She noticed the other employees avoiding her, but as always, she didn't care. She could get things done faster if they didn't get in her way.
Rin was an opinionated woman who had once had her own assistant. The assistant had been human, a girl named Chichiro, or Sen when she was working here. That girl had managed to get her and her parents freedom back from Yubaba. She had also freed Haku, Yubaba's former apprentice. It had been lucky for Ka-Shoku, as she had received his place.
She walked up to the foreman on the bath floor. "Where is Rin?" she asked.
"Who? Rin? Oh, she's at the big tub today," the foreman answered distractedly. He handed out a bath token to a yuna with a friendly, "Have a good bath, sir," to the customer.
"Thank you," Ka-Shoku said and went off to the far tub.
Rin was scrubbing the slime out of the tub, all the while muttering swears and bloody oaths and death threats. The last customer to have used the tub was a river god that at the time had been covered in pollution and rusted metal. The tub was getting popular again, especially with polluted river spirits, and needed to be cleaned out.
"Rin," Ka-Shoku greeted as she climbed to the lip of the huge tub.
"What?" Rin asked, annoyed with fists on her hips. She looked up. "Oh, Ka-Shoku. Didn't realize it was you."
Of course not or she would have answered more politely. "You're supposed to clean the tub all this week."
"What?" Rin yelled. "But this should be frog work! It'll be murder!"
"Yubaba said if you wanted a new assistant then you had to work for it."
"Grrr," Rin grumbled. "Hey, you going somewhere?" she asked, pointing to the bag.
"Yes."
"Where?"
"On a mission."
Rin looked wistful. "I'd love to get away from here."
"You wouldn't like where I'm going."
Ka-Shoku walked away, Rin looking questioningly. Guests were getting out of tubs and getting dried off, heading either to their room or to the door. Ka-Shoku hurried to her room to get dressed in her new human clothes. Light was coming.
Her room was empty except for a sleeping mattress and a wardrobe. Simple and clean, just the way she liked it. Not that Ka-Shoku was a simple person. She just didn't like lingering in the past, possessions that revealed what she had done before the now moment. Ka-Shoku liked to think of the moment and plan for the future.
She pulled out her new clothes. A gray and black Chinese traditional blouse and pants. There was a black jacket, with an embroidered red dragon slithering across it. How fitting. There was another jacket as well, a heavier one. It was aqua blue with the logo BBA on it. There was also a pair of black sneakers and socks. She put on her new clothes (except for the aqua coat, it was much too warm for a night like this, and the runners, she was still inside) and went to her wardrobe.
Everything Ka-Shoku owned was in those wooden drawers. She wasn't a clutter bug like Yubaba. She would pack a few things, and leave what she didn't take with her in the room. They would be there when she returned, hopefully. But if they weren't, she would just live on without them.
Her yukata and obi were already in the bag. She added a bright red Fire Opal and a dark and shiny Black Opal. A few spell scrolls and a bottle of ash followed the jewels. A black ivory comb and a furry towel were needed as well. Every traveler should have a good towel. Her katana, the one thing she had from her past. Her hand hovered over a crimson sash. Would she ever need it? No… she grabbed it and tied it around her waist. It could be used as a bandage was her reasoning.
Through the window, Ka-Shoku could see the sun raising. Time to go. She grabbed her bag and walked through the empty bathhouse. Across the bridge and she was in an empty town. A true ghost town. The river beyond the town was wide and deep during the night, but during the day it was a small babbling creek. The tunnel wasn't that much farther. And after that… her mission awaited.

To be continued...