Return of Sen: Chapter 3
After searching the entire bathhouse, Haku finally found Yui scrubbing a bath alone. He watched her for a minute. Yui didn't seem like the type to threaten someone, but maybe... She was the only blonde at the bathhouse, and certainly the only human (other than Chihiro) to ever visit the demon world without being destroyed by Yubaba. She'd turned up as a small child, only five years old (they guessed), her thin dress ragged, crying. Haku had been there.
He'd been preparing a bath for a guest when his sharp ears had detected a faint wail. Assuming it was just the wind picking up, he'd ignored it and gone on with his task. Someone, he never found out who, had also heard it and found a screaming blonde child in the town. They'd brought it to the bathhouse and gone to get Yubaba.
The child's wail, much louder inside the building, made him cover his ears; it pierced his head like an arrow. Finishing the bath preparations, he went to find the source of the noise. Pushing his way through a crowd of demons, he came upon young Yui. Haku could still remember his surprise upon finding a child and a human, no less. He could still see in his mind Yubaba rushing down the many steps, skirts whirling in her haste.
"What is this??" she had insisted, then glared at the crowd. "Who is responsible for bringing that thing here!?" And then something happened that had shocked them all to no end. The child had spoken.
"Not a thing, am a person!" the child had stated angrily, sniffling and wiping away her tears. "Am a girl. Am..." But Haku suddenly couldn't remember her real name, or even what happened next. The only thing he could recall was Yubaba giving her a contract. Taking away her real name and giving her the new one, Yui. Everyone else had thought it insane to employ a human, let alone a human child. It had taken them a long, long time to accept Yui.
"Haku?" Haku looked up sharply into Yui's smiling, sweaty face. "Did you need to talk to me?"
"Oh!" He smiled back. "I did, actually."
"Ok then, shoot."
"You know how I brought Chihiro back here today?"
"You mean Sen? Yeah?"
Haku smiled sheepishly. He felt stupid saying it, but he was going to find out for Chihiro's sake. "Well, she said... she said you threatened to kill her this afternoon."
Yui gasped. "She did?? I'd never do that, you know I wouldn't, Haku!"
"I did think it was odd," he admitted. "But I don't think she'd ever met you before, so I wasn't sure what to believe."
Yui nodded a bit. "Yeah..." She looked away. Haku watched at her curiously. She glanced back at him and bit her lip, succumbing to his inquiring gaze. "Oh, I wasn't going to say anything, but..." Her voice got quieter; Haku leaned in a few inches to hear her better. "It was really Sen that threatened me!"
"Chihiro did that!?"
"She's not the goody-goody you think she is!" she insisted. "I saw her when she worked here. She was so mean to everyone, I was really glad I never met her! She was a horrible brat. She hardly did any work, either, and she expected everyone else to pick up the slack!" Yui wiped away a drop of sweat sliding down her face. "It's true."
Haku frowned. That couldn't be true. He'd also seen Chihiro work and it hadn't been that way. But then again, he hadn't watched her all the time. Could she have down those things when he wasn't looking? Was she even capable of doing them with her tender heart? Was she just a well kept lie? This mystery just got bigger and bigger. Out loud, he said distantly, "Thanks Yui."
"Oh, no problem! Just... just don't tell Sen I told you those things... ok?" Haku waved his hand in acknowledgment and walked away in deep thought. Once he was out of earshot, Yui smirked and stuck out her tongue. "Fool."
This chapter's reviewers:
Kaoru Gal, Helga22, GriffinFox, moezy-chan, evil Reviwer!!, Bandit, Alex Warlorn
I appreciate all your reviews! THEY WERE NOT IN VAIN!!! lol
After searching the entire bathhouse, Haku finally found Yui scrubbing a bath alone. He watched her for a minute. Yui didn't seem like the type to threaten someone, but maybe... She was the only blonde at the bathhouse, and certainly the only human (other than Chihiro) to ever visit the demon world without being destroyed by Yubaba. She'd turned up as a small child, only five years old (they guessed), her thin dress ragged, crying. Haku had been there.
He'd been preparing a bath for a guest when his sharp ears had detected a faint wail. Assuming it was just the wind picking up, he'd ignored it and gone on with his task. Someone, he never found out who, had also heard it and found a screaming blonde child in the town. They'd brought it to the bathhouse and gone to get Yubaba.
The child's wail, much louder inside the building, made him cover his ears; it pierced his head like an arrow. Finishing the bath preparations, he went to find the source of the noise. Pushing his way through a crowd of demons, he came upon young Yui. Haku could still remember his surprise upon finding a child and a human, no less. He could still see in his mind Yubaba rushing down the many steps, skirts whirling in her haste.
"What is this??" she had insisted, then glared at the crowd. "Who is responsible for bringing that thing here!?" And then something happened that had shocked them all to no end. The child had spoken.
"Not a thing, am a person!" the child had stated angrily, sniffling and wiping away her tears. "Am a girl. Am..." But Haku suddenly couldn't remember her real name, or even what happened next. The only thing he could recall was Yubaba giving her a contract. Taking away her real name and giving her the new one, Yui. Everyone else had thought it insane to employ a human, let alone a human child. It had taken them a long, long time to accept Yui.
"Haku?" Haku looked up sharply into Yui's smiling, sweaty face. "Did you need to talk to me?"
"Oh!" He smiled back. "I did, actually."
"Ok then, shoot."
"You know how I brought Chihiro back here today?"
"You mean Sen? Yeah?"
Haku smiled sheepishly. He felt stupid saying it, but he was going to find out for Chihiro's sake. "Well, she said... she said you threatened to kill her this afternoon."
Yui gasped. "She did?? I'd never do that, you know I wouldn't, Haku!"
"I did think it was odd," he admitted. "But I don't think she'd ever met you before, so I wasn't sure what to believe."
Yui nodded a bit. "Yeah..." She looked away. Haku watched at her curiously. She glanced back at him and bit her lip, succumbing to his inquiring gaze. "Oh, I wasn't going to say anything, but..." Her voice got quieter; Haku leaned in a few inches to hear her better. "It was really Sen that threatened me!"
"Chihiro did that!?"
"She's not the goody-goody you think she is!" she insisted. "I saw her when she worked here. She was so mean to everyone, I was really glad I never met her! She was a horrible brat. She hardly did any work, either, and she expected everyone else to pick up the slack!" Yui wiped away a drop of sweat sliding down her face. "It's true."
Haku frowned. That couldn't be true. He'd also seen Chihiro work and it hadn't been that way. But then again, he hadn't watched her all the time. Could she have down those things when he wasn't looking? Was she even capable of doing them with her tender heart? Was she just a well kept lie? This mystery just got bigger and bigger. Out loud, he said distantly, "Thanks Yui."
"Oh, no problem! Just... just don't tell Sen I told you those things... ok?" Haku waved his hand in acknowledgment and walked away in deep thought. Once he was out of earshot, Yui smirked and stuck out her tongue. "Fool."
This chapter's reviewers:
Kaoru Gal, Helga22, GriffinFox, moezy-chan, evil Reviwer!!, Bandit, Alex Warlorn
I appreciate all your reviews! THEY WERE NOT IN VAIN!!! lol