Return of Sen: Chapter 4
When Chihiro woke, she didn't open her eyes. She rolled onto her stomach with a sigh and fumbled around beside her to grab her clock, to check the time. It was still dark, and she wondered how much time she had left before she had to drag herself out of bed for school. She frowned, increasing her fumbling when her hand didn't hit the alarm clock right away. Her hand instead brushed something warm and soft. She eeped and opened her eyes quickly.
Through the dimness, she could make out Haku sitting on a futon beside her. His head leaned backwards, resting on her mattress. He sat in what looked like an uncomfortable position to Chihiro, but perhaps he didn't mind. As her gaze fell on the olive-haired boy, the previous day's events rushed back to her. She frowned, letting her fingers trail down the back of his hair where they had landed in the search for her clock.
As she did so, the boy let out a soft sigh. "Chihiro..." he breathed softly.
Blushing very lightly, Chihiro whispered back into the stillness, "Haku..."
His eyes sprang open as his sharp ears picked up the sound of his name. The hand on his head quickly pulled away. Haku lifted his head and glanced around quickly, searching for whoever had spoken. Chihiro shrank back a bit into her blanket, uncertain if she wanted to be seen awake. For some reason, Haku didn't seem as happy as he had the day before. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and buried her face in her blanket. She could feign sleep as well as anybody.
Haku finally turned to look at Chihiro; she could feel his steady gaze beat down on the top of her head. She prayed silently he wouldn't realize she was awake, unsure exactly why she was even hiding such a fact. Haku's eyes remained watching her for a few more seconds, lingering until Chihiro thought she might go crazy from holding still.
A soft, gentle hand touched her upturned cheek with the softest of caresses, nearly causing the girl to leap out of her pretend rest. Then came a quiet, worried, confused voice, a mix of emotions Chihiro wasn't used to hearing when the boy spoke.
"Chihiro," the voice said, sounded horribly helpless. "Did you really do such things?" There was a sigh.
Slow footsteps sounded going around the bed. Then they halted abruptly as another set echoed down the hall, very faintly at first but growing louder as their owner drew nearer to the room. Finally, they too ceased, and Chihiro heard another voice that she had come to detest in a mere night.
"Ohayo, Haku!" Yui called brightly.
"Ohayogozaimasu," Haku responded, his previous emotions gone and now just sounding tired. "How are you doing?"
"I'm just fine." There was a creak as the blonde sat on the edge of the bed by Chihiro's feet. She could tell it wasn't Haku because Yui was much lighter. "But you sound simply exhausted! Didn't you sleep well?" Concern dripped from her words like honey from a beehive. Chihiro had to force herself not to scream from how false it sounded. But Haku appeared fooled but it.
"No, I didn't sleep well..." he answered with another sigh. The bed squeaked again as he dropped onto the sheets next to Chihiro's head. "I have... a lot on my mind right now." His hand slipped under the blanket, found a warm cheek (on her face!! Get your minds outta the gutter. shakes her head, muttering and grinning), and stroked it gently next to the ear. Chihiro felt the color rise to her cheeks and wondered if Haku could feel the temperature of her face rising.
"Do you? What about?" the other human inquired innocently. Chihiro felt her weight shift as she leaned forward slightly. "It's not about... what I told you last night, is it?" Chihiro received a stab of curiosity through her heart.
"...no, of course not!" Haku replied less tiredly than before. Chihiro could tell he had put on a false smile, as she herself had done many times in front of her parents. "I've hardly thought about that at all." Liar! she felt like yelling. It was obvious that was what was bugging him. If only she knew what it was!
"Liar," Yui said, echoing her thoughts. "I can tell... look, forget I mentioned it, ok? If you're losing sleep about Chihiro bothering me, don't worry about it. I can take care of myself."
"Are you sure?" Yui must have nodded, because Haku pulled his hand away from Chihiro's cheek and his weight lifted off of the bed. "If you say so... but you make sure and let me know if anything else happens."
"I will.." Yui's weight also lifted. "Let's go get some breakfast, I'm starving."
"Alright. Chihiro will probably sleep for awhile yet. I'll bring her up something later..."
Two pairs of footsteps echoed, their owners leaving the room and walking down the hall. There was a soft clang as the elevator doors slid shut and the faintest of whirs as the elevator left the floor, going down. The moment the whirring ended, Chihiro furiously threw off her blanket. That jerk of a girl!! That Yui!! Chihiro, bother HER!? That was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard!! No wonder Haku had sounded so confused, if Yui was spewing THOSE kinds of lies to him!! She could only imagine exactly what she'd told Haku, and it ticked her off.
She glared down at the futon spread on the floor. "How could she?" she muttered under her breath.
"Talking about me? Well, that's not nice."
Chihiro whipped her head up, only to see Yui standing in the doorway, smirking lightly. Yui gave her a sort of wave as her smirk grew. Chihiro's glare grew just as fast.
"I thought you went to breakfast with Haku," she said to the blonde, trying to master her fury.
Yui shrugged. "I told him I forgot to do something and I'd meet him downstairs."
"What did you tell Haku I did to you!?" Chihiro then cried, leaping off of the bed in her anger. "I haven't done anything, and you know it! I've barely said three words to you, I don't even KNOW you!! What do you have against me!?"
Yui examined the fingernails on one of her hands rather haughtily. "Like I said before, Sen, you think you're all big and bad because you're the only person to ever escape Yubaba's clutches. I'm going to kill you for that." She gazed down at Chihiro with a strange, furious look in her eyes. "And even if I don't do the dirty work myself, you'll die. I'll make sure of that, don't you worry." She flicked a stray lock of long blonde hair out of her eyes and stalked back out the door.
Chihiro stared after her, her anger slowly melting into confusion and fear. She didn't understand anything that just happened. She sank back down onto the jumbled covers, trying to figure it out. A girl she didn't even know wanted her dead and was trying to convince Haku she was a horrible person to do it...
...so much for a peaceful visit to the bathhouse.
This chapter's reviewers:
Fanficmaniac Evil Reviewer, Bandit, urban-angel809, Menoumarus1grl, moezy- chan, Draechaeli, Mizu Akuma, Shuffle Queen, Angel, Reyoko-chan, angelchu003, Alex Warlorn, Mika, baka-onna2003, Jessica R., Amasaki Reyoko, Eizoku, GoldKitsune, angel-chu003, Kokiro Ogino
I appreciate all your reviews! THEY WERE NOT IN VAIN!!! lol
When Chihiro woke, she didn't open her eyes. She rolled onto her stomach with a sigh and fumbled around beside her to grab her clock, to check the time. It was still dark, and she wondered how much time she had left before she had to drag herself out of bed for school. She frowned, increasing her fumbling when her hand didn't hit the alarm clock right away. Her hand instead brushed something warm and soft. She eeped and opened her eyes quickly.
Through the dimness, she could make out Haku sitting on a futon beside her. His head leaned backwards, resting on her mattress. He sat in what looked like an uncomfortable position to Chihiro, but perhaps he didn't mind. As her gaze fell on the olive-haired boy, the previous day's events rushed back to her. She frowned, letting her fingers trail down the back of his hair where they had landed in the search for her clock.
As she did so, the boy let out a soft sigh. "Chihiro..." he breathed softly.
Blushing very lightly, Chihiro whispered back into the stillness, "Haku..."
His eyes sprang open as his sharp ears picked up the sound of his name. The hand on his head quickly pulled away. Haku lifted his head and glanced around quickly, searching for whoever had spoken. Chihiro shrank back a bit into her blanket, uncertain if she wanted to be seen awake. For some reason, Haku didn't seem as happy as he had the day before. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and buried her face in her blanket. She could feign sleep as well as anybody.
Haku finally turned to look at Chihiro; she could feel his steady gaze beat down on the top of her head. She prayed silently he wouldn't realize she was awake, unsure exactly why she was even hiding such a fact. Haku's eyes remained watching her for a few more seconds, lingering until Chihiro thought she might go crazy from holding still.
A soft, gentle hand touched her upturned cheek with the softest of caresses, nearly causing the girl to leap out of her pretend rest. Then came a quiet, worried, confused voice, a mix of emotions Chihiro wasn't used to hearing when the boy spoke.
"Chihiro," the voice said, sounded horribly helpless. "Did you really do such things?" There was a sigh.
Slow footsteps sounded going around the bed. Then they halted abruptly as another set echoed down the hall, very faintly at first but growing louder as their owner drew nearer to the room. Finally, they too ceased, and Chihiro heard another voice that she had come to detest in a mere night.
"Ohayo, Haku!" Yui called brightly.
"Ohayogozaimasu," Haku responded, his previous emotions gone and now just sounding tired. "How are you doing?"
"I'm just fine." There was a creak as the blonde sat on the edge of the bed by Chihiro's feet. She could tell it wasn't Haku because Yui was much lighter. "But you sound simply exhausted! Didn't you sleep well?" Concern dripped from her words like honey from a beehive. Chihiro had to force herself not to scream from how false it sounded. But Haku appeared fooled but it.
"No, I didn't sleep well..." he answered with another sigh. The bed squeaked again as he dropped onto the sheets next to Chihiro's head. "I have... a lot on my mind right now." His hand slipped under the blanket, found a warm cheek (on her face!! Get your minds outta the gutter. shakes her head, muttering and grinning), and stroked it gently next to the ear. Chihiro felt the color rise to her cheeks and wondered if Haku could feel the temperature of her face rising.
"Do you? What about?" the other human inquired innocently. Chihiro felt her weight shift as she leaned forward slightly. "It's not about... what I told you last night, is it?" Chihiro received a stab of curiosity through her heart.
"...no, of course not!" Haku replied less tiredly than before. Chihiro could tell he had put on a false smile, as she herself had done many times in front of her parents. "I've hardly thought about that at all." Liar! she felt like yelling. It was obvious that was what was bugging him. If only she knew what it was!
"Liar," Yui said, echoing her thoughts. "I can tell... look, forget I mentioned it, ok? If you're losing sleep about Chihiro bothering me, don't worry about it. I can take care of myself."
"Are you sure?" Yui must have nodded, because Haku pulled his hand away from Chihiro's cheek and his weight lifted off of the bed. "If you say so... but you make sure and let me know if anything else happens."
"I will.." Yui's weight also lifted. "Let's go get some breakfast, I'm starving."
"Alright. Chihiro will probably sleep for awhile yet. I'll bring her up something later..."
Two pairs of footsteps echoed, their owners leaving the room and walking down the hall. There was a soft clang as the elevator doors slid shut and the faintest of whirs as the elevator left the floor, going down. The moment the whirring ended, Chihiro furiously threw off her blanket. That jerk of a girl!! That Yui!! Chihiro, bother HER!? That was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard!! No wonder Haku had sounded so confused, if Yui was spewing THOSE kinds of lies to him!! She could only imagine exactly what she'd told Haku, and it ticked her off.
She glared down at the futon spread on the floor. "How could she?" she muttered under her breath.
"Talking about me? Well, that's not nice."
Chihiro whipped her head up, only to see Yui standing in the doorway, smirking lightly. Yui gave her a sort of wave as her smirk grew. Chihiro's glare grew just as fast.
"I thought you went to breakfast with Haku," she said to the blonde, trying to master her fury.
Yui shrugged. "I told him I forgot to do something and I'd meet him downstairs."
"What did you tell Haku I did to you!?" Chihiro then cried, leaping off of the bed in her anger. "I haven't done anything, and you know it! I've barely said three words to you, I don't even KNOW you!! What do you have against me!?"
Yui examined the fingernails on one of her hands rather haughtily. "Like I said before, Sen, you think you're all big and bad because you're the only person to ever escape Yubaba's clutches. I'm going to kill you for that." She gazed down at Chihiro with a strange, furious look in her eyes. "And even if I don't do the dirty work myself, you'll die. I'll make sure of that, don't you worry." She flicked a stray lock of long blonde hair out of her eyes and stalked back out the door.
Chihiro stared after her, her anger slowly melting into confusion and fear. She didn't understand anything that just happened. She sank back down onto the jumbled covers, trying to figure it out. A girl she didn't even know wanted her dead and was trying to convince Haku she was a horrible person to do it...
...so much for a peaceful visit to the bathhouse.
This chapter's reviewers:
Fanficmaniac Evil Reviewer, Bandit, urban-angel809, Menoumarus1grl, moezy- chan, Draechaeli, Mizu Akuma, Shuffle Queen, Angel, Reyoko-chan, angelchu003, Alex Warlorn, Mika, baka-onna2003, Jessica R., Amasaki Reyoko, Eizoku, GoldKitsune, angel-chu003, Kokiro Ogino
I appreciate all your reviews! THEY WERE NOT IN VAIN!!! lol