Return of Sen: Chapter 5
"Haku, I have to talk to you."
The sun had risen and the day's work had begun. The bathhouse was like a beehive or an anthill. Everyone had a job to do, and they were doing them as quickly and efficiently as possible; there was no room for error. The stench of cleaning supplies and dirt filled the air, mixing with the scent of the herbal water flowing into the baths. Outside, the wind blew furiously around, battering itself against the building brimming with life. The trees rustled under the wind's pressure, some of the younger ones creaking and bending over. The sky was starting to darken as grim clouds were pushed into place by the wind. There was going to be a storm.
But Chihiro was ignoring all of that. She had found Haku walking speedily down a hall near the top of the bathhouse where it wasn't so busy. She stepped into his path and stopped him, gazing at him seriously. "Haku, I have to talk to you," she repeated.
"I'm very sorry, Chihiro, but can it wait?" her friend replied, trying to brush past her. "I need to check on Yubaba. Zeniba went back to the swamp earlier and now I have to take care of her."
"No!!" She grabbed his sleeve and pulled him in front of her again. "It can't wait." She looked into his eyes intently. "Listen, Yui is lying to you about me!" She saw his eyes widen. She knew he was wondering how she knew. "I was awake when you two were talking this morning. It's a lie!! I would never hurt another person! You know that, you know me!! It's really the other way around, Yui's the one who's been bothering me!!"
"Again, I'm sorry, but I really have to go. We can talk about this later." Chihiro was dismayed to see his bangs cast a shadow over his eyes. He touched her hand and gently pulled her fingers off of his sleeve. He then turned and headed up the stairs to Yubaba's room.
Tears quivering in Chihiro's eyes, she shouted after him, "I wouldn't! I didn't! Why won't you believe me!?" She saw him pause and hoped he would turn back around to face her.
"I don't know what to believe." And he continued up the stairs out of sight. Chihiro stood, watching his back until he disappeared up the steps. Then she sighed. Haku wasn't sure he believed her, she'd seen it in his eyes. She slowly turned and went in the opposite direction, towards the elevator she'd come up by. Stepping inside, she pulled the lever and it rumbled as it descended. She rested her forehead against the wall and sighed again, letting her eyes slid shut.
She opened them again as the elevator came to a halt and the door slid open. She stepped out. She was only about halfway down the building, but that was fine with her. She leaned on the railing overlooking the baths and watched the steam rise. It was rather soothing to her confused mind. Why didn't Haku believe her? Didn't he trust her? Or did he just trust Yui more? She dropped to her knees on the floor and rested her head on her arms on the railing. The most important question probably was, why did Yui hate her so? She just didn't understand.
A voice broke into her thoughts, a voice that could only belong to an infuriating blonde.
"You look down, Sen. Anything I can help with?"
Chihiro frowned up at Yui, who had a pleased smirk on her face. She said nothing in reply, however. She simply tried to ignore the girl and focus on the steam, which was more appealing. But Yui refused to be ignored. She knelt beside her and continued smirking.
"What's the matter?" she cooed as if speaking to a little child. "Let Big Sissy Yui make it better. Did we have a fight with Haku? Huh? Did weeeeeee?" Her evil smile grew as Chihiro's angry frown melted slightly into a sad one. "Aha. So we DID have a fight. What a shame that is."
"What do want from me?" Chihiro whispered, still not looking at her.
Yui eyed her for a moment before replying. "I've told you that before, you silly girl. I want you dead. Whether it be from a broken heart..." She leaned closer and muttered, "...or of something much more physical."
SMACK!!
Yui skidded backwards on one elbow, a beautiful red handprint glowing on her cheek. Chihiro was on her feet again, her hand still in the air, tears brimming in her eyes, glaring at the girl on the ground. She just couldn't take anymore. Yui slowly raised her hand and touched the print in shock.
"You bitch!!" she hissed ironically, narrowing her eyes. With a snarl, she leapt on Chihiro.
Haku had just finished checking on Yubaba, who was feeling much better but not quite well enough to run the bathhouse normally, and was coming back down the stairs when he heard frantic cries of "Master Haku!!" He glanced down at the bottom of the steps and saw four workers waiting for him, calling to him urgently. "What's the problem?" he asked, imagining there was another stink god coming or something.
"There's a fight on the sixth floor!!" one of the female workers exclaimed.
"No one dares to step in, it's scary!!" yelled another.
"Alright, I'm on my way," he said quickly and rushed down the rest of the stairway and around to the corner to the next one, completely bypassing the elevator. He continued down various stairways until he reached the sixth floor and nearly ran into people backing up. He stopped himself quickly, blinking. He could hear loud panting and some cursing ahead. Obviously, that's where the fight was. He carefully pushed his way through to the front of the crowd and was greeted by a nice shot of the fighters.
There in front of him were Chihiro and Yui, struggling madly with each other. Chihiro had been on the defensive most of the fight, but she'd just managed to force her way on top. Her lip was cut and her face looked scratched up; some of the scratches were even bleeding. Yui was no better off. The handprint was starting to bruise and her arms had scratches as well. It was pretty much a catfight.
"Chihiro! Yui!!" Haku shouted. The two stopped what they were doing and slowly looked up at him. Chihiro nearly sighed in relief. Maybe now Haku will believe me about Yui, she thought. She opened her mouth to speak--
"Hakuuuuuu!!!" Too late. Yui cried out his name, burst into what she could tell were fake tears, and scrambled out from under the other girl. "S-Sen j- jumped me!!" she wailed, throwing herself into Haku's arms. He immediately looked at Chihiro in disbelief for a moment, holding the sobbing Yui, then gradually frowned.
"No!" Chihiro gasped, her eyes widening. She knew by that frown that Haku would no longer listen to a word she said, but she tried anyway. "I didn't started this, Haku, I swear! You've got to believe me!! I--"
"No more, Chihiro," Haku interrupted her, his frown growing with every second. "Just stop. I don't want to hear anymore lies. I just don't understand why you'd do this!"
"But I didn't!! She's the one--"
"I told you to STOP!!!"
Chihiro cut herself off quickly, frightened of Haku's scream. She'd never seen him this angry. His frown had transformed into a true glare. Even as scared as she was, she tried one more time. "Just listen to what I have to say! Please!"
"That's it, get out!!!" he screamed, his hair starting to rise as he let his powers swirl around him in his wrath. "Damn it, Chihiro, get out!! Leave and never come back!! Do you hear me!? Get OUT!!!"
Chihiro looked at him a momently longer, tears returning and quivering in her eyes. Then she turned and fled down the stairs.
This chapter's reviewers:
Kokiro Ogino
I appreciate all your reviews! THEY WERE NOT IN VAIN!!! lol
"Haku, I have to talk to you."
The sun had risen and the day's work had begun. The bathhouse was like a beehive or an anthill. Everyone had a job to do, and they were doing them as quickly and efficiently as possible; there was no room for error. The stench of cleaning supplies and dirt filled the air, mixing with the scent of the herbal water flowing into the baths. Outside, the wind blew furiously around, battering itself against the building brimming with life. The trees rustled under the wind's pressure, some of the younger ones creaking and bending over. The sky was starting to darken as grim clouds were pushed into place by the wind. There was going to be a storm.
But Chihiro was ignoring all of that. She had found Haku walking speedily down a hall near the top of the bathhouse where it wasn't so busy. She stepped into his path and stopped him, gazing at him seriously. "Haku, I have to talk to you," she repeated.
"I'm very sorry, Chihiro, but can it wait?" her friend replied, trying to brush past her. "I need to check on Yubaba. Zeniba went back to the swamp earlier and now I have to take care of her."
"No!!" She grabbed his sleeve and pulled him in front of her again. "It can't wait." She looked into his eyes intently. "Listen, Yui is lying to you about me!" She saw his eyes widen. She knew he was wondering how she knew. "I was awake when you two were talking this morning. It's a lie!! I would never hurt another person! You know that, you know me!! It's really the other way around, Yui's the one who's been bothering me!!"
"Again, I'm sorry, but I really have to go. We can talk about this later." Chihiro was dismayed to see his bangs cast a shadow over his eyes. He touched her hand and gently pulled her fingers off of his sleeve. He then turned and headed up the stairs to Yubaba's room.
Tears quivering in Chihiro's eyes, she shouted after him, "I wouldn't! I didn't! Why won't you believe me!?" She saw him pause and hoped he would turn back around to face her.
"I don't know what to believe." And he continued up the stairs out of sight. Chihiro stood, watching his back until he disappeared up the steps. Then she sighed. Haku wasn't sure he believed her, she'd seen it in his eyes. She slowly turned and went in the opposite direction, towards the elevator she'd come up by. Stepping inside, she pulled the lever and it rumbled as it descended. She rested her forehead against the wall and sighed again, letting her eyes slid shut.
She opened them again as the elevator came to a halt and the door slid open. She stepped out. She was only about halfway down the building, but that was fine with her. She leaned on the railing overlooking the baths and watched the steam rise. It was rather soothing to her confused mind. Why didn't Haku believe her? Didn't he trust her? Or did he just trust Yui more? She dropped to her knees on the floor and rested her head on her arms on the railing. The most important question probably was, why did Yui hate her so? She just didn't understand.
A voice broke into her thoughts, a voice that could only belong to an infuriating blonde.
"You look down, Sen. Anything I can help with?"
Chihiro frowned up at Yui, who had a pleased smirk on her face. She said nothing in reply, however. She simply tried to ignore the girl and focus on the steam, which was more appealing. But Yui refused to be ignored. She knelt beside her and continued smirking.
"What's the matter?" she cooed as if speaking to a little child. "Let Big Sissy Yui make it better. Did we have a fight with Haku? Huh? Did weeeeeee?" Her evil smile grew as Chihiro's angry frown melted slightly into a sad one. "Aha. So we DID have a fight. What a shame that is."
"What do want from me?" Chihiro whispered, still not looking at her.
Yui eyed her for a moment before replying. "I've told you that before, you silly girl. I want you dead. Whether it be from a broken heart..." She leaned closer and muttered, "...or of something much more physical."
SMACK!!
Yui skidded backwards on one elbow, a beautiful red handprint glowing on her cheek. Chihiro was on her feet again, her hand still in the air, tears brimming in her eyes, glaring at the girl on the ground. She just couldn't take anymore. Yui slowly raised her hand and touched the print in shock.
"You bitch!!" she hissed ironically, narrowing her eyes. With a snarl, she leapt on Chihiro.
Haku had just finished checking on Yubaba, who was feeling much better but not quite well enough to run the bathhouse normally, and was coming back down the stairs when he heard frantic cries of "Master Haku!!" He glanced down at the bottom of the steps and saw four workers waiting for him, calling to him urgently. "What's the problem?" he asked, imagining there was another stink god coming or something.
"There's a fight on the sixth floor!!" one of the female workers exclaimed.
"No one dares to step in, it's scary!!" yelled another.
"Alright, I'm on my way," he said quickly and rushed down the rest of the stairway and around to the corner to the next one, completely bypassing the elevator. He continued down various stairways until he reached the sixth floor and nearly ran into people backing up. He stopped himself quickly, blinking. He could hear loud panting and some cursing ahead. Obviously, that's where the fight was. He carefully pushed his way through to the front of the crowd and was greeted by a nice shot of the fighters.
There in front of him were Chihiro and Yui, struggling madly with each other. Chihiro had been on the defensive most of the fight, but she'd just managed to force her way on top. Her lip was cut and her face looked scratched up; some of the scratches were even bleeding. Yui was no better off. The handprint was starting to bruise and her arms had scratches as well. It was pretty much a catfight.
"Chihiro! Yui!!" Haku shouted. The two stopped what they were doing and slowly looked up at him. Chihiro nearly sighed in relief. Maybe now Haku will believe me about Yui, she thought. She opened her mouth to speak--
"Hakuuuuuu!!!" Too late. Yui cried out his name, burst into what she could tell were fake tears, and scrambled out from under the other girl. "S-Sen j- jumped me!!" she wailed, throwing herself into Haku's arms. He immediately looked at Chihiro in disbelief for a moment, holding the sobbing Yui, then gradually frowned.
"No!" Chihiro gasped, her eyes widening. She knew by that frown that Haku would no longer listen to a word she said, but she tried anyway. "I didn't started this, Haku, I swear! You've got to believe me!! I--"
"No more, Chihiro," Haku interrupted her, his frown growing with every second. "Just stop. I don't want to hear anymore lies. I just don't understand why you'd do this!"
"But I didn't!! She's the one--"
"I told you to STOP!!!"
Chihiro cut herself off quickly, frightened of Haku's scream. She'd never seen him this angry. His frown had transformed into a true glare. Even as scared as she was, she tried one more time. "Just listen to what I have to say! Please!"
"That's it, get out!!!" he screamed, his hair starting to rise as he let his powers swirl around him in his wrath. "Damn it, Chihiro, get out!! Leave and never come back!! Do you hear me!? Get OUT!!!"
Chihiro looked at him a momently longer, tears returning and quivering in her eyes. Then she turned and fled down the stairs.
This chapter's reviewers:
Kokiro Ogino
I appreciate all your reviews! THEY WERE NOT IN VAIN!!! lol