ARRESTING SPIRITS

Chapter 2

--Chihiro--

Chihiro felt slightly better when people started to get off the elevator. Finally, some godforsaken space to breath! she thought, as she shifted herself to a more comfortable position.

Unconsciously, she began to do her most favorite hobby: observing people.

After a few minutes of subtle observation, she noticed that every single person that entered or left the elevator acknowledged the man in the very front with a polite nod or a 'Good morning, Sir'.

He must be important. she thought indifferently. Soon, there was no one else on the elevator except him and her. Now that she gave it a second thought, she wondered why no one called him by his name. And above all, why was he carrying so many mocha cappuccinos this early in the morning?

Of course, Chihiro came up with two reasons:

He's some kind of intern and is buying coffee to look really good for his boss. In a nutshell: he's a turd.

He's some kind of boss and is buying coffee to look really good for his employees. In a nutshell: he's a sensitive turd.

My dear Watson, I do believe he is a turd. she said to herself, and was somewhat pleased with her simple conclusion of the man. She loved how she labeled complete strangers in a ridiculous manner— it almost made her life tolerable, so to speak.

But Chihiro couldn't help but notice that the man was incredibly hot. Just by looking at his backside, she could tell that this guy worked out big time by the way his muscles rippled every time he made a small movement. Hopefully, he wasn't freakishly deformed or had a huge mole on his nose or something.

That would be most unfortunate.

Now, Chihiro's innocent observation of the man would have continued on, if Haku hadn't abruptly turned around, 14 mocha cappuccinos and all.

Chihiro's reaction was instantaneous as she loudly squeaked and dropped her purse and work bag.

…and of course, her godforsaken reading glasses tumbled out of her purse and stopped dramatically in front of the man's perfectly polished shoe— utterly smashed and misshapen.

OH MY GOD, I MUST BE THE BIGGEST LOSER IN THE FREAKING WORLD. Chihiro's conscious screamed and she could have sworn that everyone in a five-mile radius could hear her thumping heart. With blazing red cheeks, she hurriedly shoved her reading glasses into her purse, collected her things with a huff, and stared wide-eyed at the elevator door— fervently wishing that a humongous black hole would just swallow her up and just erase her from existence.

Haku bit his lip to stop himself from laughing aloud. Without thinking, he had turned around because he felt as though someone was boring holes into the back of his head.

People always told him that he had eyes in the back of his head. And perhaps they weren't entirely incorrect when they said that.

Without looking at the disheartened Chihiro, he politely cleared his throat and mumbled, "Having a bad day, eh?"

Chihiro heaved a sigh and quietly replied with a polite 'yes'.

Haku courteously nodded his head; but even though he hated chatting with strangers, he couldn't help but striking a conversation with this one. It was purely based on his gut feeling.

And he always did trust his gut more than his head.

"Bad weather outside, don't you agree?"

"Yeah…"

Haku smiled at the girl's awkwardness. He found it charming the way she chewed her lip in nervousness and how she smelled like Frosted Flakes. He had grown accustomed to the smell of coffee over the years at Takudome, but he sorely missed the smell of old-fashioned milk and cereal.

Chihiro replied softly, "I hate the rain."

"Me too. Hm… I don't think I've ever seen you around. Are you new?"

"Yes. And I'm scared about my new boss."

Yubaba… Haku thought with a grimace. Their relationship was horribly strained but absolutely necessary for the other's survival.

While Haku was busy with his thoughts, Chihiro took a chance by glancing at his face. She was taken aback by his perfectly creamy complexion and sea green pearls for eyes. His slightly long hair framed his heart-shaped face and he was probably the most gorgeous man she had ever seen in her entire life.

Ok, Chihiro, so you're talking to a man who's prettier than you are. (Don't forget he's important too!) No worries, it's all cool. CHILL! You'll probably never see him again anyways; this building is gigantic!!! Besides, first impressions are essential when dealing with important people. You gotta make the most of this conversation!

With that in mind, she opened her mouth:

"So you work here?"

All the color in Chihiro's face drained away. She could not believe she just said those four words. Of all the questions she could have asked, she had to pick that one. After turning herself to the wall, she smacked her head with the palm of her hand.

Haku responded with a loud cough, which strangely sounded like a chuckle.

"Why yes, however did you find out?" he replied with mock sarcasm. His beautiful sea-green eyes focusing on Chihiro's ever-reddening face.

Chihiro nervously laughed and replied, "Lucky guess, I suppose."

Ding! The elevator doors gracefully slid open.

YES, saved by the bell! Chihiro thought happily as she politely bowed her head and scurried away.

Haku took his time of walking to his office, which happened to be the largest in the building… next to Yubaba's of course. He nodded his head to acknowledge his co-workers and employees and handed out mocha cappuccinos accordingly.

…Meanwhile…

Chihiro gasped when she met yet ANOTHER dead end.

How many hallways does this freaking floor have? she thought impatiently as she wandered along.

An employee (an extremely dimwitted-looking guy) had directed her towards a door, saying that it lead to Yubaba. However, when she opened the door, she was met with three hallways. Of course, she didn't think to ask the guy which hallway to take because, well, it's just not normal!

So, she decided to walk down the middle hallway…

After twenty minutes of mindlessly walking, she became anxious and frustrated. Why were there no doors to be found? And above all, where were all the employees? After entering the first door (the one that the dimwit had shown her) she hadn't encountered a single person!

Completely flabbergasted, Chihiro abruptly turned around in order to retrace her footsteps.

And that was when she ran into him.

"Eeeeekkk!" Chihiro squealed as she practically leaped away from the stranger. Before her stood a balding man gazing at her behind large, owlish glasses. It wasn't long before she realized that he must be just another employee.

With a shaky grin, Chihiro asked, "Ah, sir, can you direct me to Miss Yubaba's office?"

Without a word, the man scampered past her. Utterly puzzled, Chihiro followed the man without questioning him. After several turns and different hallways, the man slowed to a dead stop in front of a large oak door with a golden plate.

In elaborate, cursive lettering was the name: YUBABA

"Yubaba…" Chihiro murmured. When she turned to thank the stranger for showing her Yubaba's office, there was no one in his place. Even after glancing left and right, he was nowhere to be seen.

With a shrug, Chihiro opened the door.

A gush of cold air brushed past Chihiro and before taking a step into the threshold, an icy, bitter voice barked, "Who's there! Who dares to enter my office without knocking?"

With a gulp, Chihiro entered Yubaba's office.

Completely unaware of the fateful events that would soon unravel before her…

TBC... (to be continued)

AN: Yes, after putting this story on hiatus for about nine months, I've made a comeback! I think my style of writing has changed a lot during that time... Hopefully, the change is for the better. Hm... I think this chapterrevealeda lot more questions than answers, but hopefully, some things have cleared up.

Reviews, Flames, and Death Threats are all appreciated.

Thanks for reading