Choices

Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away or any of its characters.

Author's Note: Happy Reading!

-Na

Chapter 6: Can It Be So?

Can it be so? Can I be here? I guess it is because I'm standing here, how I got here though is the mystery. Two weeks ago Haku came to stay with Granny for a week. That was a great week I learned how to cook cakes as good as Kaonashi, and knit. The first night was so funny Haku said he would share a room with Kaonashi, you know guys together and girl by herself. Well Kaonashi seemed to agree, but when we went to go to sleep, Kaonashi locked his door so Haku couldn't enter. I love Haku, that is probably why I'm here. I still don't remember the last time I saw him but I know I've met him before, and that I loved him then as well. After Haku had left, Granny was always away on business lets just say within three days I knitted a shirt and baked till we ran out of eggs, flour, and sugar. I know I shouldn't have left but Granny was gone and wasn't going to return for a week or so, and Kaonashi was asleep. So I walked to the train platform and found out that, one: I couldn't buy a ticket at this platform, and two: there is no return train. So I decided to walk. I walked back to the platform I arrived at the one in the field, which strangely was covered in water and I had to do some swimming. I was also glad I had the piece of mind to bring some food with me, for it took four days to walk and swim to the ghost town on the hill. Well the town seemed just that, a ghost town, there was not a soul there and it was mostly restaurants. A few restaurants had food out but no venders, I being a well brought up girl didn't steal any food, but I did look for a vender and if I had found one I would most likely have bought a meal. Anyways soaking wet I walked through the streets until I came to a huge building that I knew right away to be a Bath House. Call me crazy but I just kept on walking across the bridge and into the building. I guess I was lucky that Haku didn't rejuvenate that spell of his to make me invisible as long as I didn't breathe walking across the bridge. If he had and I took a breath then I would be visible setting off magick sensors and alerting sleeping workers. Or at least that is what I over heard, I was smart enough to hold my breath just in case. Then after a series of stairs and elevators, that I still don't know how I navigated, I made it to the top floor. I walked slowly to the doors in the dim light and saw a gold Marley-knocker (A/N: my computer says Marley from Marley-knocker is spelled wrong so someone tell me how to spell that please!)that was as creepy as you would see in old movies with big eyes and nose. I hesitated and raised my hand to swing the knocker. A loud sound of gold hitting gold was heard and then a voice came from under my hand, 'Yu-Baaba's out! Wait till she comes back!' I nodded and went to sit on the floor facing the door it wasn't long till the sun began to set, and not long after that the door swung open. I stood up and walked through the door to find my self in a hallway facing another door which then swung open. I followed the trail of opening doors until I reached this spot that I am in right not. I'm standing on a plush carpet in a lavishly furnished office, with a fire burning, there are three Kashira rolling and bouncing around speaking in un- comprehendible Oys. I almost fell bad that my wet hair is dripping on the carpet and my oversized gray pants as well created puddles at my feet.

"What do you want?" asked the woman that still hadn't looked up from her papers to acknowledge Chihiro properly.

"Umm... I don't really know, I feel like asking for a job. Could you tell me what sort of establishment this is, please?" replied Chihiro surprised at the question as well as her answer.

Yu-Baaba now looked up to see her visitor, at the slight familiarity in the voice to that of a ten year old human girl that most commonly at least in that building was known as Sen. Chihiro strangely wasn't at all surprised to see that Yu-Baaba looked just like Zeniiba. Yu-Baaba just stared at Chihiro for a minute searching for any hint Sen in her face. She found what she was looking for and smiled in triumph, "Ah so Sen you have returned to us. An establishment you ask? Well lets see as far as smelly humans go we turn them in to pigs, or into nice lumps of COAL!"

At the word 'coal' Yu-Baaba pointed one of her ringed fingers at Chihiro. Chihiro shrunk and darkened until all that stood in the puddle of water was a lump of coal. Yu-Baaba just laughed she hadn't even taken notice to what the human Chihiro had worn, Kohaku's old uniform. Yu-Baaba merrily got up from her desk and picked up the lump of coal that had once been Yu-Baaba's best worker and yet in the end her most trouble some worker, and admired it.

Yu-Baaba wasn't dumb she knew she had been lucky. If Bou had happened to walk in the room then Chihiro wouldn't be coal, and the same if the Yu- Bird was awake and not in Bou's room, or if Rin had entered, or the most plausible thorn in Yu-Baaba's plan, Kohaku. But now Yu-Baaba had won in a matter of hours coal Chihiro would be burned to death heating the water she had once drawn. "She was a good worker took care of 'Okusare-Sama' without complaining and received lots of gold for Aburaya from Kawa no Kami for her excellent work. But then again she let the monster Kaonashi in, helped him to destroy the bath house, and then broke out of her contract! And now... now she'll heat my bath water!" laughed Yu-Baaba as she walked to the wall behind her desk and opened the magickal normally undetectable coal shoot that would bring the Chihiro coal directly to the coal pile in the boiler room.

Yu-Baaba thought that maybe she would have Kohaku bring the Chihiro coal to Kamajii, but then she remembered the last time. Two humans had come the first didn't ask for a job and Yu-Baaba turned him to coal. Then unknowingly to Yu-Baaba his friend came in and asked for a job. Yu-Baaba had reluctantly given him a job like one that Chihiro had. Then she had her new worker to bring the coal to Kamajii. Supposedly on the way down to the boiler room he recognized the piece of coal and after a week of careful planning ran away from Aburaya and somehow saved his friend. To Yu-Baaba's pleasure the escapee died saving his coal of a friend. After that she installed the shoot to prevent this incident from happening again.

Yu-Baaba sighed it would have been nice to see Kohaku bring his love to her death. But mysteriously Zeniiba had cured Kohaku and Yu-Baaba was happy to have her henchman back. Yu-Baaba smiled and threw the Chihiro coal in the shoot and then closed it.

Yu-Baaba walked to her desk and threw her teapot and teacup on the floor in Chihiro's puddle. Yu-Baaba stared at the Kashira who were giving her questionable looks, "You spilled my tea, got it!"

Then Yu-Baaba pulled the pull string in the corner summoning Kohaku, if she couldn't have him bring the Chihiro coal to death at least Yu-Baaba could have him clean up after Chihiro.
"Yes, Yu-Baaba," said Kohaku walking into Yu-Baaba's office.

"The Kashira spilled my tea, clean it up," replied Yu-Baaba very cold.

Kohaku mumbled something as he left to retrieve a rag. Kohaku came back and dried up the spilled 'tea'. When he was finished he stood up and gave Yu-Baaba a cold stare, "Is there any other reason that you called me up here? Or did you just want me to do frog work, or work that a simple spell could have fixed. You know something I'm more worthy of?"

Well needless to say this made Yu-Baaba very angry, "Why yes you can watch the workers," Yu-Baaba said with a smile.

Kohaku turned and left grumbling, "Ooo yay Slug and Frog patrol."

After Kohaku closed the door Yu-Baaba complained to herself, "First he is dying and now he is mouthy!"
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Kohaku walked through the halls of Aburaya smiling, a goofy happy smile that the busy workers seemed not to notice, except one.

A hand grabbed Kohaku and pulled him into and empty bath stall, "Haku what's up? Why are you so happy?"

Kohaku shook his arm loose from the brown haired worker Rin and smiled, "I just tricked Yu-Baaba into giving me the easiest job of the night, watching the workers work."

"No, not just that Haku you've been acting so happy since you returned from Zeniiba's. I realize I no longer have to force feed you a cup of tea. But what is really going on?" asked Rin.

Kohaku sighed he had been caught, "Can you keep a secret?"

Rim rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips, "Look around Haku, who am I going to tell? Sen?"

"Well you might," replied Kohaku as his smile grew.

"What!?" asked Rin confused.

Kohaku whispered in Rin's ear, "She's back Rin, she is at Zeniiba's."

Rin looked a Kohaku in disbelief, "Are you serious?" Kohaku just nodded. Rin let out a small scream of happiness and swung her arms around Kohaku.

"Rin...(?)... your guest is on their way," said Chihiyaku surprised to see Rin hugging Kohaku. But he just shook his head and kept walking.

"Oh thanks you big dope, I don't even have the bath ready!" said Rin letting go of Kohaku and leaving to retrieve a soak token.
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Kamajii sat at his place turning the crank, grinding herbs, and taking a long drink out of his old teapot. The teapot looked more aged then Kamajii, those who saw him would have assumed that the ten year old Chihiro had left the day before. Being the very beginning of the nights work there was many bath orders needing to be filled, and Kamajii was grumbling about his old bones, a vacation, and his lazy workers.

The Susuwatari were slowly but surely bringing lumps of coal to the boiler and then returning to get another piece. Two Susuwatari in a joint effort brought up a rather large piece of coal to Kamajii and dropped it in the pile of ground herbs Kamajii was preparing.

"What? Your supposed to bring it to the boiler not to me!" said Kamajii he picked up the lump of coal preparing to throw it into the boiler. Something caught Kamajii's eye, be it the weight, be it the shape, be it the color, Kamajii wasn't sure, but he was sure of one thing, "What's wrong with this piece of coal?"
The two Susuwatari and a few others ran to surround the always present black foot print that was left by the young Chihiro all those years ago when she squashed Yu-Baaba's worm-spell. Kamajii looked dumbstruck at the Susuwatari and then at the lump of coal that still sat in one of his six hands. He couldn't believe it, Chihiro was safely in the Human world.

Just then Rin opened the little door and slid into the boiler room handing Kamajii his dinner. Still in a trance Kamajii mechanically took the bowl from Rin with one hand, gave her the empty bowl with another, and banged his hammer saying, "Dinner," with yet another hand.

The Susuwatari stopped working, but ignored the Kompeitou that Rin was throwing to the ground. The whole group of Susuwatari circled Chihiro's foot print. Kamajii continued to stare at the coal and back to the foot print.

Rin was very confused and walked up to Kamajii waving her hand in his face, "Hello Kamajii, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing," replied Kamajii breaking out of his trance, "Have you heard anything about Sen?"

Rin hesitated, and said nervously, "Umm... no," Kamajii gave her a questionable look, "Ok, ok. I was supposed to keep it a secret, but since she's your granddaughter and all. Yes she is back and at Zeniiba's."

Kamajii sighed and lowered his head in remorse, "Rin can you please send Haku down here I need to talk to him."

"Sure. Well I should be going and get back to my guest, I wish Sen was here I need a good assistant," replied Rin slowly walking out of the boiler room.

After she was gone Kamajii nodded to the Susuwatari, "So she has returned to us and is now coal." The Susuwatari chirped in sad agreement and then as if they were at a funeral they retrieved their food, and ate. For the rest of the night and many nights after that a happy chirp would not be heard.

Not long after the Susuwatari were once again bringing coal to the boiler. Kamajii had set the Chihiro coal aside and continued with his own work. Kohaku walked in and judging by the demeanor of everyone else in the room remained quiet until there was a pause in the bath requests.

Luckily there was a pause not to long after Kohaku had entered. With a heavy sigh Kamajii banged his hammer. The Susuwatari dropped their coal where it was (very unusual) and huddled in the corner near Kohaku. "You wanted to see me Grandfather?"

"Yes Haku I did. It is about Chihiro. Now please don't get made at Rin, I knew that Chihiro had returned before I made Rin tell me. I made Rin tell me because I couldn't believe it, but Chihiro has returned Haku," slowly said Kamajii.

"I know she is at Zeniiba's," replied Kohaku a bit confused.

Kamajii sighed it was going to be harder then he had thought, "Have you ever heard the story about the two friends and how one was turned into coal and the other saved his life, while escaping from Yu-Baaba?"

"Yeah," replied Kohaku now starting to catch the drift.

"You know what he was told when he found the one person, with the exception of Yu-Baaba, who could change his friend back? 'Wish in a place where frameless windows lay broken, A Wish from the frameless window, To see your friend for a second or ten, before you must say cheerio,' That was it, the man searched for years until a wise person told him the secret of the message. And then the man died and the piece of coal returned to his friend. No one knows the riddles meaning and no one knows who the wise person is."

Kohaku was paler then normal, a fear induced cold consumed him and he shivered, "And why are you telling me this Grandfather?"

Kamajii picked up the Chihiro coal and carefully handed it to Kohaku, Kamajii ignored the two new soak tokens that fell in front of Kamajii's work place, "Because she returned to Aburaya."

Kohaku took the piece of coal and stared at it for a second, he didn't want to believe his ears and his eye, but it was all true. Chihiro lay in Kohaku's hand, the riddle lay before him unsolved. Kohaku at that moment could do nothing, but cry. One by one tears of the heart fell upon the lump of coal that once was the lively and spirited Chihiro.

Author's Note: Who saw that coming? Come on did anyone? If you honestly saw that coming, I'd like to know because I thought I found the perfect twist. So what did you think? See I was going for a hint of a tear jerker and a cliffhanger (Now I feel bad, I hate cliffhangers and see what I have done!) Hope you liked the chapter and if not I hope my writing was good enough so that the chapter was easy to read with out having the uncontrollable urge to kill me. Kill me or not I hope the chapter made you think.

-Na