Thank you to Staticshock28 for being my first review! I love you! T.T

Chapter 3

The bright light in the room blinded Chihiro when see opened her big, brown eyes a crack. She quickly shut them at the light then, knowing she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep now, opened them all the way and looked around. Kamaji was sitting on his bed shaking his fist and threatening the soot balls again.

"DO YOU WANT TO TURN BACK INTO SOOT! GET BACK TO WORK!" Chihiro shut her eyes when she heard the wooden door slide open.

"Kamaji are you guys fighting agai-" Lin stopped short when she saw the girl lying amongst the blankets on the floor. "Is that…is that Sen-err-Chihiro?" She asked motioning to the girl. Kamaji nodded. "How did she get back here? I thought Haku suppressed her memories and sealed the entrance." Kamaji took a long drink from his teapot before answering.

"He did, but I think these two's destinies are linked together. The love she kept in her heart all these years has broken the barrier between our world and her own." Lin nodded though she wasn't really listening.

"Okay, well, here's your breakfast, Kamaji." Kamaji took the bowl of rice from Lin and banged his mallet against the metal crank.

"Meal time! Take a break!" He shouted to the soot balls. They immediately dropped the lumps of coal they had been carrying and rushed to Lin who proceeded to toss little pink, yellow, green, and blue stars out to them. She emptied out the bucket and turned to leave.

"Hey Kamaji, you had better take good care of Chihiro or else you're in big trouble!" She smiled back at the old man before leaving. The boiler man chuckled and immediately began to stuff large quantities of food into his mouth. Chihiro sat up and looked around. Where was Kohaku?

"Hey Kamaji," The old man nearly jumped out of his skin at hearing Chihiro's voice, "Where did Kohaku go?" Kamaji washed down his food with the contents of the kettle and spoke.

"He went to talk to Yubaba. He should be back soon." Chihiro's eyes widened.

"Yubaba? But I thought that he had quit being her apprentice years ago." Kamaji nodded.

"He did." He yelled at the soot balls to get back to work before finishing his sentence, "After he did so business went bad. Kohaku offered to be an equal partner and help business bloom. Yubaba was reluctant, but agreed and now they are working together and making more money than ever before."

Kamaji finished his explanation, then reached out to feel Chihiro's forehead. "Are you feeling better?" She nodded and rose off the floor. She walked over to the door and was about to go out when Kamaji called to her. "Where are you going?" Chihiro smiled.

"I'm going to see if I can work here…again." Kamaji smiled and Chihiro left the room.

"What a brave little girl…err…young woman." He said to himself.

Chihiro made the long, silent trip to the top floor quite unnoticed by bathhouse personnel. She finally reached the top. It was even more elegant than she remembered, even though nothing had changed really. She knocked on the huge red door and waited for a moment.

"You again?" The brass knocker grumbled, "Very well, come in." One after another, as if a row of dominos had been pushed over, door after door opened as if invisible people had swung them open. Not wanting the experience of being pulled by the collar of her shirt at full speed again, Chihiro quickly walked into the room where Yubaba, the bathhouse witch, sat at her large desk, with eight-year old Boh sat on the floor playing with miniature army men and remote-control cars.

"So, you've returned I see. What do you want?" The gray-haired woman asked taking a long drag on her cigarette and blowing the smoke out her nose. The three bouncing, green heads were stacked on top of each other and doing tricks in front of Boh.

"Iwannajobplease!" Chihiro said quickly. She half expected Yubaba to zip her mouth closed again, but nothing happened. Yubaba moved her finger and a piece of paper and a pen floated in the air towards Chihiro.

"Sign." The old witch grumbled in a bored tone. Chihiro quickly scrawled her name, when Boh finally looked up.

"Sen?" He asked gleefully. "Is that you?" Chihiro grinned.

"It's been a long time, Boh." She replied. The paper in Chihiro's hand tugged itself out of her grasp, along with the pen, and both drifted back to Yubaba.

"Now go tell the foreman to give you back your job, my orders." Chihiro bowed to the woman and turned to leave.

"Hey Sen?" Boh called to her. Chihiro turned back.

"Actually, it's Chihiro." She corrected him.

"Chihiro then. Would you like to come play with me sometime?" He asked with pleading eyes. The brown-haired teen chuckled, gave Boh a curt nod, and left to talk to the foreman.

"I'm already under contract and it's her orders." Chihiro retaliated when the foreman declined her request. He growled at Chihiro for a moment, but when he saw she wasn't going to back down, rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Fine." He said gruffly, "You'll help Lin…again." Chihiro bowed politely to the man and strolled over to the women's sleeping quarters.

"Alright!" Lin cheered when she heard the news. Chihiro giggled happily, then suddenly, the sound of her stomach grumbling made the two of them go silent, then burst into a fit of laughter.

"I haven't eaten since before I got here." She explained through trying to stifle her giggles. Lin finally stopped laughing.

"Here, I'll go get us some food." She left and Chihiro tossed her clothes that Lin had given her onto her futon. She wouldn't have to dress till tonight, so there was no point in doing so now.

Lin returned shortly and Chihiro ate quickly told Lin she was going to take a walk. The older woman dismissed her and Chihiro trotted outside to visit the pigpen her parents had once stayed in. It smelt strongly of manure and sweat, but even so it seemed to calm her to know that her loved ones would never come back here.

"I thought you'd be here." A voice whispered. Chihiro gasped and spun around to see Kohaku standing a few feet behind her and looking rather smug. Chihiro grinned.

"I was looking for you earlier." She replied, ignoring the fact that he had startled her.

"Really?" Kohaku asked surprised, "What for?" Chihiro decided to make him work for it first, so she pointed over his shoulder and shrieked.

"WHAT'S THAT!" Kohaku turned to look and Chihiro took that opportunity to run off. Kohaku turned back to see Chihiro running through the fields. He laughed heartily and chased after her. He couldn't remember feeling this good. It had been such a long time. Chihiro screamed when she saw how quickly Kohaku was catching up. He tackled her and the two of them toppled over and rolled down a rather large hill. The two of them laughed until their sides threatened to split in half.

"I have to go now." Kohaku whispered, "I have to prepare for nightfall when all the guests arrive." Chihiro nodded. Kohaku rose to his feet and took Chihiro's hands in his, pulling her up as well and they walked back to the bathhouse, hand in hand.

Boh is really the baby's name. I had to look that one up. U