The Party

The six girls began the tedious process of clearing away the debris; they were so into it, in fact, that they didn't notice Lin when she returned with the detail she'd arranged. Chihiro felt that the work was good for her after sleeping a thousand years. But something within her was reminiscing again. What could work have to do with her strange sensations? There was definitely something else going on here.

Soon, she thrust her palm to her forehead. 'What is this? I see myself dressed in a uniform just like Lin's; only shorter. I'm working hard to clean up the bathhouse; though not as strong a definitely new to the whole process. In fact, I'm ten years old again. And it seems like there was a sense of urgency in my movements; like someone I loved was in danger. My head feels like it wants to split open.'

She politely excused herself to get a breath of fresh air. Hana nodded in approval; however she was worried about Chihiro. The girl had been acting quite strange since they arrived. She wasn't used to being a Spirit so perhaps her human past and Spirit future were melding as one to create tension. Then she shook her head at the very impossibility of such an event. There was something more to Chihiro.

However, the girl had no way of knowing the layout of the bathhouse. She'd forgot to ask Hana the way to the garden in her daze. But somehow, she came upon it and stared out into the night. Just as she was about to open the door to go outside, something told her to go downstairs. A feeling inside of her soul was calling for her to head there. Not understanding what it was saying, she followed it anyway.

"Well, since Hana and her girls were practically finished when we arrived," Lin's voice called from the end of the passageway, "I got off easy. Most of the customers left when Inferno arrived so I've got some free time. That's why I've joined this little party early. But you've got to hear the strangest thing; Kamaji, Haku. Hana's gang has a new girl in it. Get this, she looks just as Sen would if she'd grown up."

'Who's Sen? Why does that name sound so familiar to me? My name is Chihiro," she thought as she neared the end. Looking out from the opened door, she could see three people in the boiler room. One was the cleaning girl they'd talked to earlier; Lin. Second was a bald man with spider like arms and a bushy beard and mustache. The third one, however, took her breath away. He was a young Spirit; the physical appearance had to be close to her own physical age. His catlike amber eyes held an aura of sorrow as his bowled brown hair fell around his face. The clothes he wore were similar to Lin's except his top was white and his pants were blue, and he wore a pair of leather slip on shoes to cover his feet.

The spider man stated, "If only that were so. Then we wouldn't have young Haku sitting here in this deep depression year after year. Pity she had to leave us so soon. If only the girl could have lived in our world instead of returning to her own. The two of you were quite close as well Lin; I could see how much she meant to you. It was almost as if you two were a pair of long lost sisters who'd finally met."

Chihiro stared at the young man; he was drinking heavily and staring at the ceiling. 'So that must mean that he's the one the girls were talking about; Haku. There's something about him that makes me feel all fluttery inside. It's like he's a long lost puppy dog; no, a long lost friend that I've run into again.'

She looked from his sad face to the ground below; watching the little soot balls as they scuttled across the floor with lumps of coal for the furnace. They captivated her just as did the other three in this room. It made her wonder if she'd ever had a vision before that showed her a place filled with wonder such as this. But a human was unable to do something like that; how much had she been changed now?

Suddenly, she knocked over a small broom that had been left in the corner by the doorway; it was one of those little ones that you used to get into corners and tight areas. Lin and Kamaji both shot their heads towards the sound. Chihiro knew she couldn't hide anymore; she had to show herself to the three.

"I'm sorry," she said, "But I've never been here before and ended up here while exploring the rooms. If I'm intruding on anything, I'll get back to my friends." She turned to leave, however the girl then felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning, she saw Lin standing right behind her; curiosity in her blue eyes.

"You do look like a friend we lost long ago. The girl was a human who'd gotten lost in our world with her parents. In order to break the enchantment that had turned them both into pigs, the child made a contract with Yubaba to work in the bathhouse. However, though humans are often frowned upon in the Spirit World, Sen earned the respect of those she touched through her kindness and helpfulness. In the end, she passed a test with Yubaba in order to return home with her parents. Haku was perhaps the closest to her, and when he went to visit her one day she was dead," Lin informed Chihiro; tears flowing.

Chihiro looked to the young boy; she knew she'd seen depression in his eyes. Then she asked, "Has he been like this ever since she died? I never knew that Spirits and humans could be this close. I mean, I really haven't had much contact with people as of late." The girl applauded her quick cover up.

Kamaji nodded. "For a full thousand years in fact. It's been so bad that he actually re-created the river that humans dredged on him. Haku's the guardian of the Kohaku River you see. You too are a River Spirit. Where do you hail from? Lin said the new girl's name was Chihrio, yet I do not know of any river with that name. But then again, I don't leave the bathhouse anymore so I know not about the world."

"I don't have a river," Chihiro whispered, "It's kind of complicated. Really don't want to talk about what happened to me. The only friends I have left are Hana and the other girls; Inferno denied me of everything I held dear." Looking at Haku, she began to think how similar their feelings must have been.

"Well, in any case, can you do us a favor? Haku's gonna want to visit Sen's grave, but he's in no condition to fly on his own. Usually, he doesn't drink this bad, but the thousandth anniversary is kind of a real bad one. His mind can guide you there, all you have to do is fly," Lin explained to the young Spirit.

Chihrio nodded; she didn't want to see this young man hurt any more. Though she'd plain forgot that she didn't know how to transform into a Dragon; let alone fly. However, that problem was easily remedied. For the second she'd gotten Haku into her mind, she felt his experiences; not the specifics, but the daily life of a River Spirit. So the transformation came easy to her. In this form, Chihiro was a golden Dragon with an aqua mane running down her back. After Haku had been loaded on, she took off; not knowing that their destination would both answer her many questions, and take a load off their backs.

Teefa's Last Words...

Well, I'm sure everyone can get where this is leading; Sky's right about me being predictable at times. I wanted the reunion to be quite early so they could fight Inferno together. Though dang...I didn't find an excuse to take Haku's shirt off; I have this obsession with doing that to my cute male characters.