Chapter 7

Chihiro awoke early the next morning and laid her arm across the spot Haku had slept the previous night, only to find nothing except empty sheets. "Did he really come to my room last night? Was it all a dream?" But when she turned her head to find a note with her name addressed on the front, it confirmed that the night before with Haku was real instead of fiction.

Chihiro immediately grabbed the envelope and tore off the seal. She pulled out a small piece of folded paper, and read the note aloud. "Sorry I had to leave so early, come down to the kitchen as soon as you wake up, I'll be waiting for you." Chihiro smiled and looked at the bottom of the letter and saw Haku's scribbled signature. She quickly sprung off the bed and began to rapidly pull her uniform on. After getting all her clothes on completely, she ran out of her room and waited eagerly for elevator to come. After what seemed to be forever , the doors of the elevator sprung open, and she jumped inside. She traveled down several floors before reaching the kitchen. She stopped right outside the kitchen doors and ran her hands though her hair, trying to smooth it down. As she pushed the large wooden door, she peered inside the kitchen. The entire room was covered in a dense fog, Chihiro could barely see her hand when she held it out in front of her. Several frog men turned to look at her as she walked through the murky room, but none of them said a word to her.

After searching the endless aisle ways of stoves, she finally spotted Haku standing against the back wall of the kitchen. She opened her mouth to yell out to him, but suddenly noticed that he was not alone. Haku stood with his hands locked in those of a thin red headed girl, they seemed to be in a intense conversation. Chihiro squinted her eyes to make sure she was seeing right. Obviously the red head had just said something funny, causing Haku to tilt his head back in laughter. Chihiro was suddenly was filled with immense jealously and stormed over in their direction. Haku caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye and turned to greet her with a hug. Chihiro hugged Haku limply keeping her gaze on the red head.

Haku didn't seem to notice the weak hug and nodded his head toward the unfamiliar girl. "Chihiro, I would like you to meet my good friend, Yukari."

Yukari bowed and smiled, "Pleased to meet you Chihiro. Haku has always talked nonstop about you, I feel as if we are already good friends!"

Chihiro forced a smile to her face, "Nice to meet you too."

Chihiro wanted Haku to ask Yukari to leave so they could be alone, but he didn't seem to be feeling the same way Chihiro did.

He looked from Yukari to Chihiro and smiled, he was glad his best friend and the girl he loved could finally meet. He didn't want the moment to end.

"How about the three of us have breakfast together?", he said still grinning.

Yukari jumped up and down in excitement, "Okay!". Chihiro didn't want to seem like a killjoy, so she nodded her head to the idea as well.

Haku grabbed them each a bowl of rice and they walked out of the smog filled kitchen into a room with a giant table sitting in the middle of it. It looked as if the table took up all of the space in the room. Haku sat himself in the captain chair, and Yukari and Chihiro sat on either sides of him.

Yukari seemed to ignore her food, and began to talk to Chihiro, asking her questions about her school and her home. Chihiro, who didn't want to talk to Yukari in any sense, began to stuff food in her mouth trying to avoid conversation. But Chihiro couldn't just say silent to the sudden interrogation, so she reluctantly answered most of Yukari's questions.

Haku noticed Chihiro's sour expression and barged into Yukari's questioning.

"Chihiro, what's wrong?", he said with a troubled look on his face.

Chihiro plastered a fake grin on her face, but grateful he stopped Yukari's never-ending query. "Um, nothing."

Haku put down his chopsticks and leaned over towards Chihiro.

"You just seem to be out of it." Suddenly gloomy thoughts forced their way into Haku's mind. "Maybe she regrets me visiting her room last night, does she think I should give her some space?" Haku slumped his back into his seat.

Chihiro, who had finished all her food, tried her hardest to keep the smile on her face as Haku and Yukari stared at her. "Oh great, now I'm the one acting weird. They're just friends Chihiro, SNAP OUT OF IT!"

She lied automatically, "I'm fine, I swear, just a little stomach ache."

Yukari suddenly stood up causing Chihiro and Haku to look at her. "Well, I gotta run. Great meeting you again Chihiro!" And with that, she ran out of the room leaving the door open behind her. Chihiro was relived that Yukari was finally gone. "Now I have Haku all to myself!" She looked over at him only to see him getting up as well.

"Where are you going?" Chihiro said sounding disappointed.

"I have to go now too, Shouldn't you be leaving also? The baths aren't going to clean themselves."

Chihiro got up, feeling slightly hurt, and began to walk out of the room.

"See you later then." Chihiro said to Haku. She expected him to kiss her goodbye, but instead he just walked past her and disappeared down a hallway. Chihiro, who was now feeling incredibly lonely, grabbed all three bowls and took them into the kitchen to be cleaned. On her way to the baths, she felt like she was going to cry. "I can't believe I left home for this..."

When she reached the baths, she ignored the pointing fingers and everyone's disgusted face when they looked at her. When she spotted Lin talking to some customers who were taking a bath, she rushed over to her side, happy to see a friendly face. Lin smiled and welcomed her. She motioned towards the customers and talked in a hushed voice.

"They're asking me to be their personal servant during their stay here, so I asked how much they would pay. They said I should do it for them for free! Yea right, In their dreams!"

Chihiro laughed and looked at the patrons sitting in the bath. They resembled giant, hairy slugs, Chihiro tried to hide her repulsion. Lin pointed towards the next stall.

"Start cleaning that bath, and I'll join you in a second."

Chihiro nodded and walked into the neighboring stall. She suddenly covered her nose as the odor that smelled a lot like raw sewage hit her face. The tub in the center of the stall was filled with purple slime that seemed to be producing the odor. Chihiro grabbed a sponge and soap that was resting on a shelf nearby. She poured the soap into the tub and began to scrub at it furiously. After about ten minutes Lin walked in and helped her. Together they finished the cleaning the tub and mopped the floor just in time for a woman to stick her head into the stall.

"Customers are coming in Lin!"

Lin wiped sweat from her forehead and looked at Chihiro.

"Will you grab a token from the foreman for me?"

Chihiro nodded her head and ran out of the room. She walked up to the foreman's small booth and asked for a bath token. He reluctantly handed her a red one with a black triangle on it.

Chihiro ran back in the stall she cleaned and began banging random spots on the wall for the hatch to open. Lin noticed Chihiro having trouble and pounded the wall herself, causing a small door to open. Chihiro, looking slightly embarrassed, latched the bath token to a small hook hanging and pulled on it, making it ricochet back up into the shaft.

A moment later, a long wooden channel fell from the top of the wall. Chihiro pulled a rope tied to the shaft causing foamy sea green water to flow into the tub. After a couple of seconds, the tub was completely filled. Chihiro pulled the rope again, stopping the water flow and sending the shaft back into the wall.

Two giant stick-like spirits waddled into the stall followed by two attendants. Lin offered them both towels and they graciously took them before settling into the tub. Chihiro and Lin walked out the stall as the two workers began to pamper the customers.

As she and Lin walked, Chihiro wondered if at that moment Haku and Yukari were together. She suddenly felt extremely depressed and thoughts of Haku holding Yukari close to him flew into her head. Lin looked at her and noticed that Chihiro wasn't her normal cheerful self.

"You okay? Wanna break and eat lunch?"

Chihiro shook her head desolately, "I'm not really in the mood to eat anything."

After cleaning several more tubs, Chihiro went up to her room to rest. Lin asked her if she could tag along, but Chihiro declined, she felt like having some time to herself for a while. Once in her room, Chihiro walked out onto the small balcony that was branched off the side of the bath house. She leaned over the banister and looked out on the small town sighing. "I wonder what Yukari and Haku are up to." She then looked up into the sky and saw a silver dragon flying gracefully across the sky moving in between the clouds.

"Haku!" She waved her arms into the air trying to catch his attention. Another creature was flying by Haku's side, but Chihiro couldn't quite make out what it was. It looked like a woman who wore a long white toga that covered her entire body, with giant pallid wings that sprouted out of it's back. It was one of the most beautiful things Chihiro had ever seen, she stood on her tip toes to get a better look. The red hair was a dead giveaway, it was Yukari.

As Yukari and Haku began to ease toward the ground Chihiro turned and ran out of her room, nearly knocking down a giant spider like creature that was walking down the hallway. She belted toward the elevator, grateful that its doors were open.

Once inside, Chihiro had to wait for the spider to board the elevator along with her. Its hairy leg was inches from her, she pressed herself against the back of the elevator to avoid any contact with it. The spider got off after going down one floor and Chihiro was grateful, she had a bad case of arachnophobia.

After taking two more elevators, she finally made it to the final floor. She ran out the front doors and looked around for any sign of Yukari or Haku. She began to walk out to look for them, but quickly spotted them talking near the bridge, back in their normal forms. Chihiro ducked behind a corner at the sound of Yukari's voice.

"Haku, try to understand how I feel. I know you love her, but can you truly say you don't hold any feelings for me at all?"

She stepped forward grabbing Haku's hand. Chihiro felt rage rise in her chest, but she kept her feet glued to the ground.

"I know how you feel Yukari, but you are like a sister to me. I only have feelings for Chihiro."

Yukari looked as if she was going to cry.

"But she is a human! You are immortal! You will remain on this earth long after she is gone. Will you spend all your days on this planet pining after her long after she has died? You want to go through that pain?"

Haku looked at the ground.

"I am fully aware that she is mortal, but I still love her with my entire heart."

Yukari took a step closer to Haku, her hands still closed tightly around his.

"Haku, why can't you love me that way?"

Yukari began to cry softly and leaned her head closer to his, causing their lips to touch. Chihiro couldn't take it anymore, she walked out from beneath the shadows.

"Stop it!"

Yukari and Haku turned to look at her, both of them looking startled.

Haku tried to catch his breath to speak. But before he could say anything Chihiro spun around and sprinted towards the main doors to the bath house, slamming them in Haku's face. She ran into the elevators open doors and pulled the lever, not knowing where it would lead.

Haku reached the elevator doors right after they shut, causing him to barely miss Chihiro. He punched the elevator and swore under his breath causing several workers to stop and look at him. Haku looked at all of them irately.

"What are you all staring at? Get back to work."

The employees then turned their heads as if he wasn't there and continued to go on about their business. Haku turned around and was face to face with Yukari.

"Did she hear everything?"

Haku shrugged and looked at his feet.

"I don't know." "Dammit Chihiro, why did you have to run away?"

After taking several foreign pathways, Chihiro found her room and ran into it slamming the door behind her. She flung herself on the bed, "If Haku loves me so much, why is he always with other girls? First Jayna, now Yukari! I wish I had Hatsumi and Akari here to help me understand it." Thoughts of her best friends flooded into her mind. "I wonder if they miss me." Chihiro threw a pillow across the room in anger and flung herself back down against the bed. "Tomorrow I will go on Yu-Babba's stupid 'mission', and all this will all be over, I just want to get out of here and go back home!" Chihiro curled herself into a ball on the bed wishing she was back in her own bedroom.

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