Chapter 8

Haku assessed the human, now not-quite-so human in smell. Black hair. Waist length. Scruffy trousers. Bizarre colourful shirt. Mid height. She looked about the same age he imagined Chihiro to be about now, the same age he had chosen to grow to. If she really knew Chihiro, his human was not going be happy about all this. A fractured spirit would be a lot harder to fix than a stolen name. And this human had lost both her name and her humanity. She looked about nervously.

"I need to get back home." She paced forwards cautiously. "How can I?"

Haku let out a slow sigh. "I have no idea. I've been trying for a long time." He stared at her a while. "And you can't go home as you are now."

The human flinched. "What did she do to me?"

"She, Yubaba, has taken away part of your soul and replaced it with half a spirit. I'd imagine you feel rather uncomfortable, correct?"

She nodded.

Haku groaned and rubbed his neck, breaking character. He was already exhausted from the interaction after years spent in isolation. "Very well, I suppose you had better make yourself home, the hag won't be back any time convenient knowing her."

"Home? Where?"

He lowed a finger, pointing to the rocky cavern.

"It's a bit messy, so sorry in advance." He shifted into dragon form. "Forgive me for picking you up, my claws won't harm you."

—-

Aika raised a glass with her two trembling palms clasped firmly around the base. "More of a warning would have been appreciated."

The dragon spirit, now back in human shape, patted her on the back somewhat apologetically. "I'm sorry I did not realise the height would scare you so much. Chihiro rather enjoyed flying last time I saw her."

"Huh." She looked into her tea, the milk still swirling. "Never mind. I didn't particularly enjoy it."

He took a seat in front of her, surrounded by the stacks of old books and used teacups. "So how do you know Chihiro?"

"School, and then, umm, after. We're going to move to the city together."

"Right. Moving to the city." Haku sighed and turned his head aside.

The conversation had quickly turned awkward. Aika gazed down at the cracked floor tiles, patterned with sweeping vines and ivy that climbed out of the earth. The place was cosy but cluttered, and reminded her of the old antique shops she would sometimes pass through on her late Saturday afternoons. Candles glowed warmly, yet failed to properly light up the cavernous room. She looked up in time to see a wistful expression upon the man's face. He promptly swished his dark hair aside and straightened his back, standing up.

"Until I figure out how to get your whole soul back from Yubaba, you will be staying here. I think it's time you show me why the witch passed you off onto me."

Aika was quick to her feet. "Uh I really don't think that's a good idea." She waved her hands at thin air, "I mean there was fire and I don't really know how to get it back or whether that was a one off or-" A small spark brushed from her finger, setting part of her hair aflame. "Oh, shoot-"

A rush of wind put it out almost immediately. "Fire, interesting. But don't worry about burning down anything here." He paused. "Although, it would probably be worth being cautious."

Aika looked bemusedly at her frizzy, damaged hair in a nearby mirror. "How long am I going to be like this?"

"It's going to be complicated, but I promise I'll get you out of this. I don't know how you got through the tunnel, but if it opened for you, I'm sure it will open again." He looked her dead in the eyes. "You need to be this way in order to survive in this realm, but in order to leave you need to be human again, and you're going to need your name."

"That's one step done: my name is Aika.." The words felt wrong even as they left her mouth.

Haku shook his head. "Your real name. Do you have it written anywhere, perhaps on a clothing tag?"

"A short laugh. "I'm not a kid." Her head ached for the hundredth time since she arrived in the land of the spirits. How could she not have even remembered having another name? She rubbed her forehead.

"Does anyone in this world know it?" Haku was clutching at straws here. Without her name, this girl would be trapped forever without a hope. And Chihiro would have yet another bad memory attached to this place, first her parents and now her friend. If he could return Aika to the human world, figure out how to restore her human spirit, then maybe he would have a shot at crossing through the bridge and fulfilling his promise to Sen: Chihiro.

"No. Oh wait. Umm, the woman who carried me to Yubaba. Tall, slender, pretty brown hair? Brown eyes too? She might have heard it? And obviously Yubaba herself must know it."

"Lin." Haku's eyes glowed eagerly. "I'll bring her here tomorrow morning."