AUTHOR'S NOTE~ Sorry, everyone, for the unexpected break in my writing! I could explain my reasons, but honestly, I should have tried harder to find time to write. I apologize. I will try to be more frequent with my updates. Anyways, thank you again for all of my supporters. More to come soon, I promise. Without further ado, here is Chapter 9, A twist of fates! Please favorite and follow, and leave a review if you can!
Chihiro awoke to a pounding on the wooden entryway. She sat up immediately, taking note that the entire room was empty of all yunas. The sun was shining brightly, which could only mean one thing; she had overslept.
"—Chihiro?" She heard a male voice inquire.
Crap… that must be Haku! She thought, suddenly embarrassed.
"Sorry, Haku!" She said semi-groggily. "I overslept!"
You could almost feel Haku rolling his eyes from outside the room. "No kidding. Hurry up and put on your apron, you are not starting your first day of work late." He hollered, sounding vaguely like Chihiro's mother. But, from the other side of the door, Haku was smiling at the young girl's silliness.
With no time to spare, she snatched her apron from the side of her futon. Slipping the rough cotton over her skin, she took a moment to look herself through in the mirror.
The skin under her eyes, she noticed, was still puffy from the night before. But, something else about her image made her mind wander.
Years before, when trying on her uniform for the first time, she had looked like she was wearing a pillow case. She had no curves, she was short; and more than anything, she was scrawny. But much like the day before when trying on her white and green shirt with pink shorts, she noticed just how much she had grown. She had a waist now; a tiny one, at that. Her hips were noticeable, but not protruding awkwardly like many other girls in her class. Chihiro felt like she had definitely changed over the years.
Taking slightly too long to marvel at the wonder of time and its many changes, she heard Haku yell again through the door.
"Jeez, I'm coming!" She countered, walking briskly to the door. Opening it, she saw Haku in his classic uniform, which was similar to hers; only white and teal. He stood there with an impatient look on his face, and he tried his best not to take notice of her puffy, unintentionally emotional eyes, which were obviously remnants of the night before.
"Finally," He groaned, hoping she didn't notice his sympathetic look. "If you were any later, I might have slammed your door down." He said a little bit too harshly.
Well, he's certainly acting strangely this morning.
Shaking off his last remark, she followed him through the bathhouse to the elevators. Pulling the outside lever, Haku let her step in front of him into the shuttle.
After pulling the lever to the right, just as Chihiro remembered, they stood in silence. Chihiro felt a certain awkwardness after remembering what had taken place night before. Haku had opened himself up completely to her, yet she could find no words to accurately portray her feelings. Haku, feeling the same way, finally spoke up; locking his gaze to a nonspecific point on the wall.
"Chihiro… were you able to sleep at all after talking in the garden?" He said hesitantly. The truth is, he worried about his friend for hours after saying goodnight. He had wanted more than anything to know that she was alright.
This question helped break the ice for Chihiro.
Haku is… worried about me? She thought, avoiding the sudden warm sensation in her belly.
"I slept very well." She paused, trying to think of the right words to say. No words she could muster were enough to tell him how thankful she was.
"Haku?" She asked, finally getting the courage she needed.
He turned his piercing eyes towards her, sending a chill down her spine. "Thank you again for saying all the things you did. I needed it, and I promise, your secret is safe with me." Chihiro said, looking at him from the corner of her eye. Chihiro knew if she made direct eye contact again, she would freeze up and be unable to give her thanks seriously.
But, Chihiro also felt she had to apologize. "I'm sorry," She added, "I really don't know what had gotten into me. I promise, I'm not normally that emotional." Chihiro added, the shade of her cheeks revealing her embarrassment.
You could see the effect this had on Haku. He was much less tense; able to look at Chihiro normally without any sense of hesitation.
"No—I should be thanking you," He said politely. "I somehow felt at peace, being able to come clean about my back story," Haku paused, "Out of everyone I know, you were definitely the one I trusted the most with it. It was simply coincidental that it had applied to yours as well." He said, suddenly yet subtly bashful. But, he wasn't finished. "And please, don't apologize. Even the strongest out of us deserve to cry."
Once again, Haku had said the perfect thing to make Chihiro tear up.
Even the strongest out of us deserve to cry. She repeated internally. This phrase, as cliché as it may sound, hit home for her. She had always tried her best to be strong, and as a result, despised every time she had broken down. Chihiro had thought it made her look weak, but Haku seemed to think differently.
By then the elevator had finally reached the top floor. The two wasted no time getting to Yubaba's office. Before either of them could open the gigantic wooden entrance, it swung open on its own. A bodiless voice boomed as if right in front of them.
"FINALLY. One minute and twenty three more seconds more, and you two would have been late. I trust I won't need to tell you what will happen if I ever find you two late, will I?" Yubaba's voice boomed. Unknowingly, both Haku and Chihiro's bodies tensed.
Without response, the two walked down the hall that led to Yubaba's office. Years ago, something like this would have terrified poor Chihiro. But, having Haku by her side somehow made all of this fear vanish.
Now in the office, the pair immediately saw Yubaba at her desk, surrounded with an endless supply of miscellaneous papers.
Trying his best not to interrupt or provoke her anger, Haku spoke. "Yubaba, what is our task for today?" He said. Yubaba glared at both of them seriously.
"Oh, Haku," Yubaba mused, "you were always never one to beat around the bush." Getting that joke out of the way, her eyes hardened.
"Both of you had better listen up." Yubaba began, strolling silently around the room. "My niece is coming to town, and she will be staying here, in the bathhouse. Her name is Akane Kimiko, and she belongs to one of the most wealthy and influential families in the Spirit World."
Something in the way she spoke struck Chihiro with the slightest tinge of fear. Yubaba sensed this, but continued. "I need you two to accompany her around the bathhouse, and serve her for the duration of her visit. I want you both to take heed that if any of her needs is not met and exceeded, I will make your death a painful one." Yubaba said, singling her glare at only Chihiro. This sent a wave of fear through her, shaking her to the bones.
Chihiro, still filled with concealed terror, had only one question. "How long will she be staying?" She muttered this, trying to hide her hesitance.
Yubaba stared at her, with an almost defeated expression on her wrinkly face. "That is the one thing I don't know, Sen." This was the first comment Chihiro had heard from Yubaba that wasn't coated with sarcasm and malice, which somehow frightened Chihiro even more.
In the meanwhile, Haku stood next to Chihiro; his inner cogs grinding, trying to figure out how all of this would work out. His silence certainly wasn't helping lighten the mood.
Before any of them could respond, Yubaba continued. "Sen, go with Rin down to the lobby and begin preparations for Akane's arrival. She should be here within the hour." Yubaba motioned for her to leave. "And you, Haku, stay behind. There's one more thing I'd like to bring up with you."
Chihiro had no idea what was going on, but quickly exited the room. This left only Haku and the old woman inside the office.
"Have a seat, boy." Yubaba said, not attempting to hide the malice in her voice.
Haku looked at her questioningly. "Is there something else you needed?"
"Haku," Yubaba said slowly. "Take heed of my words. There is one more thing I need to tell you about Akane."
Yubaba's seriousness put Haku on edge. He had been at this bathhouse for years, but never had the old woman taken on this tone. He listened.
"She has expressed interest in you, specifically. You two shall be wed within the year."