The world seemed to drop from under Haku's feet. He had to take a moment to make sure he had heard the woman correctly.
I'm… getting married? To Akane? He had heard of people having arranged marriages before, but never had he imagined he would be part of one himself.
No… this can't be.
It seemed absolutely preposterous. He didn't even know the girl, for God's sake. How could he be expected to marry her? What about Chihiro? If he were married, what would become of her?
He pictured Chihiro, standing alone, cleaning the big tubs. He played that image in his mind on loop, and it broke his heart. Something seemed very wrong.
Her face. She looked so alone, so without purpose.
If I'm off and married… that means Chihiro will be here, all alone, he answered himself. Haku stood there remembering the lonely look she had on her face, sobbing in the garden the night before. In the 6 years he had spent without her, he had looked just like his imaginary Chihiro; alone, without purpose.
When he saw her for the first time, yesterday, he decided then and there that he would never spend another moment without her by his side. Certainly, he didn't mean to marry Chihiro, but he knew that if he were to be married to another woman, he would be forced to move in with that woman's family. He couldn't do that to himself, it would surely break both his heart and Chihiro's.
The words seemed to flow from his mouth before he had even considered it.
"Absolutely not, Yubaba. I don't care who that girl is, but I will not marry her," he said, deadly serious. Instead of having a desired effect on Yubaba, she was sent into a wave of cackling.
"—HA-HA-HA, I thought you might say that, you glorified lizard." She said, showing off her fiercest grin. "Allow me to elaborate further. If you do not marry my niece, Haku, I will strike your human down faster than you can say 'I do'. Are we at an understanding?" She sneered.
This open threat towards Chihiro infuriated Haku beyond words. His eyes quickly changed their shade from their sparkling jade, to a cloudy, steely grey. When Haku spoke, his voice took on a new tone. It was dark, like the very essence of fury itself.
"How DARE you bring Chihiro into this." He growled. "You know just as well as I do that she has nothing to do with this. I suggest you reconsider." He said, subtly reciprocating a threat.
A wind began to howl throughout the room, making Haku's hair begin to sway.
If Yubaba were frightened at all, she certainly didn't show it. Unlike the response most people would have, she only guffawed harder.
"Oh, come on, dragon. We both know your bark is bigger than your bite." She challenged, trying to provoke Haku to take the first swing. Haku knew that the minute he tried to attack, he would find Chihiro dead somewhere in the bathhouse. He forced himself to calm down, despite how happy he would be to rip out Yubaba's throat.
His eyes finally returned to their normal shade, the wind without a source finally stilling itself. Yubaba noticed this and sneered.
"Good, glad to see you came to your senses," She added sarcastically, "But still, I am not budging from my previous ultimatum. Either you marry Akane, or your precious 'Chihiro' will perish." Yubaba concluded, without a hint of guilt in her voice.
This surprised even Haku. He hadn't realized that Yubaba was capable of something so cruel. He bit his tongue, trying to suppress another remark, when suddenly an urgent pounding was heard on the door to the office.
A rough, manly voice that could only be one of the frog workers spoke with urgency.
"Yubaba, I'm sorry to interrupt. Akane's carriage was spotted about 15 minutes away from the entrance!" This new information immediately ended any train of thought coming from both Yubaba or Haku.
The old woman turned to the dragon spirit sharply. "Get Sen, and report to the lobby immediately. Instruct her on proper etiquette towards royalty… we wouldn't want that brat making a mess, now would we?" Yubaba sneered, amused at Haku's sudden silence.
Haku paused, choosing his next words wisely.
"We'll continue this later." He said, not attempting to hide his frustration. Yubaba laughed again.
"I'm sure we will, Haku." She smirked.
He closed the office door to find Chihiro standing outside, in the hall. She appeared to be deep in thought. Hopefully, she hadn't heard what Yubaba and him had said. But, for now, all Haku knew was that they had to get downstairs immediately.
"Chihiro?" He said quietly. This snapped her out of whatever she was thinking, and she surprised Haku with one of her smiles.
Thank goodness, he thought. That smile means she didn't hear a thing. Without words, the two of them made their way downstairs. Just before they had reached the lobby, Chihiro spoke.
"Haku, what did Yubaba need?" She asked innocently.
That must have been what she was thinking about. She's worried, he pondered silently. Haku knew it would be best to not say a word about it now, it would only send Chihiro into a frenzy of panic. He couldn't do that to her, especially after what had happened last night.
"Nothing," He lied. "She just stressed how important it was that we not offend Ms. Akane." Even this was enough to make Chihiro worry, as proved by her skin suddenly turning 3 shades whiter.
"Don't worry." He added with a slight chuckle. "Just follow my lead, and don't speak unless spoken two. Do those things, and you'll be fine."
"You promise?" She meekly commented.
"I promise." He returned.
This brief exchange of promises brought both of them back to the day of their goodbye, where Haku had sworn to come meet Chihiro again. This was the same promise that both of them had thought of every day for 6 years, longingly.
Each of them knew that the other had remembered, because the two of them stared at each other a little longer than what would have been normal. As they stared, pain was shared, but also joy. Joy at the opportunity for a new set of promises. Promises that will hopefully remain unbroken this time, now that Chihiro was back.
They were staring at each other, their faces half a foot's distance away from each other, when Rin suddenly popped up behind them, making both Haku and Chihiro snap out of their reverie.
"Woah, guys. Don't stare at each other like that, you're worrying me." She said, only partially joking. At this, both of them separated eye contact immediately; both of them embarrassed.
Suddenly, Haku remembered exactly what it was they were about to do.
"Chihiro—we've got to get downstairs. Akane will be here any second." He said. Chihiro curtly nodded, and like that, they were set at a brisk pace to the lobby. When they entered, they were rewarded with a true spectacle, one Chihiro definitely would not forget for a very long time.
All along the sides of the room were the workers of the bathhouse, all with their faces flattened to the floor, all bowing with respect to a supposed princess who hadn't even arrived yet. With their hands placed in front of them, there lay treasures that made even Haku's jaw drop momentarily.
Chihiro noted the assorted foods: strange cooked animals that she had never seen before, puddings, pies, huge platters of wondrous smelling baked goods, and delicacies that not even Chihiro could guess as to what they were. All of these arranged as an offering to their soon to arrive guest. Then, Chihiro saw, were the jewels. In some of the workers' hands lay strings of pearls, emeralds, rubies; all shining to the point of nearly blinding anyone who dared to stare just a tad too long.
Chihiro was so used to this place being a madhouse, with people yelling right and left, but here, she felt, all of the workers had one mutual goal; to please Ms. Akane. The room was filled with something Chihiro couldn't quite put her finger on. It wasn't so much madness as it was a mixture of anxiety, terror, and respect.
Before she could think any longer, Haku grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze, making the girl's face redden considerably.
Somehow he had known exactly what she was thinking and grew a bit embarrassed, himself. Nevertheless, he held onto her hand, walking to the place where they would wait until they were needed. And not a moment too soon, either.
At that exact moment, a line of musicians began to pile into the room, each with their own unique instrument; none of which were recognized by Chihiro. They stopped in the corner of the room, where they began to play. The song wasn't very fast, but loud and bold. The closest thing Chihiro could compare it to was the music someone might play during a coronation, one that instigated a feeling of importance, but joy at the same time.
By now, all of the workers had stopped bustling about and had returned to their positions. A horse drawn carriage was slowly pulled to a stop directly outside the bathhouse entrance. All noise had ceased.
No one could have guessed that the woman who stepped out of the carriage would be the most beautiful girl any of them had ever laid eyes on.
She couldn't have been much older than Chihiro, because they had similar body types. Her small frame was draped head to toe in wealthy garments. Her dress was of the most vibrant shade of red, with golden detailing. The sparkling gold swirls seemed to move as the girl walked, surrounding her in a cascade of golden flames. She wore no jewelry, but she didn't need to, for she was so beautiful that no one would have noticed if the dress she adorned was a burlap sack.
Her face was as pale as a porcelain doll; her lips a deep, seductive red. Those same lips were set in a natural pout, which gave character to her entire being. Her hair was so blonde; it was as if each strand were spun of the finest gold.
Although the rest of her was beautiful, the most intriguing part of her face was her eyes. They shone brilliant silver, like an ocean on a gloomy day, verging on a storm. But, those eyes had more depth the longer you gazed at them. They were eyes that hid, yet could reveal the truth in a moment's notice. Those same eyes that could instantly calm you, but had the potential to instill fear into the deepest, darkest parts of you. One look from her would tell you that she was not one to be trifled with.
Haku was not as distracted by Akane's beauty as everyone else. In fact, the mere sight of her made him uncomfortable. He didn't like having her around, especially with his newfound knowledge of a potential wedding. Haku knew that now that this girl was here, Chihiro would be on edge and everyone would be walking on eggshells, all doing their best to please Akane.
Both Haku and Chihiro were so distracted by their own thoughts, they hadn't realized that their hands were still intertwined. Even more so, they hadn't even realized that everyone in the room was bowing to Akane, except them. Haku subtly pulled at Chihiro's hand. Once she glanced over, Haku gave her a look as if telling her to follow his lead. He then let go of her hand, and put his knees to the ground, assuming the same position as the other workers. Chihiro immediately followed.
The only sound that could be heard in the room was the sound of Akane's feet slowly walking down the path made for her by the workers. Suddenly, the sound of her shoes against the wood finally stopped. The only things Haku and Chihiro could see in their current position were the wooden paneling beneath them, and a pair of feet standing right in front of them.
Chihiro began to get nervous. Maybe Akane had noticed they were slightly late in bowing to her. Had they offended her already? All she could do was stay there; completely frozen, taking comfort in the fact that whatever happened next, her best friend would be by her side.