Second crossing: Haku

They were trapped. There was no way out. And it was not a dream as Chihiro was trying to convince herself. With that realisation a crushing despair and loneliness began to sink in. Chihiro buried her face in her sister's chest and began to sob, hugging her as tight as she could, clutching the black T-shirt with her little fists as they sank together on their knees. Chidori hugged her back but she could not afford to despair, not yet, she was the big sister, she had to protect Chihiro. Her mind was racing, frantically searching for some way to escape... they had to cross that river, but how? Even if they did, would they really be safe? And what about their parents? And she could feel it, this land was getting the best of them, they were going to disappear and be part of it, it had already started. She fought back the tears threatening to fall, clenching her teeth and fists. What the hell could she do?!

But then she saw it, the boat, like a barge, all light lit, it was going to dock.

"Get up, hurry! We must hide!" Chidori pulled her sister up but as she did, the little one noticed, she could see through her limbs, she was going to lose it. At the same time the wooden gangway fell on the stairs with a thump. The doors opened, and cloaked people came out. These were no youkai or ghost, they were gods! Dozens of them! They were just two little humans, of course they had no right to be here! So that food, it was for the gods? And the adults ate it? That was bad, really bad, but for now they had to hide.

"Chihiro!" She called again, dragging the paralyzed sister away. They ran up the grassy hill and hid behind the first house they could see. She made her sit and crouch at the angle between the wall and large rock, trying to calm her down as best as she could... hugging her, stroking her hair, reassuring her, saying it was going to be alright, she was there, she would not leave her, she would protect her, trying to sound as convincing as possible despite the emptiness, fear, and despair that were slowly filling her heart. But still, she would never give up. She could not.

Suddenly Chidori heard footsteps, someone was running toward them. She motioned for her sister to be silent. She turned around and braced herself, ready to jump at any enemy. But against all expectations, the one who appeared was the boy from earlier. Still she did not move. When it came to him she did not know what to do. She would be confused, her heart would beat faster and as usual, she would put up a strong front. She let him come and kneel in front her. She barely recoiled when he put his hands on her shoulders and slightly drew her toward him but instinctively put her hands on his chest.

"It's alright, don't worry, I'm a friend. Hurry up and eat this. Unless you eat something from this world, you'll vanish." He said giving the girl a red berry.

"No." She refused but as she was going to push his hand away, her hand passed right through. Her eyes widened, she was disappearing... She looked up, her fearful gaze locking on his soft green one, and her struggle ceased. She trusted him. She barely noticed the arm slowly sliding around her shoulders pulling her closer to the body in front of her. She barely noticed the hand coming closer to her mouth until the berry touched her lips. Her eyes still locked on his, she slightly parted her lips. She felt his fingers on her cheek as he pushed the berry in with his thumb. But the thumb stayed on her lips, gently passing over them, caressing them, until the girl winced a second after. He quickly withdrew his hand.

"So bitter..." Chidori whined. She was not exactly expecting candy but well... The boy just smiled at her.

"It should be fine now." He said, holding his hand up. The young girl raised her own hand, putting her fingers against his. Her face lit up. They were touching, not passing through! Their fingers intertwined.

"You see?"

Chidori grinned.

"Come on, you too." She said, letting go of him and taking another berry to feed her sister. The little one was still hesitating, she still did not want to trust him yet. If her sister had fallen, she would not. She had to keep her head on her shoulders! Earlier, their eyes, it was like a thread was connecting them, like nothing existed but them, she had seen many boys have that look in their eyes while looking at Chidori but it was the first time she had seen her look that way at a boy. Nonetheless she still ate the berry as she did not want to disappear, and Chidori could be scary when she wanted to. And it scared her even more that her older sister could already trust that guy so much in this situation. It was not like her.

"Now come." He said, getting up and taking Chidori's hands in his but she held him back.

"Wait, what about our parents? Are they really..." She could not finish, but he had helped them, he might be able to help their parents, anyway, she firmly intended to do everything in her power to save everyone.

"Yes, you can't see them now but you will." Then he frowned again and looked back and suddenly knelt back down, making everyone lean back as much as they could between the rock and the wall. Chidori sitting on her heels before Chihiro, her shoulder blades against her little sister's knees, and the boy leaning close to Chidori, an arm around her waist, pulling her tight against him, his other hand resting on the rock so he would not fall on her, his handsome face really close to hers. He told the girls to be quiet, still looking backward. Some kind of bird was making circles in the darkening sky not very far from them. It looked like a big crow with an old woman's head, like a small and old harpy. It was smiling in a creepy way. Then it flew away.

"It's looking for you, there's no time, let's run." He said getting up and taking her wrist. Chidori nodded and got up but fell after a step, the boy caught her. She could not feel her legs. He placed his hand over them and chanted. He helped her up, she was alright. Now the problem was Chihiro, she could not even get up.

"Chihiro, don't panic, calm down and take a deep breath, okay?" The older sister put a reassuring hand on her sibling's shoulder. Chihiro obeyed and the boy healed her too. And just after Chidori helped her sister up with a yank, he took her hand and began running at an unbelievable speed, he holding Chidori's hand and Chidori holding Chihiro's. They ran in dark and narrow alleyways, through caves filled with huge barrels, jars or fishes, through cold storage rooms, through a pigsty, through the garden and stopped at its exit. The boy told them to hold their breath while on the bridge. Even a tiny breath would break the spell, allowing the attendants to see them. Chihiro hugged and clung to his right arm like she had clung to her mother's earlier that day. And he would not let Chidori stray away or act on impulse and securely placed his left arm around her waist, drawing her to him. He knew she was nervous, even though she would not let it show. She might appear the most stoic of the sisters but was under the most pressure and thus the most agitated.

"I'm back from my task." He said to the toad-like figures welcoming the guests at the entrance of the bridge. They welcomed him too.

Task? Chidori wondered, what task? But she did not say anything.

"A deep breath..." He whispered. The siblings held their breath as they stepped on the stone edge and on the wooden bridge. Chihiro had clamped her hand over her mouth and nose like a little child but Chidori did not need to. However she still clutched the back of the boy's kimono with her right hand, her left hand tightly curled into a fist at her side. He could feel it, despite her calm composure she was so tense that one word from him and she would jump, either at an attacker's throat or into a dash. In the middle they passed a black shadow, almost translucent, with a white mask on. Women were welcoming the gods at the entrance of the building. They were almost there. After all the swimming she had done, Chidori did not have much trouble holding her breath for so long but it was not the case for her sister. Yet she could have hold on but for that frog. A real kimono-clad talking frog that came running and calling: "Haku-samaaaa! Where have you been?"...and jumping at face-level. The surprise was too much for Chihiro and she gasped, also the little one had always hated frogs, though Chidori nearly made the same mistake. But the frog had seen them, it was too late. In a second Haku freed his right arm and raised it toward the frog as it jumped. A black translucent bubble coming out of his palm trapped it in, paralyzed, like it was sleeping with open eyes. He stepped forward, his left arm sliding from Chidori's waist to her right arm and his hand clasping hers, he lowered his stance and dashed, the girl grabbing just in time her sister's hand. They ran, almost flew above the ground, knee-high. They flew by so fast that the hem of the kimonos lifted and flapped, making the owners giggle. The three stopped behind them a few seconds, the boy opened a small door, letting the girls crawl through before going in himself and closing it. It all happened so quickly that nobody saw them.

They ran through a garden, and hid low between the hydrangea and a bush of boxwood. Through the translucent Japanese screen, they could see people running around. They were calling 'Haku-sama! Haku-sama!' ...and chasing after the "stinking human" intruders. 'Haku-sama' was against the boxwood, one knee down, beside him against the hydrangea was kneeling Chidori, his right arm tightly warped around her shoulders. And before Chidori, Chihiro was crouching.

"Geez, now they know we're here, it might get really bad." Chidori whispered. There was nothing like accusation or complaint in her tone, she was merely stating a fact, but Chihiro, who was already feeling guilty enough, took it for herself.

"I'm sorry, I took a breath." She said with that pitiful voice. It had happened just after she had decided to be more reliable too.

"Ahhhh sorry Chihiro, I didn't mean for it to sound that way, you did your best. Don't worry, big sis will take care of the rest, she'll protect you, so don't cry, oki?" The big sis said, hugging her little sister, who nodded, and rubbing her arm. "Or so I said but honestly, I'm at loss when it comes to this place, will you help us again?" She asked, turning to the boy who nodded too.

"Listen, I'll tell you what to do. They'll find you if you stay here. I'll distract them, and in the meantime, you escape." He instructed. The girl stared at him a little and sighed. She did not want him to leave and was not as confident as she sounded. That guy could bring out the weakness in her heart she thought she had sealed so well, and yet he was also giving her strength, he trusted her. She closed her eyes and smiled a little. That much was exchanged, felt and understood in this single eye contact. But she had made her mind.

"Guess we have no choice if we want to survive here, we'll do as you say. But will we be able to save our parents too?"

"Yes, I'm sure you will, now be still..." He lightly pressed his fingers against Chidori's forehead and as he talked, images came to her mind of the places he was mentioning and the way they will have to follow. "When things quiet down, go out by the back gate, take the stairs, all the way down until you reach the boiler room, where they stoke the fires. Kamaji's there, so look for him."

"Kamaji." She repeated, to impress the name into her mind. Haku nodded.

"Ask him for work, even if he refuses, insist. If you don't work, Yubaba will turn you into an animal."

"Yubaba?"

"You'll see soon enough, she's witch who rules our world. Kamaji will try to turn you away, ask you to leave, but keep on asking him for work. It'll be hard work, but it will give you a chance, then even Yubaba can't harm you."

"Alright, leave it to us and don't worry." The young girl smiled. The boy smiled too, taking her hands in his, but his beautiful face grew serious again after hearing the calls.

"I have to go. Don't forget, Chidori, I'm your friend."

"I already know that, Haku, but thanks. And how do you know my name? You haven't heard it even once."

"I've known you since you were small. Good luck." And he let go of her and left.

"Haku is right here." He said loudly, leaving his sandals on the stone step and entering the house.

"Haku-sama, Yubaba wants to see you."

"I know, it's about my task." The girls heard as a toad figure took the sandals and another closed the door.

"Say, nee-san, how did you know his name?" Chihiro asked.

"Didn't you hear? The frog calling him 'Haku-sama', then all those people, they were obviously searching for him. And he said he was coming back from his task, meaning he's allowed outside and he seems to be directly under that Yubaba's orders. He must be pretty important here." Chidori reasoned. "Now let's go." She said, advancing on all fours.

Following Haku's instructions, the siblings passed through the back door between the camellias on to a wooden platform. On its left, a long flight of stairs was going down. There were absolutely no railings while it seemed to be a good fifty metres to the ground. There was much wind and these stairs looked as safe as a hanging bridge swaying over a deep chasm. Yet it was the only way, so they went down the stairs, carefully, for they looked like they had been made for bigger people. But still, Chihiro slipped. Chidori caught her but their combined weight was too heavy for the step they were on, making it break. They slid on their butts but were able to regain their standing position at the first turn. However, the momentum was too great and they were doomed to run down the stairs until they crashed on the wall. After a few seconds they let out a relieved sigh, they did not fall to their death. But now was not the time to get careless! A toad opened a window on their right above them, so he could smoke without bothering his 'colleagues'. He was most likely a cook, for nice cooking smells came from the window he had just opened. They could not afford to be seen now. Still against the wall, they slowly walked away and climbed down the last flight of stairs.

Chidori opened the door to the boiler room and they entered. There were large pipes on either side of them. They walked on soundlessly to the entrance. Hidden there, they could still have a good look at the room: the huge boiler, fed with black rocks by cute and tiny furry balls with eyes, arms, and legs, going in and out of mouse holes, the hundreds of drawers going up to the ceiling and filling two whole walls, the stone floor where you could keep your shoes and where the little things were treading and the higher wooden floor where you could not keep your shoes, where a low table stood and cushions were lying in typical Japanese fashion. And on the highest wooden part, Kamaji, sitting cross-legged on a purple cushion, was working, crushing herbs from his three jars and many drawers, occasionally turning a wheel behind him, on his left or pulling the lever before him. There were also a bowl with chopsticks before him and a big kettle and a tea cup behind him. Kamaji was a bald man, dressed in black, with back glasses and a very bushy beard. But what struck the girls was the fact that he had six arms. Chihiro was scared and no longer felt like going to him now, she was backing away. Yet, they had no choice, Chidori held her back by the wrist, but not before the little girl gasped again, surprised by a sudden spurt of steam.

The man had heard it, he knocked on the stone a few times with a little mallet, the tiny things returned immediately in their holes. Chidori took a deep breath and came out in the open, her head held high, dragging her sister by the hand.

"Excuse me, are you Kamaji-san?" The older girl asked in a clear voice once she was close enough. The man stared at her for a time: she had guts that girl, unlike that kid hiding behind her. "Haku sent us to you, please, let us work here." She asked very politely, but firmly, bowing. Then there was a ring, and four tags came down.

"Darn, so many at once..." He grumbled taking them in his hands. He called the "little runts" back to work with his mallet. "I'm Kamaji, slave to the boiler that heat the baths." He said taking some more herbs and grinding them, calling the things back to work again.

"Please, let us work here." Chidori insisted, bowing again, this time copied by her sister. But Kamaji replied that he had got all the help he needed, for this place was full of soot. As the balls of soot began to flood the place again, Chidori quickly stepped out of the way, at the angle between the wall of drawers and the wooden floor. Chihiro stayed a little between the high wooden 'seat' and the higher floor, but noticing she was still in the way, she joined her sister. But then they were in the way of Kamaji's arm. They sat on the wood so the drawers could be drawn and the herbs taken.

Then, just at the entrance of one of the mouse holes, a soot ball was crushed under the weight of its rock. The girls could still see the legs and arms waving around and hear its cute little cries. Chidori smiled and took the rock. It was unexpectedly heavy but she still managed without much difficulty to go to the boiler and throw it in the fire, The man's eyes fixed on her, that girl was strong and indeed helpful, she did not need to be told what to do. Were she to work here, he was sure she would do quite well. However, another one who had tried the passage next to it was also crushed by its own rock and Chihiro decided to help too and mimicked her sister though it was much more difficult for her with her skinny legs and arms. She wanted to do well, but Kamaji doubted her ability. Though both sisters had suffered from the heat and both were leaning against the low stone wall, just beside his seat. But then all the little things began to drop the rocks on themselves, squeaking and waving their limbs. The bearded man threatened them and then he threatened the girls too not to take someone else's job. If the "runts" don't work, the spell will wear off and they'll turn back into soot. He had no work for them here so he ordered them to look elsewhere. The tiny balls got angry and gathered at the humans' feet, forming heaps of coal as to block them here, so they could not leave, and would not listen when their 'boss' would order them back to work.

Suddenly they heard the door panel slide.

"Lunch time! What? You guys are at it again? Cut it out, Where's your bowl? I keep telling you to leave it out." A woman's voice said.

"Meal time! Take a break!" Kamaji called. The sootballs left the coal where it was, at the girls' feet, and gathered before the woman who was crouching down at the edge of the wooden floor and waiting for them. From her pail she threw them small coloured stars. But then she turned her head and noticed the girls and gasped.

"Humans! You're in trouble! They're having a fit about it upstairs!" She exclaimed getting up and pointing at them in a slightly scared tone. Chihiro was scared too, Chidori was tense and frowning. They had been discovered and were again in a dangerous predicament. What were they going to do?