Third crossing: Job 'interwiews'

"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 frowning and tense, they had been discovered and were again in a dangerous predicament, what will they do?

"They're my granddaughters." Kamaji said as if all the weight of the world was resting on his shoulders. Chidori blinked, turning her head toward the good old man, she had not expected that but she was all the more grateful. Though, of course, no one would believe such a blatant lie.

"Granddaughters!?"

"Say they want to work, but I've got all the help I need. Would you take them to Yubaba? After that I'm sure they can handle themselves." At least the older one would but he was not so sure about the little one. Then again, that blue-eyed girl didn't seem the type to abandon anyone, she was strong and kind, she would protect her, if it was her, there was nothing to worry about. They just needed a little push forward.

"Not a chance! I'll be killed!"

"Take this, then. A roasted newt. Real quality." Kamaji offered. The woman seemed to hesitate. "If you want to work, you'll have to make a deal with Yubaba. Might as well try your luck." He told the girls, his eyes resting on Chidori. The woman gave in, reluctantly. She snatched the newt.

"Fine! You two there, follow me." She ordered.

"Yes! Thank you very much!" Chidori answered, smile on her face, jumping over the heap of coal and running to her, quickly taking off her shoes and socks, letting them where they were and going over to her guide's side. Chihiro followed clumsily.

"And you, can't you even manage a "Yes Ma'am," or a "Thank you."?" The woman asked the younger sister.

"Yes... Yes, ma'am"

"Geez, you sure are slow compared to the other. Hurry up."

"Yes." Chihiro said, taking off her shoes.

"You won't need those or your socks, let them here." Chidori said. Her sister complied. The soot balls were already gathering around the two pairs of shoes, the socks within, and taking them to their holes. The older one smiled at them. Then, as her younger sister was going through the door, she knelt on the ground and bowed low.

"Kamaji-san, thank you so much for everything you've done. We are in your debt. We will find work and do our best."

"Don't worry about it, good luck."

"Yes."

"Ah!" Chihiro cried, she had forgotten to thank him, she turned around, bumping her head and kelt beside her sister. "Thank you very much, sir." Chidori smiled at her.

"Hai, hai, go already." Kamaji dismissed them but truth is, that little one had amused him.

The siblings left, closing the panel and followed their guide, listening to her explanations.

"Yubaba lives way up at the top, in the back." They took the elevator, when Chihiro stopped gawking at the height of the building. IN the elevator Chihiro bent a little over the railings but it was still dangerous so her sister pulled her backward, the siblings hiding behind the woman as they passed different floors. They went off, walked a little, passed a kitchen where desserts were being made and took another elevator. Once up, they were surprised to see a customer waiting to take it. It looked like a long white turnip with a red plate on its head. Funny.

"Welcome." The woman said through a stiff smile." This elevator can't go further up, sir, please use another one." She explained. And so the three, followed by the customer, walked again to the next elevator, passing on a bridge and in hallways, gods were bathing everywhere, and waited. Gods were already in but they left, a toad was taking good care of them. But he stopped and came back.

"Lin?" He called. The sisters quickly went in the elevator, hiding behind the turnip god's large body.

"Yes!" Lin, your guide waited for him.

"What's that smell? It's human, you reek of human."

"Is that so? I smell it, I do smell something mighty tasty too. You're hiding something, tell me the truth now!"

"This smell?" She said, revealing the roasted newt. The toad began to sweat and salivate and beg Lin to give it to him, even just a leg, but she refused, saying it was for the others girls. Also Lin was taller than him and waving it beyond his reach, yet he would still jump and try to grab it.

"The customer going up, please pull down the lever." She said.

The customer seemed to nod but it was Chidori who had to pull it down. She had the longest reach yet she had to stretch her arm as far as she could from behind that huge white and fleshly body to reach it. The door closed, the elevator went up, stopped, the door opened but there was anyone so the customer pushed down the lever himself this time. The elevator went up again. Chidori looked up, studying the god a little. He was only dressed in a loincloth. Wait, loincloth, baths... They were in an onsen? He did not look scary or disgusting or anything, on the contrary he looked pretty nice and interesting. And fun. He looked down at her, and his eyes seemed to smile. She smiled sweetly at him too.

The door opened again, the customer stepped out a little and looked around, the girls went further. It was all dark, no one was around. Yet they could see huge decorated porcelain jars and two identical doors on their right. The customer went back in the elevator and bowed slightly. The siblings bowed too. And now, they were alone. They went to the right door. Chihiro was going to open the door but her sister held her back. She took a deep breath and used the knocker.

"Hai hai, good thing there's at least one who knows her manners." The knocker talked with the voice of a very old woman. The little one frowned. The doors opened, and many others did behind them. "Come closer." The voice said. Chidori took a few steps but stopped and looked back, Chihiro still had not budged. She was hesitating. "I said closer." The voice repeated and the siblings were suddenly pulled forward through the hallway, the doors closed on their own behind them, or more accurately, Yubaba was closing them with her magic. The girls felt like they were on a rail, rail that suddenly turned right, then left, a door opened right before them and closed back after were in and the force suddenly stopped. Chihiro fell head first and rolled on the ground before being stopped by and armchair, while Chidori instinctively put her hands before her to do a perfect handstand to bridge, using the momentum to go back to her standing position. She really loved gymnastics. The little one slowly got up, rubbing her head. About heads, three big, green, ugly ones came rolling and jumping and 'hoiing' toward them, trying to push them around. That was the youkai Maikubi, the quarrelling heads of the three miscreants. But Chidori would not let them get close to her beloved sister.

"You're making a racket, keep it down." The elderly at the desk said. Yubaba was writing something, she had an oversized head, oversized jewel rings and was also counting her money, in gold. The heads went back to her and the older girl stepped aside so the witch could see them both. The sisters looked at each other then both reported their gaze to the sorceress.

"Please, let us work here!" They begged in the same time, but with a little motion of her finger, Yubaba closed their mouths with magic.

"Stop babbling." She said, her attention back to her work. "Even if I could find a use for you, that little runt here is just a useless weakling. Besides, this is no place for humans. It's a bath house where eight millions gods rest their weary bones. And your parents had some nerve! Gobbling our guests' food like pigs! A just punishment I'd say. And of course, you'll never return to your world either." She lit her cigarette, making fire appear on her finger. "You'd make a nice piglet, or maybe her lump of coal." Chihiro was trembling with fear but a cold fire was burning in Chidori's eyes.

"Even though you seem to be quite something," She continued, looking at the older sister, liking her guts, "I'm still impressed you could come this far. Someone must have helped you. I must thank your friend. Just who was it, my dear? You can tell me." She cooed, making is so that only Chidori could speak again.

"Please let us work here, both of us, or I won't do anything!" Chidori begged again, this time bowing low. The little one bowed too.

"Not that again!" Yubaba was getting angry.

"We want to work here!"

"Shut up!" Things began to fly around in the room. She jumped and flew straight at the young girl, landing just before her. "Why should I hire someone like her? Anyone can see she's a lazy, spoiled, stupid crybaby. You're the one who got all the qualities, why should I hire a useless extra?" She was becoming threatening but still Chidori would not back down.

"Please let us both work here, no matter what kind of job, we'll BOTH be able to handle it!" She insisted.

"No matter what kind of job?" Yubaba mused, "Meaning you would like, the worst, nastiest job I've got until you breathe your very last breath?"

"We won't mind." Chidori answered, clenching her fists and closing her eyes. Yubaba looked quite surprised but it did not last very long, for suddenly, there was a rumble and the room shook. Things fell and broke, the room shook again, several times, like several earthquakes. A baby's voice was heard. A huge baby's foot broke the door at the right of the desk.

"Awww Boh, stop that, what's wrong?" The granny asked in a sweet voice going and passing her head through the hole in door, holding the hangings. "I'll be right there. That's a good baby now. What? You still there? Get out now!" She then whispered loudly to the girls.

"We want to work here!" Chidori insisted. If they went away now, the old had would later say they had not signed any contract and so could not work here.

"Don't shout!" Yubaba said just as she got kicked in the face by the baby's foot, huge shards of wood getting stuck in her hair. "I'll be right there... That's a good baby, there, there..." she cooed again.

"Please let us work here." Chidori insisted, bowing again.

"Ok, ok, just pipe down." She agreed at last "There, there now..." She disappeared awhile in the room where the baby was, a paper and a pen flew by to the young girl who took them. "Your contract, sign your name." The old woman explained, coming back and taking the shards out of her hair, the she looked at Chihiro, "And you too, you better be grateful to your sister." She said unzipping the little one's mouth, for indeed, if it wasn't for Chidori's courage, stubbornness and love, she would have never hired someone like her, and now because of her, both will be sharing the same fate. And to say that older girl would be worth so much better, even for a human. There was something more to her, the old owner could feel it. As the girls signed their names, she warned them.

"I'll put you to work right away, but one peep out of you about anything and I'll turn you right into a piglet!" She was fixing and putting everything back into place with her magic.

"What a ridiculous oath I took, giving work to whoever asks..." Yubaba complained pulling on a cord. A ring was heard. The paper flew back to the old woman. "So the older one's Chidori and the little one's Chihiro. Don't look so surprised, just one look at your writing and one is immediately able to tell." She passed her hand over the names and the kanjis detached themselves from the paper to be crushed in her fist, leaving only one kanji for each girl: the first kanji of Chihiro's first name –the one for 'a thousand'-, and the second kanji of Chidori's first name –the one for 'bird', that could be read 'tori' or 'chou'. "From now on, you'll be Chou," She looked at the blue-eyed girl, "And you'll be Sen." She looked at the brown-eyes one. "Got that? Chou, Sen?"

"Yes!" Chou answered.

"Sen!"

"Yes..."

"Did you call?" a boy's voice came from the right. It was Haku.

"These children are starting to work as of now. Look after them." Yubaba ordered.

"Yes." He answered. "Your names?"

"I am Chou, this is Sen."

"Follow me then, Chou, Sen." Haku left, the girls followed him.

Once the three were in the elevator, Sen tried to talk.

"Haku, hum..." But upon seeing his cold expression, Chou clamped her hand over her sister's mouth from behind her.

"It's Haku-sama, and we should refrain from idle chatter." She scolded Sen. "I'm sorry, Haku-sama." She bowed slightly.

"Just make sure to keep an eye on her."

"Yes." She looked back ahead. They had spoken and acted exactly as they should according to their current ranks. Of course they had to. But his coldness, in his tone, in his eyes, his hard and inhuman expression, they had frozen her heart more than she could say or show. Yet, her body was betraying her, and the trembling of her hands, even as they were so tightly and painfully clamped on her sister's shoulders, did not escape the side look of these green eyes. Though, nobody noticed the clenching of his fists.

Nee-chan? Sen thought looking up at her. Right, Chou was suffering more than her, she was the older one, she would always suffer in silence, so she would not trouble or worry anyone. She had done stupid things in the past yet Chou had always taken the blame for her. Even now, she was thinking of protecting her little sister first. So from now on, Sen will try to suffer silently too, so her big sister would not worry. She won't wince at the pain from her shoulders because it was nothing, nothing compared to Chou's pain.

They walked through hallways and climbed down stairs, under the surprised, questioning and disdainful gaze of the gossiping workers. Everyone gathered at the reception desk.

"Even under Yubaba-sama's orders..." One began.

"We can't allow humans." Another finished. That smirk, Chou would have loved nothing more than to wipe it off with her fists and beat that contemptuous attitude out of them but she just stood, proud and tall.

"Their contracts are signed." Haku added. The toads could not believe it. The women were disgusted.

"Everyone, I'm looking forward to working with you!" Chou bowed deeply with a lovely business smile, using her sweetest tone. She wasn't going to be scared or impressed or to break that easily. She was going to show them, and make sure of the same for Sen! That would be a good way to vent her anger and frustration. But Sen was scared, that little voice, those half-hearted bow and "I'm looking forward to working with you."

"Don't send them to us, I can't bear that human stink." A woman said. But Haku replied that three days of eating the food and the smell would vanish. And if they were still useless, they could fry them, boil them or do whatever they wanted with them. Chou kept that smile but clenched her fists. Though, whether she did because she was hurt or because she was thinking something like "Bastard... Like hell I'll let them!" she could not tell. Still as no one else had anything to add, he told them to go back to work. And he called Lin. The others began to leer at her a little.

"Eh? Don't dump them on me!" That was acting. Chou's smile brightened at the mention of Lin. Haku was acting too. She knew that already, or he wouldn't have told Lin to take care of them, but still...

"You wanted help." The boy answered.

"That's right, Lin's just perfect." The toads added, stifling their laughter as everyone.

"Chou, Sen, go." Haku ordered. The girls obeyed.

"Please take good care of us, sempai." Chou bowed to Lin, still smiling, and bowed slightly to everyone else before following Lin. Sen followed too after a little bow at everyone.

Then it was just the three of them, they walked a little and once alone Lin turned to them, she looked really happy and proud.

"So you really pulled it off, huh? I knew it would be ok for you but your sister's so thick, I was worried."

"Of course that was perfect..." Chou grinned, making the V sign. "...Even though my sister IS thick." She teased, the little one glared at her, she chuckled, "But she can properly do what needs to be done when it must be done, and is more courageous than she appears to be." She then smiled at Sen who blushed slightly.

"Anyway, keep your wits, and if you need something, ask me, ok?" Chou thanked her gratefully. But Sen was not feeling well, she was a bit dizzy. To be honest, the older sister was not exactly in her best condition either, but as the oldest, she had to stand up strong and act like nothing was wrong.

Then Lin showed them where they would be sleeping. It was just a simple room, quite small in fact for the number of women that will be sleeping here. The sliding doors, now wide open, would be closed for the day; for here people were sleeping by day and working by night. Though, two were already sleeping.

"Chow then bed, you'll be fine." Lin said, rummaging through a cupboard. "You wash your own apron," She gave them dark blue aprons, "Trousers" She gave them pink trousers, same as hers. The problem was to find the top since they had such small frames. Sen had something else worrying her, she observed her sister for a time, she had stopped smiling, she looked the same as usual but she could tell, she knew her sister best, and so she decided to ask, for her sake, because she knew Chou would never ask.

"Um, Lin-san?"

"What?" She was still searching. The little one hesitated but asked nonetheless.

"Are there two Hakus here?" Chou's hand twitched ever so slightly at the mention of his name, her delicate eyebrows furrowing in an almost unperceivable frown.

"Two!? Of him? I sure hope not. Ah, this one should fit you." She said to Chou, handing her a pink kimono top, she put on top of her apron and trousers. "He's Yubaba's henchman, so watch out for him." Lin warned them, then she finally found a top fitting for Sen. But the little sister was really feeling dizzy, she sank to the ground, Chou hugged her and rubbed her back, it'll pass.

"What's all the fuss, Lin?" A sleeper woke up.

"New girl, says she feels faint." She explained.

At the same time, Haku was climbing the stone spiral stairs leading to the very top part of the building. There, he bowed slightly to Yubaba as she smirked and wrapped herself in a cloak, she jumped on the railings, spread her arms, now looking like leather wings and flew away in the grey morning with her bird. He switched off the light. But all this time, only one person and her haunting eyes had been filling his mind.