After an entire day of sunshine and play, dusk eventually fell. The cooks made bucket-loads of fried rice for everyone under the command of Yubaba. The old witch used her magic to manifest a giant stove that circled the cooks in such a way that at least ten of them could participate in that long process.
And all of this right on the beach, as well! Chihiro had never experienced anything so fun and magical. If she could finally return home with her parents eventually, going to the beach in the human world wouldn't even be able to compare to the excitement the spirits brought here.
Yubaba, being her selfish… well, self, created a cozy tent, but only for her usage. However, she was at least kind enough to manifest sleeping bags and blankets for whoever wanted one. Everyone, except for her, sat and ate outdoors—not that anyone minded. The temperature was cooler in the evening compared to the day under the blazing sun, but not enough to be uncomfortable with blankets wrapped securely around them.
Chihiro ate with her three best friends, naturally: Haku, Rin, and Kamaji. She was happy even Kamaji was permitted to go, but it was hardly any different from being in the Bath House. Yubaba put him to work regularly, although it was different work and more consisted of fulfilling her desires directly, instead of the Bath House as a whole. However, he did have time to relax when eating and in the evening as they were preparing for bed. Kamaji could stay up however long he wished without being scolded. But, being a tired old spirit after working hard on a consistent basis, he went to bed straightly after dinner, even while the sun was just starting to set and light orange, pink, and yellow colors filled every inch of the sky.
Through the course of dinner around their small fire bursting with life, Haku was strangely quiet, soundlessly munching on his small bowl of fried rice while listening to conversations and stories being shared amongst the quartet. He only responded to general "yes" and "no" questions, unless of course Chihiro asked him something that would require more than that. She purposefully made this frequent just to get him involved with the conversation.
"It was horrible, one of the stairs broke off, and I was so scared that I ran down them! I was screaming my head off. It's one of those situations where once you start going, you can't stop until you… hit a wall," Chihiro explained and took a bite of her rice. "Why do you guys have such a long flight of stairs, anyway? It's terrifying," She shivered at the awful, yet humorous memory. Haku hadn't heard this story before, so he grimaced at the mention of her screaming while running down the stairs when he specifically told her (and for a good reason) to not make a sound in the process of finding the boiler room.
"Well, who can blame you? It was nighttime, you're very high up and one of the stairs breaks under you, and you're all alone…" Kamaji trailed off, then took another bundle of fried rice and raised it to his mustache-covered lips.
Haku felt like he was just slapped in the face. He felt nothing but regret for not being there for Chihiro when this happened, and he completely left her alone that night, frightened and confused, when she accidently stumbled into the spirit world. But at the same time, he couldn't stay long with her before he would smell like a human, himself, and others would become suspicious. Besides, he could see this string of events made Chihiro braver and stronger as the days passed. The whole experience of being here and living in the spirit world, even though temporary, had benefitted her—no matter how frightening the situation. Even the stairs probably served a purpose of shaping who Chihiro has and is becoming.
As the conversations carried on between Rin and Kamaji, Haku leaned toward Chihiro's ear and whispered into it, which caused her to smile and nod to him: They had agreed to wait until everyone, especially Yubaba, fell asleep and then they would take off to the water's edge to see the mermaids… and finally discuss a few… important matters afterwards.
0o0o0o0o0o0
The hushed breathing and snoring in the late hours of the evening indicated it was time.
Chihiro had decided to get some rest early (and avoid suspicion of their plans), knowing she might be up for a while later. With the nearly dead fire putting distance between Haku and Chihiro and Rin and Kamaji, surely this would be a simple task and they could slip out without creating even a stir among their friends. Haku sat up in his sleeping bag and looked to Chihiro's sleeping form right next to him. Watching how peaceful she seemed, he wondered faintly if he really should wake her at a time like this. Their plan suddenly felt selfish on his end.
But then again, she expressed desperate desire to see these mermaids, and he needed to talk to her on top of that, anyway. He figured she would be cranky and upset at first he was waking her at such an ungodly hour of the night, but would be even more upset in the morning with him for not; and he certainly wouldn't forgive himself, either.
It's now or never, Haku…
His hand trailed over to rest on the sleeping bag where her cheek would be, although soft cotton material acted as a barrier between her face and his touch. A thought struck him for an instant – how he would love to be that cotton blanket wrapped so securely around her, if they were only arms—his arms.
The daydream left him as quickly as it came.
Haku released a silent breath he realized he had been holding this entire time. He attempted to gently shake her awake.
"Chihiro," He whispered, "Chihiro."
A small groan came in response from the ten-year-old brunette, and then a soft whimper-like sound as she tried to escape back into her dream state. She turned herself so her back faced him and her ponytail sprawled out behind her.
Haku sighed through his nostrils and leaned over her ear, whispering: "Chihiro, I know you're tired. But do you want to see the mermaids or not?" He said this almost teasingly—testing her willingness. Another tiny grunt answered him and he dared to bring himself closer to her. He reached over and grasped the top of her arm while resting his chin on top of her shoulder.
"Chihiro?" He whispered once more. "Are you awake?"
"M… hm…" She replied quietly and soft, muffled with her face in her rumpled tangle of blankets.
"Do you want to continue sleeping?" He murmured.
"M… mm…" She shook her head, slightly.
He pat the top of her arm once, where he was grasping before and propped himself up more with his elbow. "Alright, well try getting yourself up, if you want to see them that badly."
The side of her blankets rose and fell deeply, like she was sighing. She raised her head from her pillow for a split second in an attempt to get up, but still in her half-awake, half-asleep state and the tug of gravity, she dropped it back down again with a small plop. She turned her body so she faced Haku, her lids halfway open, and she let out a quiet yawn.
"Bring the mermaids to me…" She mumbled groggily.
Haku smiled. "Sorry, but you'll have to earn your time with them, they won't just come to you because you're lazy."
She groaned and sat up a little. "Fine, I'm awake, I'm awake. I'll earn my time with them," she spat, a little too loudly to Haku's liking. He sat up as well, took her by one shoulder, and cupped a hand over her mouth.
"Shh, we must not wake anyone. Try to keep your voice low. Unless you want to be caught and turned into a pig or a piece of coal," he said, hushed but stern. She shook her head, worry washing over her face in an instant at the mention of Yubaba catching them sneaking off. He released his hand from her mouth, only to bring both up to cup her cheeks. He smiled warmly at her, a dramatic change from just a second ago, and whispered: "Alright, let's go."
0o0o0o0o0o0
Chihiro still had yet to truly wake up. But once they reached the water's edge, the rush of frigid water over Chihiro's feet was enough. She gasped in surprise with just how cold it was at night and quickly rushed out and back to Haku's side, grasping his arm.
"Is the tide in? I wasn't expecting the water to reach so far," she shivered.
Haku chuckled low. "I'm afraid yes, Chihiro, you had rotten luck for a minute there."
She scoffed at him and looked down at her feet as they walked along the shoreline, farther and farther away from camp. She was shocked to see they hadn't turned blue.
Chihiro shivered from the cold air and held Haku's arm tighter, pressing her body as close as she could manage to his, yearning for the body warmth he exuded to rub off somehow on her. Haku didn't object, so she kept at it until he pointed out, finally:
"You're cold," He glanced at her. Her chattering teeth and wide eyes were all he needed to know this statement was true.
"Here," He untied the lavender sash holding together the top layer of his work uniform. They had stopped momentarily at this point, Chihiro standing off to the side with her arms wrapped around herself, completely desperate and warmth deprived. The only thing she had was her pink pants and blue tank top. She mentally kicked herself for not putting the top layer of her uniform back on before they left.
Haku slid off his jacket over his head and approached Chihiro. He then slid it over her head and tied the sash around to keep it in place. The colors were a strikingly bad combination, but that certainly was not what mattered most. Haku's sky-blue pants and dark blue undershirt were still kept with him.
Haku rested a hand on her shoulder. "Better?"
Chihiro crossed her arms over her chest, feeling the warmth of his body heat lingering within the fabric. She smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Haku."
He returned the smile in reply and gently pushed her along with him, a hand on her back.
"What about you?" She eyed his bare arm exposure to the chilly air with concern.
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine. It's not very cold for me," he answered kindly.
Chihiro figured this had to be some kind of dragon thing, to walk around in snow on a freezing winter day, and this uniform was all Haku would still be wearing, running hot all the time. Dragons… Chihiro mumbled in her thoughts.
"When will we get there? We probably shouldn't stray too far away from camp," she said, looking behind her and noticing fog moving in and clouding her sight of her other sleeping friends.
"We won't, Chihiro. It's just up ahead here," he smiled.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Where they soon stopped looked no different than the rest of the beach.
Chihiro furrowed her eyebrows at the sight of just more water and sand. "Here?"
"Yes," was all Haku answered her with. Chihiro stood silently and watched beside him as he crouched down. Before she could question what he was doing, he reached out a hand and dipped it into the water. Suddenly, a soft glow emitted from that hand, and for a couple minutes, they waited. Chihiro held her breath. This is it!
Her heart fluttered wildly in her chest and she gasped with a combination of excitement and fright when long, slender fingers appeared under the water, reaching for Haku's hand. The hand soon met his and held it.
And then, a head emerged to the surface, gazing at Haku. Chihiro felt put to shame from seeing the extraordinary beauty from this face. She had the longest shiny, red hair drooping over her wet and bare shoulders, and then trailing behind her, floating on the surface of the calm water. Her skin shined from the moon's glow. Little elf-like ears poked out from her silken hair on the sides. Even her brown eyes, sparkling in wonder at the boy kneeling in front of her, put Chihiro's to mortification. Chihiro's face dropped from wonder to an expression that held a tinge of jealousy and sadness.
A slap against the water made Chihiro jump out of her pitiful thoughts to herself. She looked behind the mermaid to see a very large, heavy-looking tail, wet and glistening. The wonder and amazement returned to Chihiro as she fixed her eyes and studied the tail gently slapping against the water. She hardly noticed the mermaid had brought herself closer to Haku and reached up one of her graceful hands to his cheek, attempting to bring herself to his face and, if she was lucky, a peck on the lips. Chihiro was brought out of her trance when he reached up a hand to the mermaid's forehead and gently pushed her away to keep a distance between them.
"Don't," he said firmly, unyielding to her endeavor.
She smiled at him in a sly way. "And why ever not?"
Haku didn't reply to this, but kept his face stern and his voice commanding whenever he spoke. Chihiro raised her eyebrows at the mermaid, wondering what she had just tried to attempt on her dear friend.
It wasn't until at this time the mermaid had actually noticed Chihiro's presence. Her eyes wandered and found Chihiro's. She nearly shrieked, but held it in and remained calm.
"What is a human doing here?" She glowered at poor Chihiro.
"She is my friend, Chihiro," Haku answered, still in that stern voice of his.
The dislike the mermaid expressed through her face and eyes suddenly switched to sweetness that Chihiro did not trust.
"Chihiro, hmm?" She brought a hand up to pet Chihiro's hair and down her cheek, and held her chin. "If she is a friend of the Master Haku, then I will show the same respect and kindness. She is quite cute."
Chihiro's eyes wandered, trying in every way to avoid eye contact with the mermaid. So that was it. She only expressed kindness because of Haku being there. And here she was, hoping to make friends with these unbelievably gorgeous creatures. Haku hadn't warned her that the mermaids were like this. Was it all for nothing?
"Chihiro, dear, look at me," Said the mermaid in that tone of sweetness. "I don't bite, now don't you worry."
Finally the brunette gave in and looked her in the eye. Immediately, any feelings of jealousy, regret, pity, or anything else of the sort melted away.
"See? Not that hard. Would you like to be friends?" The mermaid cooed.
Chihiro blinked. Did the mermaid really care, or was she just saying that to please Haku?
"Are you sure?" She asked suspiciously.
"Well, what reason do I have not to be sure?"
"Because I'm a human and you're only treating me like this because of Haku," Chihiro spat. She immediately clasped her mouth after it was released. Instant regret.
The mermaid showed hurt in her eyes, and Chihiro wanted to slap herself over and over or have someone do it for her, harder than she could by herself. How could she? The mermaid seemed to actually have been honest!
Chihiro released her hand and sighed, looking downcast. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it. But the first part is true – I'm just a mere human. Why would you want to be friends with someone as ordinary as me?"
A startling laugh escaped the mermaid's lips, like a sweet melody. "You really are a silly girl. My kind has made friends with every spirit in every shape, form, kind… you name it. Every animal, every life form out there. You are just another out of thousands. My kind has never come in contact with a human, and you deeply intrigue me. I can see your whole story in your eyes."
Chihiro's eyes sparkled with hope. She looked over at Haku who had been watching their whole interaction, and he smiled and nodded to her, giving his consent.
"Then let's be friends!" Chihiro exclaimed happily, nodding. The mermaid laughed joyously as she stretched back and dived into the ocean, splashing about.
Until next time then, little human Chihiro!
The voice of the mermaid in Chihiro's head shocked her, but Haku assured her it was normal in the spirit world: telepathy.
Chihiro gripped the sand. "Wait!" She called.
The mermaid's little head popped out from surface in the distance, the water reaching just over her nose as she eyed Chihiro.
Yes?
"What is… your name?"
The mermaid's giggle rang through Chihiro's head. Sayuri!
"Sayuri," Chihiro echoed to herself. She watched the tail splash against the water again as Sayuri disappeared beneath the surface.
0o0o0o0o0o0
"They're amazing. I'm so happy I finally got to meet one… thank you so much, Haku," Chihiro and Haku had been moving along the shoreline again. But instead of going back to camp, Haku was leading her farther away from it with the intention of what he promised himself would happen after the mermaid encounter. He smiled down at Chihiro as she clung his arm and rubbed her face affectionately against his shoulder in gratitude.
"Anything for you, Chihiro," he murmured. He looked ahead and saw they were nearing a cliff, so he took this opportunity to reach up and take her hand in his. "Come," he said.
The giant boulder required Chihiro and Haku to climb a little to make it to the edge. It was no problem for Haku, but Chihiro struggled. He took her hand and helped her along. But at about halfway, Chihiro insisted that she climb on her own and she could do it. Reluctantly, but willingly, he let go of her hand and climbed at his own pace while she climbed at hers. He, naturally, was the first to make it to the edge. He stood alone for a couple minutes, staring out at the ocean a little ways below, putting together in his head and preparing for what he would say to Chihiro very soon.
"Haku?"
He didn't even flinch at the sound of Chihiro's voice nearing behind him. She walked on the rocky surface to join his side, observing him curiously. He looked down and closed his eyes. The only sound for a few moments was of the waves crashing against the boulder and washing up on the shore. The sounds of nature gave Haku a little peace and reassurance.
Finally, he raised his head and looked her in the eye. "Chihiro, I'd like to talk to you about something."