"Is this a dream?" I asked. It felt as if half an hour passed since I came to the bathhouse, but I know it must have been hours. Haku and I talked the night away just enjoying each other's company. For the first time, I feel complete since I woke up in that golden field. It's so nice to have a one-on-one conversation with someone I actually know, it's like therapy I didn't know I needed.
"I guarantee that you are not delusional Chihiro, this is indeed real life." Haku stated calmly while sipping his tea. I'm surprised how long it took for me to remember the last time I was here, you'd think I wouldn't forget signing a contract with a witch. I guess being in the bathhouse wasn't enough to provoke old times, Haku gave me new direction. It's like he picked up all the shattered pieces of my mind and helped me put them all back together.
"How did you know?" I asked him
"I told you, I could never forget you Chihiro." He said
"Well yes, but earlier today I didn't even know who I was, and it's been so long since my last visit to the spirit world. How did you know exactly what to say that would provoke my lost memory?" I asked, Haku took another long sip of his tea. He gave me a cup of my own but, it was forgotten on the coffee table in front of us and had long since gone cold.
"Firstly, you called me 'Haku'. No-one has called me Haku since the moment you guessed which pigs were your parents." I cringed at that reminder, fuck that test. Yubaba designed the test in the form of a trick question, but I followed my heart home in the end.
"Secondly, there's something…different about your aura, in the very essence of your existence. It feels like you are here sitting next to me, yet you are not. It's very strange and confusing to me, but then again you were never normal Chihiro, you are the only person I know that could stick out like a sore thumb by doing nothing." He smiled teasingly, I shrugged it off and smiled back.
"Thirdly, I wasn't the only one who couldn't forget you Chihiro. The wind told me that you had returned to the spirit world, but she never told me where." He stated calmly, sipping his tea, I can't believe my ears.
"Are you serious? The wind told you? How could the wind tell you anything? The wind is just the wind!" I was flabbergasted.
"The wind is an intelligent being Chihiro, it told Yubaba humans came through the tunnel before she could even see them. Don't take it personally, all spirits and purebreds alike can hear the wind without much effort and the wind isn't good at keeping things to itself." I recall the day my parents and I stood infront of the big red tunnel. It felt as if the wind was trying to pull me in with it's force. "Infact, I was going to set out on a search to find you tomorrow morning, but it seems you found me first." He said
"I don't understand though, that's not what I meant. I feel like you knew exactly what to say to jog my memory. How did you do that?" I asked out of sheer innocent curiosity. He set his tea down on a small dish to contemplate his answer for a moment.
"I think I know what you are trying to ask Chihiro, of course as you know I am a dragon. Because of that, I am categorized as a celestial being. From the moment I saw you earlier, I felt something lost on the other side and bound tightly inside your state of mind. Because of my celestrial status I was able to reach past the boundaries and pull back the other part of your divided consciousness with my own." He said. So, in the end the one person I was frightened to see turned out to be the one person I needed the most.
"I'm not sure how everyone here will react to your return, after all you caused quite a stir from your last visit." He took another sip.
"They remember me?" I asked, I hadn't thought about how the bathhouse saw me. At the time I just wanted to save my parents and get the hell out of here.
"Oh yes! Can you imagine a tiny human child suddenly appearing and asking for work, freeing gods, and braving no-faces? you did the unthinkable, you even stood up to Yubaba! Back then no-one would attempt to do such a thing and that includes me." He said, well I never really saw it that way, but when he says it like that I guess that really is what happened. I don't know how long, but judging by how much we have both grown I can see it's been quite some time.
"Many were envious of the confidence you portrayed during your short stay, because they don't possess it themselves." He explained. We moved from the office closer to the fire place where he made a Sofa appear with the wave of his hand. I'm never going to get used to that.
"It was strange enough you're human. Now you're tale is legend." He smiled.
"Really? Me? A legend? I doubt that" I mentally rolled my eyes, yesterday I was a name-less nobody, now I'm some sort of hero? I guess that explains why I was being stared down all the way to this office. "Why is that so hard to believe?" He asked confused, I looked at the crackling fire in front of us. "You're an inspiration to everyone, including me." He admitted
"This is all happening so fast..." I admitted. I decided to change the subject to get my mind off of the chaos that was my life.
"So this office, it's yours?" I asked
"Of course, I am the Lord." He said, kind of sarcastically.
"Right, but wasn't this Yubabas office before?" I looked around the room to confirm my suspicions. Peering over to the door which used to lead to Bo's room, Haku nodded.
"Your just as clever as ever. It was, times have changed since then you know." He said
"I know, but what happened to her?" I dared to ask. Where was Yubaba? How come nobodies mentioned her yet? Haku is the lord of the bathhouse now, does that mean he replaced her?
"When you left I returned to the bathhouse to end my life of slavery. I challenged Yubaba for full rights over the bathhouse."
"That's very bold, but if you had your name back why didn't you just make a run for it? I think you would have made it." I asked
"I guess I could have, but where would I go? My river is long gone, I've lived in the bathhouse for centuries…Yubaba was a heartless woman who benefited from the suffering of others. Not to brag, but I am a dragon after all, when I signed my name away to her theoretically I was the big shiny trophy of her collection. The wise know not to anger a man with a tame dragon in tow, or a woman." He stated, He's acting solemn like it was nothing, but something in my heart tells me it bothered him more than he's showing.
"From what Makoto says about you, it seems you have a heartless reputation around here as well though." I wish I could take that back, I haven't seen Haku for so long I don't know if this was the same little boy I knew a long time ago.
"Oh, does he?" His tone a little darker now, clearly upset.
"Well actually, before we arrive I asked him what you were like, he spoke from the rumors he's heard in the bathhouse." I quickly explained, I don't want to speak ill of Makoto when he's not around. What kind of person would I be if I waited for people to leave the room before I talk shit about them?
"I pay no mind to what others call me, it's a great responsibility to keep the peace in large business like this. I can't be everyone's boss and friend at the same time." He paused, a stern expression on his face.
"As Lord, the best that I can do is try to give them all a life they don't struggle to live. At the same time not let the bathhouse fall to shambles from poor management either. If the bathhouse goes, everyone here would suddenly find themselves homeless." He said, the room remained silent. I didn't realize how much weight he had on his shoulders being a Lord. It sounds like he is trying to be the man in charge and somehow not to be another Yubaba at the same time.
"Can I ask you something?" I said.
"What is it you would like to know?" he asked in reply
"Sometimes…is it too much?" He sipped his tea pondering his answer. He took another sip of his tea then sighed deeply looking into the flickering flames of the fire.
"This bathhouse is the only home I know." Sorrow flowed with his words. I could see that there was a piece of his soul that wished that sentence wasn't true. We left it at that.
"So Chihiro, now that you have some recollection of your life. Do you remember anything about your arrival?" He asked. I tried to remember, but the more I tried the more confused I became.
"Am I dead?" I asked, just curious.
"Do you remember dying?" He quickly asked
"I remember anything at all."
"Yet you remember your last visit?" he asked
"I do, but why do I only remember the spirit world, why not the human world?"
"Well for one you cannot be dead, if you were dead you would remember how you died. Human souls that don't remember their deaths stay attached to the human world and become…what do you call them? 'Ghosts' I think?"
"I'm not a ghost, I know I'm alive!"
"Well it couldn't have been through the tunnel again, it's been long since torn down ."
"What?! Why?"
"It was destroyed by locals, many suspect because it was seen as a threat to our world."
"Why would it be a threat?" I asked
"Because it gives humans access to our world, therefore it was dangerous to this world and had to be permanently removed. You proved that movement with your last visit, it's a shame not many spirits are welcoming to humans. You don't know how lucky you were last time…"
"I was lucky you were there Haku. I really couldn't have done it without you." I said honestly, he helped me from the start and didn't think twice. I was pretty lucky wasn't I?
"You give me too much credit Chihiro, without you I would still be cleaning up after Yubaba's messes." Haku said. He smiled wide at me and I smiled back. Funny how we keep running into each other like this.
"Now then, why don't I show you to your room? You seem overdue for some rest." He got up and set his tea on the table, holding out a hand for me to use as leverage.
"I don't have to sleep in the womens lounge again do I?" I asked, Haku smiled at my question.
"Not at all, tonight you are a guest." He said. He led me out the door and down the hall.
"Where's Makoto?" I asked
"Probably in his guest room as well, he occupies the same room every time he delivers messages to the bathhouse." He said, the halls were quiet and uninhabited. It appears that this section of the building is reserved for mostly staff. He eventually came upon a door and stood aside to let me step ahead of him.
"Well, this is it. Since there is no way of telling how you got here and how long you will be staying. if you wish, this can be your room for the duration of your visit." He said, I nodded showing I understood. He began to walk away and I was about to turn the handle to enter when Haku turned back around.
"Chihiro, would you care to have a morning meal with me tomorrow?" he asked
"Um, yeah sure I would like that." I said hesitant.
"Excellent, I will come by to check on you tomorrow. Goodnight Chihiro…"
"Goodnight Haku." I said and walked into the room.
A/N: Hello again! Apparently there's a new Disney movie coming out called "TommarowLand" and it starts out as a girl standing in a wheat feild...Just like "What Was Lost" lol I swear to god I wrote the Chapter before the trailer came out! I do not mean to copy Disney!
Thank you all for reading, its been a while since the chaos of the holidays and all. Till next time!
Happy 2015 Everyone!