Author's note:
Samebito- a shark-man that served the dragon king until banished. Samebito met Totaro, a young hero, and helped him get married, thus gaining the forgiveness of the dragon king. Highly suggest you guys look him up (o u o)b
Haku slowly rose from his bed, a large, sea-green bed that is veiled with blue curtains and adorned with seashells and crystals. He rubbed his eyes sleepily, having spent most of the night in a spell-bound sleep. He had tried his magic on Chihiro's dreams, and was quite pleased when it worked.
He had brought her to the meadow of the Spirit World, and only appeared as a voice in the wind, not wanting to reveal himself to her just yet. Chihiro had looked so enchanted as she spun in a small circle to take in the world around her, brown eyes large in amazement. Haku smiled to himself as he remembered the dream. He would visit her again soon. Maybe in his old river this time, that would be very nice.
There was a knock on his door, three consecutive raps, before it opened, revealing a shark-shaped shadow against the curtains of Haku's bed. A deep voice came from the shadow. "Young Master, my lord Ryujin calls for you," said the shadow.
Haku used one hand to draw the curtains of his bed to the side to see Samebito, a shark-man with a dragon's beard and inky-black skin. Samebito's emerald eyes shone in the dark, his gaze on Haku. "Good morning, Samebito. I see you're working at the palace again," the river spirit smiled, getting up from the bed and snapped his fingers, causing the pearls and seashells that decorated his room to glow a soft green, lighting up the large chamber. Haku ran a hand through his hair and a ripple of water combed through the tangles leaving it glossy and smooth. He began to reach for his clothes when Samebito beat him to it.
"I will dress the Young Master," the shark-man said, picking up the deep-blue kimono of fine silk with gold embroidery. Samebito helped Haku into his clothes, putting on a white haori, a loose, formal coat, over the kimono, and a darker blue hakama, a long, pleated skirt. Once done, Haku thanked him with a gracious nod. Samebito bowed his head before stepping to the side, allowing him to walk through the door made of coral.
Haku glided through the halls of the palace and into the throne room where his grandfather, Ryujin, sat on his throne, along with his mother and his many brothers and sisters. Haku bowed at the foot of the throne and gazed up at Ryujin. "You called for me, my lord?"
"Why, yes, I did," the dragon king said in a gruff voice, his blue eyes stern. "You are leaving today, Kohaku?"
"Yes, my lord. I must return to my work at Aburaya," the young dragon replied.
"Hmph. Alright, I will be expecting a grand welcome from your staff when we come by soon. I will send a notice three weeks ahead of time. Until then, make sure to come and visit your mother from time to time, Kohaku," Ryujin said in a dismissing tone and Haku stood to his feet, bowed deeply, and left the palace.
Haku returned to the bathhouse, running it in a smooth and cool manner. As the years went by, Aburaya gained popularity in the Spirit World, attracting old and powerful spirits from all over to come and take a relaxing bath. Yubaba practically lived in her riches while Haku stayed the same, living a simple lifestyle. He visited Chihiro often in her dreams, sometimes bringing her to the meadow near the train station or the flower maze that led to the pig pen. Most often, however, Haku would bring her to his old river, back before it was covered by apartments. He would speak to her through the waters, asking about her day and playing with her. He would visit her dreams whenever he had a break from work, since business hours were at nighttime when she would generally be asleep. He never told anyone about these spell-bound dreams.
Less than a year later after he first began visiting Chihiro's dreams, Haku found out from her that she was an older sister now, to a baby brother by the name of Ryuu. He was very amused because the kanji of her brother's name meant dragon spirit, and apparently Chihiro is the one who helped choose the name. Haku thought to himself that maybe, she hasn't completely forgotten him, which brought a smile to his lips everytime he thought that she would remember someday.
As Aburaya became more successful, Haku found he had less time to visit Chihiro in her dreams. He would only be able to visit every other week, what, with all the work he had to cope with as one of the bosses of the bathhouse. A few years passed, and Haku received a letter from his grandfather, the lord Ryujin.
The letter stated that in two months, the royal dragon family would visit Aburaya for a one month stay. Yubaba leapt in joy, extremely glad that such a rich and powerful spirit would stay for a month. "You've done it this time, Haku! We'll be loaded! Ha ha!" the witch cackled as Haku scratched his head.
He had the appearance of a seventeen-year old now, taller and more masculine. His hair was still as dark as ever, although he had cut his fringe so it would sweep to the side rather than make a straight line over his eyes, allowing him more exposure of the forehead. Haku stared at the letter in his hands, a frown on his face. The visit of the royal family would make him busier than ever before, and he already had limited break times with the amount of work he has currently. Lately, he hasn't been able to visit Chihiro in her dreams. The last time was over a month ago. "Work is work," Haku murmured to himself as he ignored the dancing Yubaba behind him. He'll just have to keep Chihiro waiting for a few months.
A large boy that had the appearance of a three-year old came up to him. "What's wrong, Haku?" the boy asked with a curious look.
Haku smiled at the boy and ruffled his hair. "Nothing, Boh. Just preparing myself for the work to come." Boh grinned up at him and nodded.
"Okay, but make sure you play with me sometime, Haku!" the boy shouted before running off.
If Chihiro were here, she would never recognize Boh to be the baby he was five years ago. Haku thought to himself as he watched the young boy disappear out of Yubaba's office. Boh's aging had substantially started quickening, and now he was no longer the baby he used to be. Haku had a feeling that the trip outside the bathhouse may have been the cause for Boh's aging. That, or being exposed to a human may be the cause. It was all an interesting matter to him, and Haku had asked Yubaba and Zeniba what they thought of the young boy's aging but neither had much of a solid say about it.
"Haku! Stop daydreaming and get moving! We have a lot of work to do!" Yubaba yelled at him, wagging a roll of documents in her hands. The river spirit rolled his eyes and returned downstairs where his office was.
Two weeks later, Haku was buried in a pile of paperwork to get the necessary decorations and favors for the dragon family's visit. He's been going through documents and files like a hurricane, and after ten hours of doing so his hands ached from gripping the pen too tight and for too long. There was a knock on his door and Lin strolled inside carrying a tray of food. She placed it on the empty spot on his desk and he began eating his meal gratefully. "I would rather clean the big tub than do all of this paperwork everyday," Lin said, eyeing the many stacks of paper that crowded his office. "Why do you need all of these anyway?"
"We need to have the proper welcome for the dragon family in order to leave a good impression. Yubaba wants them to come back and she won't hesitate to go all out for them," Haku explained after inhaling his bowl of soba. He began chugging his tea as he quickly scanned a document. "Although, I wouldn't mind stretching my legs a bit. I'll help clean the big tub later after I finish this stack."
"Don't strain yourself, dragon boy. Dying of paperwork is not really the most honorable way to go," Lin joked before taking the now empty tray of food and leaving Haku to his work.
He sighed and buried his face in his hands. "I haven't checked on Chihiro for a while now," he murmured to himself and he got up and walked over the small fountain he had brought down from his room. Waving a hand over the running water, Chihiro's image appeared before him.
She was 15 now in human years, if he recalled correctly. Chihiro had grown taller by a few inches, and her face had lost its baby fat although it was still fairly round and flushed. Her brown hair was still the same length, tied in a ponytail as usual with, he noticed, Zeniba's purple tie. She was lying on her bed with a couple of textbooks open in front of her although she was asleep. She shouldn't study so late in the night, Haku thought to himself as he watched her sleep deeply. Oh, he wanted to visit her in her dreams so badly but he knew if he did, he'd end up staying longer than he should, and he had a lot of work to do. Haku took one last long look at Chihiro before waving at the fountain, her image disappearing in the running water. "Break time is over."
Haku finally finished the last stack of papers for the night before heading downstairs to the big tub where Lin and several other workers were already scrubbing away at the grime. "About time you showed up, Haku! We needed a good wash over here," the weasel spirit shouted to him as she swept the floors of any leaves and mess that the spirits who used the tub had left.
Haku walked up to the tub and waved a hand over it, and water burst out from the wooden pipe and thundered against the grimy walls of the tub. After several minutes of roaring water, he turned the pipe off and began whirling the water in the tub to make sure that any residue is not stuck on the walls. He then took hold of a large bristled brush himself and began scrubbing the walls of the tub along with a couple of the yuna (the female workers of the bathhouse). Haku scrubbed until his back ached more than his arms, and finally stopped when Lin threw a sponge at his head, causing him to fall into the grimy water. "Lin!" he shouted angrily as his head popped out from the filthy water. "Why did you do that?"
Lin doubled over, laughing at her boss as Haku trudged out of the tub, not without slipping and falling into the water a couple more times. "The great, princely dragon, Kohaku, can't even get out of a tub of water. Ha!" Lin guffawed, slamming the floor with her fists as Haku came up to her, dripping wet and hands and face covered in slime.
"You'll pay for this, Lin. I'm going to cut your break time by half," he said angrily as the weasel spirit rolled her eyes.
"You were working too hard and I thought you could use some refreshing water," Lin smirked before tossing a towel to her boss. "Here. Don't want that muck get stuck to your princely figure."
Haku caught the towel and proceeded with wiping the slime off of him. "Drain the tub, it's clean now," he barked at the yuna and they hurried to empty the tub.
"You would know, you fell in it, pfft," Lin grinned before receiving a glare from Haku. "So, how are the preparations going?"
"Fine. I'm heading upstairs now," Haku snapped. He was almost out the door when Lin grabbed his arm to stop him. "What?"
"I saw that you're keeping tabs on Chihiro when I left your room," she said with a sheepish smile. "How is that dope? Why didn't you tell me about it, I wanna see her, too!"
Haku grimaced and scratched his head. "That...was a private moment. Five points off for invasion of privacy," he said, pulling a clipboard out of nowhere and scribbling a few notes down.
"Hey! Stop avoiding the subject, you jerk!" Lin shouted, jumping on his back to grab the clipboard. "You should have waited for me to actually leave the room first!"
"Get off, Lin!" Haku yelled, prying off the woman's arms from his neck. He started marching out the room when Lin jumped for his feet.
"No you don't, dragon! Tell me!" she screamed, keeping a tight grip around his ankles.
"Lin! You're causing a scene!"
"Tell me about Chihiro!"
"Get off!"
"You two! You're waking the guests upstairs!" Yubaba shouted, barging into the bath with a red face. She was dressed in a pale white nightgown and her grey hair fell in a sharp curtain down her squat body. "Quit the racket!"
"Sorry, ma'am," Lin mumbled as she got up to her feet, dusting her pants of the imaginary dust that dirtied it.
Haku just heaved a heavy sigh and crossed his arms. "Sorry to cause a disturbance. I'll be going up to my room now. Good night."
"Don't even think that you've got away with this, dragon," Lin scoffed, taking a firm grip on his arm. "Just tell me already and you can sleep your butt off till tomorrow!"
"Hahh, just tell her already and get it over with, Haku, I want to sleep," Yubaba snapped and he scratched the back of his neck.
"Chihiro's doing fine. She's happy. Now, good night," he said and he turned to walk out the bath when this time, Yubaba is the one who grabbed his shoulder.
"Chihiro? The human? Don't tell me you're visiting her in the human world. I strictly forbade you from doing that, Haku," the witch said angrily.
"I am not. I just check on her every now and then with a special fountain Zeniba gave to me," the river spirit answered coolly, keeping his face blank.
"You better not. Or I'll have to seal that tunnel permanently to make sure no other human comes back here ever again!" Yubaba stormed out of the bath and Lin rolled her eyes at Haku.
"What's so wrong with visiting Chihiro? Not like it's gonna ruin the bathhouse," she muttered. After a moment, she looked up at Haku with a sad smile. "So the little dope's happy, huh? That's good, I guess she moved on and forgot about us."
Haku bit his lip and looked away from her. Only he, Yubaba, and Zeniba knew that the tunnel stripped Chihiro of her memories when she returned to the human world. He knew it would just make the others sad if he had told them, so he kept quiet about the fountain and its special powers. He didn't want Lin to feel sad about it but he knew he shouldn't tell her about Chihiro's memories. "It's better that she had," Haku choked the words out, not wanting that either. "She doesn't belong here in the Spirit World. It's too dangerous for a human."
"Yeah, I know," Lin mumbled. "I'm going to bed. 'Night, dragon." She began to trudge out of the bath when Haku called out to her.
"Lin?"
"Yeah?"
"Next time I check on Chihiro, I'll let you and Kamaji know."
Lin smiled at that and nodded. "You better."
With that said, the woman left Haku alone in the bath as she retired to the women's quarters upstairs. Once she was gone, he walked down a couple of halls before going outside to the side garden, down a set of rickety wooden stairs and into the boiler room at the side of the bathhouse. Haku didn't bother knock on the door when he went inside the boiler room to find an old spider spirit drinking water from a kettle as the small sootballs crawled all over the floor playing with a small rubber ball that Kamaji had given them. "Good evening, Kamaji."
"Haku. Hello, nice of you to drop by," the old spirit grunted as he set the kettle down on the floor. He brushed his bushy beard and wiped his forehead of sweat from a hard day's of work. "Did something happen?"
"No, just came to tell you that Chihiro's doing well," Haku replied as the rubber ball rolled to his feet. He bent to pick it up while the sootballs crowded around his feet, fighting to get the ball. He chuckled before tossing it to the other side of the room and the small balls of soot chased after it in a small frenzy.
"You visited her?" Kamaji asked in surprise and the river spirit shook his head.
"I've been keeping tabs on her, sorry that I only said it now," Haku apologized and Kamaji waved his hand.
"I'm sure you have your reasons, Haku," he said, using one of his many arms to put a hand on Haku's shoulder. "Is that all?"
"Yes, that's it. I thought I should let you know, since you helped her out in the beginning," the river spirit smiled. He turned to leave but stopped at the doorway and said one last thing. "I'll let you know when I'll check on her again."
"That will be nice. Good night, Haku," Kamaji said and Haku left the boiler room.
Author's note:
I hoped you like the second chapter and sorry for the wait! I'll only be updating this fanfic once a week since my main focus is the other one, Spirited Away: Always here/shot for shameless advertising.
Even though I said I'll only update once a week, I'm already typing away with chapter three since I am also excited about this story. Please leave a review so I know if there are anything I should improve on and see you next chapter!