Chapter 7 Sootsprites

Hey, chapter seven is here.

Sorry for the long wait, holidays were happening, and I almost forgot about this fanfic. I have more to say, but I put the rest of the message at the end of the chapter.

Enjoy.

The screen changes to the side of the bathhouse where more guests are crossing the bridge while the frog spirits are running in the opposite direction carrying lanterns to find the human.

But what they don't know is that right beside the outer wall of the bathhouse, a small door opens to reveal Chihiro coming out.

Loid 'Okay, so far no one has noticed her yet.'

Chihiro hugs the side of the wall as she takes one step at a time to make her way to the long-awaited staircase, but there are no railings to support her or to stop her from falling.

Seeing the train going by in the dark ground below wasn't helping to overcome her fear. Especially feeling the wind blowing at her.

Loid 'Of course this isn't going to be easy.'

All the children felt very afraid after seeing just how steep the stairs are and how high up they are.

Ewen "She has to walk down those stairs?!"

Emile "I don't think I can manage that!"

Becky "It seems scary but kind of cool."

Anya "Anya's been up on higher places before."

The parents and headmaster were shock out of their minds when they heard what Anya said. Thinking of the most dangerous worst case scenarios.

Mr. Henderson "Mr. Forger! What have you been teaching your daughter?!"

Loid "Not to be afraid of heights. Plus, I believe what Anya means is that she's been on an airplane looking out from the window."

Yor leans over and ask quietly to her husband, "When was that?"

Loid "It was around the time Anya got excepted to the school and had a little celebration. You were a little drunk at the time."

Yor hang her head down in shame and embarrassment.

Yor "Of all the times, I'm sorry for causing trouble."

Every adult let out a sigh of relief. After what's been happening in the past twenty or so minutes, neither of them could normally think straight.

[Sen's Courage]

Chihiro gulps down her fears and slowly starts to go down the tall wooden staircase.

She got down onto the floor and scooted herself over to the first wooden step. Slowly puts her weight on the step before doing it again on the next one.

But when she placed her foot on the second step and tried to bring her other foot over, only to slip. Thankfully, she caught herself before something terrible could have happened.

Seeing how slow Chihiro is going down the steps, made the Spy and Assassin realize that she's still a kid, and as a kid they can be afraid of pretty much of everything.

Loid and Yor 'This is going to take longer than I thought.'

Feeling how close she is to the next step, Chihiro slowly moves to that spot to take a moment to collect herself and her breathing.

She looks back down and the camera cuts to her point of view, showing that she still has a long way to go.

Most of the girls and few of the boys close their eyes, almost feeling that they were there in Chihrio's place.

"I don't think I can handle it.'

'I'm getting scared."

The children's comments blur with their thoughts were giving Anya a slight headache.

Cut to a small close-up of Chihiro's scared face, she closed her eyes so tightly, wishing to be somewhere else and not have to do this. But deep down, she knows she has to face this challenge to save her parents and herself.

She then tries a different approach of going down the stairs, she turns her body to face forward while holding onto the sides of the steps.

As she places her foot on the next step and makes sure she's in a good position to put her weight on it, but once she stands up.

*Crash!*

The wooden stepboard broke, causing Chihiro to stumble down.

Loid 'Shit!'

Yor "Ah Chihiro no!"

Bond "Borf! Borf!"

"Oh No!"

"Oh Lord!"

Screaming and prompting her feet to run down the stairs until she comes to a stone platform and wall, slamming right into the said wall. That would lead her to another staircase, but more solid.

Everyone let out a wince or made an expression of flinching at the impact Chihiro had when slamming her face right up against the wall.

Loid 'That was not quiet.'

Chihiro peels herself off of the wall and steadies her breathing, however, she hears a window opening just above her shoulder about two yards away from where she's standing.

Another frog spirit opens a window to let out a smoke from his cigarette, and from what can be heard that section of the building must be the kitchen.

Chihiro then carefully slips to the side of the platform to the set of stairs, making sure that she isn't spotted by the frog spirit.

How Chihiro didn't get caught with all the screaming is beyond anyone's mind. It was either luck or a miracle that she hasn't been spotted yet.

Hopefully, she'll still have it once she gets to the boiler room.

The camera shows the lower area of the bathhouse where all the steam is coming from. The Boiler room. Once she made it down to the remaining stone stairs, Chihiro took a hop, step, and jump to the door to the boiling room.

When entering the boiler room, Chihiro is met with an oddly shaped shadow around the corner. As she stepped forward to see, the frame shows a great boiler with fire and steam being released when the camera pans down to show what seems to be an old man with a bald head, thick black glasses, and a distinguished broom mustache rolling something and as soot spirits carry coal to the furnace.

Damian "That's Kamaji?"

Ewen "He doesn't look like a spirit."

Emile "It could be a disguised."

Becky "He looks almost like the headmaster."

The old man then grabs something out of a jar with another arm and then turns a wheel off to the side with another arm, and then uses another arm to pull the lever as well as ring a bell.

Anya "Spider spirit."

Yor tried but failed as she let out a shriek of fright. Thankfully, it wasn't loud enough to break the school's windows.

Yor "A spider spirit!?"

Mrs. Blackbell "I take it you are not a fan of spiders or any other insects, Mrs. Forger?"

Yor "Ever since I was a child."

Loid 'That explains the caves back on our cruise trip.'

The soot spirits proceed with their work. But Chihiro, feeling uneasy, wanted to escape, but when she backed away from the doorway a sudden hiss from a pipe stopped her.

The old man then proceeded to slam a mallet, telling the soot spirits for a break, and as Chihiro entered the room, after they all went back to their holes.

Chihiro: Uhm… excuse me.

The old man looked at her for a bit but proceeded to pay no mind to her as he drank from a teapot.

Damian "Did he just drink straight out of the tea pot?!"

Becky "That's disgusting!"

Chihiro then stepped to the old man's work station as the camera shows the old man brushing off ash Chihiro spoke

Chihiro: Uhm…hello, are you Kamaji?

Old man: Heh?

As the old man then went back to his business, he then stopped to look back in bewilderment. The old man then made sound grunts of amusement and curiosity.

Seeing what the old man looks like up closer than before, his appearance strikes a similar to the school's headmaster. Henry Henderson. But without the gray hairs, a shorter mustache, different head shape, and that he has thick glasses instead of a monocle. Some might say that he also looks like the statue of the school's founder. Except for the long beard and mustache.

However, there was something about him that reminded the younger kinds about their headmaster and founder, but what?

Anya 'Grandpa and Baldy!'

This made Chihiro uneasy, but she built up the courage to ask what she was told by Haku

Chihiro: Haku told me to come here and ask you for work. Can you give me a job, please?

Becky "Talk about being direct and straight to the point."

Then from a red shaft, wooden rectangle plates attached to purple-violet ribbons came down as bell rings were heard.

Old man: Aah… Four bath tokens at once.

The old man then raised his mallet and proceeded to call on the soot spirits by ringing the metal wheel.

Old man: C'mon get to work, you little runts!

Chihiro then looked back in curiosity before looking back at the old Boiler man talking to her.

Old man: Yeah, I'm Kamaji, slave to the boiler that heats the baths.

Kamaji shouts out to the sootballs. (Yells again) Move it, you stupid little sootballs!

Damian "Sootballs?"

Chihiro: Please, I need to get a job here!

Kamaji: I don't need any help. This place is full of soot. I just cast a little spell on them and I got all the workers I need.

Ewen, Emile, Becky, Bill, George, and every child in the room, minus Anya, "Wait, what?"

Anya "Sooty Soot balls?"

[Sootballs]

Chihiro looks back to the holes to see the sootballs swarming out and carrying lumps of coal to keep the boiler alive.

Bill "You mean to tell me they are nothing but soot come to life?"

Becky "I think they're cute."

Chihiro then cornered herself out of the way of the sootballs, but some were able to clunk up because of her being on the way.

Chihiro: Oh, sorry.

But more and more sootballs keep coming and getting blocked by Chihiro's foot.

Chihiro: Wait. Just a second.

This causes her to move away and place herself in a corner near the holes where the sootballs live.

As Chihiro looked on in amazement, Kamaji then extended his hand to reach for a cupboard where Chihiro was currently blocking.

Kamaji: Out of the way.

Chihiro did so, and Kamaji grabbed a small handful of hay from the cupboard and then closed it before extending his arm even more as she reached another cupboard at the top.

All the kids start in awe of the old man's arm extending to unimaginable lengths, while the adults were surprised, while some even imagine what it would be like to have arms like Kamaji.

Hey, even adults can dream.

Chihiro then saw a sootballs trip and get crushed by the coal it was carrying, prompting a gasp from her. She then helped by picking it up for the little guy, which caused the other sootballs to stop and look at her.

Chihiro: What should I do with this?

The sootballs didn't answer as they continued with their work.

Chihiro: Should I leave it here?

Kamaji paused from working and told her.

Kamaji: Finish what you started, human.

Chihiro then followed what the other sootballs were doing and proceeded to the furnace. As she nears it Chihiro watches the moment when the gates open and close, with the heat stinging her eyes, Chihiro then flings the coal into the furnace as she runs behind the small wall next to Kamaji trying to catch her breath.

Damian "Is carrying a single coal that heavy?"

Mr. Henderson "Coal normally weighs 80 – 85 pounds per cubic foot or converted and rounded off, 145 tons per acre inch. One acre then would be 30 times 145 or 4,350 tons."

Loid 'For these kids to lift 80 or 85 pounds would be very hard on them. It might even strain some of their muscles if they hold them for so long. But with proper exercising…"'

Anya 'I'm going to keep working and train hard, Papa.'

Seeing how Chihiro handles their job, one Sootball drops the coal it was holding on top of itself. Chihiro and Kamaji see this as more and more sootballs do the same thing. Expecting Chihiro to do their work for them.

Everyone was dumbfounded at the scene.

George "Are they doing this to get out of work?"

Bill "Looks like it."

The sootballs started to swarm around Chihiro as if they were trying to have her do it. Kamaji then banged his wooden mallet to get the Sootball's attention.

Kamaji: HEY you runts, you want to turn back into soot!?

He then turns to Chihiro

Kamaji: And you back off. You can't just take someone else's job?

The scene switches to Chihiro's scared face as Kamaji points his wooden mallet in her face.

Kamaji (Off-Screen): If they don't work, the spell wears off, and they'll turn back into soot.

Switches back to Kamaji continuing his lecture and swings his wooden mallet off to the side. Indicating for Chihiro to leave.

Kamaji: There's no work for you here. Got It!? Try somewhere else!

Becky "But how is she going to save her parents?"

The sootballs got back up with coals in their 'hands' jumping up and down throwing an angry fit, as they gathered around Chihiro and dropped the coal at her feet. Pilling it up to her knees.

Kamaji: You Sootballs got a problem? NOW GET BACK TO WORK!

Then a woman enters from a sliding door holding a tray and a basket of food.

Women: Chow time. What's going on, are you fighting again?

Women: Where's your other ball? From yesterday, I always told you to leave it out, Kamaji.

Kamaji proceeded to take the newly filled bowl of soup and place his dirty dish.

Kamaji: MEAL TIME, TAKE A BREAK!

As Kamaji announced the break, all the sootballs jumped out of the coal pile and headed toward the woman, who started tossing the soot ball brightly colored candies.

Anya "What are those?"

Bond "Baroo?"

Christine "They're called Konpeito. They're a traditional Japanese candy snack."

Loid "Japanese?"

Christine "Your world is similar to others and one of the countries is called Japan. It's an island country far out to the east."

Mr. Blackbell "Interesting."

As the woman fed the sootballs she noticed Chihiro, and then she got on to her feet and pointed at her.

Woman: A human! You're in trouble. You're the one everyone is looking for.

Kamaji: She's my granddaughter.

Woman: Granddaughter?

"Huh?"

Kid 1 "Did Chihiro just became his Granddaughter?"

Kid 2 "I think she did."

Damian "Or Kamaji is helping her."

Kamaji: She told me she wants to work here. But I got all the help I need. Would you take her to see Yubaba? She's a tough little girl. I think she can handle it.

Woman: No way. I'm not gonna risk my life.

Kamaji then extends his hand and offers her what looks like…

Kamaji: What if I give this roasted newt?

Kamaji twirls the newt to tempt the woman, who makes a sour expression. Implying, she is tempted and yet angry at herself for being this desperate for the roasted reptile.

This causes Kamaji to chuckle.

Kamaji: It's a good one.

Ewen and Emile "Roasted Newt?!"

Becky and all the other girls "Ew! Gross!"

The children weren't the only ones who were taken a back at the offer. The adults and headmaster were disgusted at the imaginable thought of eating a newt. Roasted no less.

But Loid was no ordinary human, he is a spy with a quick blink-and-you-will-miss-it fast shock recovery.

Loid "She's not human, she's a spirit, and so far we have seen some animal like spirits. And they can take on a human disguised, then she might be some type of spirit animal in human form."

Kamaji then talked to Chihiro.

Kamaji: If you want a job. You need to talk to Yobaba. She's the head honcho here.

The woman then snatched the newt from Kamaji's hand.

Woman: Give me that.

The woman said as she proceeded to spill the Konpeito to the sootballs.

Woman: C'mon little girl, you better follow me.

Chihiro then got up from the coal left over by the sootballs, nearly slipping and tripping, to get to the woman and ran to her.

Woman: Can't you manage a "Yes ma'am" or a "Thank You"?

Chihiro: Yes ma'am!

Woman: What a dope. Hurry up.

Chihiro then tried to walk up to the Wooden floor but was stopped by the woman

Woman (Off-Screen): Agh! You don't need your shoes or your socks. Just live 'em.

Chihiro: Yes ma'am.

Chihiro then placed her shoes and socks next to the sootballs who in turn moved out of the way and gathered around them in curiosity.

Yor 'Haku said Yubaba is bad and to ask Kamaji for a job, but if she asks for a job from Yubaba. Wouldn't that be getting herself killed?'

Loid 'Chihiro has gotten this far, but can she really stand up to this witch and get a job from her?'

Anya 'Chihiro got this! Just like Anya got this!

As Chihiro crouched down to fit in the small sliding door, she was stopped once again by the woman.

Woman: Thank the boiler man, you idiot. You know he's really sticking his neck out for you.

Chihiro turns around but bumps her head in the process, she then bows (Zarei) politely to Kamaji.

Chihiro: OW. Thank you, Mr. Boiler man.

Kamaji gave her a thumbs up and said.

Kamaji: Good luck.

Chihiro then crawled away and slid the door closed.

Damian "She's going to need all the lock she can get."

Becky "I'm sure she'll be fine."

Loid "Don't be too sure. They have to get to her office without being spotted."

Yor "And by the amount of costumers that were at the gates and boats. It won't be easy."

Ewen "Wow, you two are smart."

Emile "How did you know?"

Loid was hesitant before he spoke.

Loid "I don't usually like to bring up my past so much, but I was a soldier during the war and I would sometimes go out on missions. It left some scars both physical, emotional, and mental. I eventually healed from them and during that time is when I decided to become a psychiatrist, to help others and to heal from their past traumas."

Everyone was astonished of Loid's speech, not only he was a formal soldier from the war but use his experience and trauma to help heal others.

Mr. Henderson "Truly elegant."

I am so sorry for the delay in the story.

I've been trying to find a full-time job and trying to get ready for a moving day. A few things are already packed, but I just want to be prepared and not wait for the last minute to panic and run wild like headless chickens.

I don't know when I'll have the next chapter up, but when it does happen, it will happen.