Spirited Away Fan Fiction ❯ A Different Beginning ❯ Meeting Yubaba ( Chapter 4 )

A waiting game was what this had turned into, and patience was not her virtue. The soot balls carried coal to the furnace, threw it into the gaping mouth and hurried back under the wall of drawers to start the process all over again. How monotonous, was all she could bring herself to think as the rested her chin on her hands, watching them work. Her head was starting to pound, though, and she found herself growing more and more agitated as the minutes ticked by, one soot ball after another.

When she followed the movements of one of them racking back, she noticed another as is struggled out with a lump of coal, moving slowly under the enormous weight above it. Then the little soot ball stopped all together and the lump of coal fell the two or so inches to the dirt floor. Its limbs writhed from below the coal, waving out and struggling, squealing in its high-pitched voice. She looked to the others as they carried their burdens or raced back to fetch more, but they ignored the one that had fallen out. Then it stopped moving completely and she couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for it, after all, it was just a ball of soot, it didn’t ask to have to work the way it did.

Poor little guy, she thought, standing up from her position on the ledge.

The other workers kept passing the lone piece of coal, so she picked it up, surprised at the weight of the mineral and they all stopped and looked at her. Holy crap, heavy, she thought to herself, but looked to see if the squashed soot ball was all right. It popped up out of the stain it had left on the ground, eyes wobbling and crossed as it re-gained its bearing. Then it floated up around her calves and made a mad dash to the space below the drawers.

Hey, she thought, taken aback at the critter’s sudden disappearance, little turn-skirt.

Chihiro noticed the other workers again, watching her to see what she would do. So she held up the coal, now struggling a little with the weight, “Um… What should I do with this?” she asked, holding it up slightly for them to see whilst she looked to them for any indication of an answer.

Then, as if broken from a trance, they continued on with what they were doing, either carrying the coal to the furnace or rushing back for more of the same. Her eyebrows lowered in confusion, she was tempted to just drop the damn heavy thing and sit back down, continue to duke it out with Kamaji in the waiting game.

“Do I just leave it?” she half wondered to herself, still standing up with the coal in her hands and watching for a reaction from the workers.

Kamaji turned, looking at her from his perch but continuing to work away. “Finish what you start!” he demanded in a gruff voice, almost daring her to put the lump damn and ignore it.

She started a little, surprised that he would act like he was mad at her when all she had done was try to help, but she squared her shoulders and looked at the weight in her hands. Well damn me for trying to help, why don’t you? Asshole. And as she slowly made her way to the furnace, the soot balls stopped again, watching her as she struggled with the lump. They moved out of her way as she came up behind them, followed as she passed them, and when she stopped by Kamaji’s box and the huge jars of herbs to adjust her grip, they all started to move with her, as if they had finally figured out that she wasn’t going to quit or try to push it off on them.

Then she finally came up to the furnace, the soot balls in front of her throwing their load into its gaping maws just in time for the lid to slam shut again. The heat poured out, pushing her hair back and sending sparks drifting closer and closer to her face as she stood on the ledge. She scooted further up the ledge, watching in awe as the noticed the bubbling liquid all around the huge metal structure. She took a deep breath, almost suffocating on the thick air, tossed the coal in the furnace and ran back behind the stone wall that extended out from Kamaji’s work area, shielding it from the heat flowing out of the furnace’s mouth.

“Hot!” she yelped, shaking her hands to cool them from the residing heat.

There came a small thud from beside her and the sounds of a squealing soot ball and she looked over to find just that. The little creature was wriggling and squirming under the weight and a confused look crossed the girl’s face as both she and Kamaji watched it.

Oh, you have got to be kidding me.

She could almost see the little light bulbs power on as the other soot balls caught on to what the first was doing. Then they all started dropping their coal and squashing themselves with it, waving out with their arms and legs. The other workers all moved around her, dropping their coal, too.

Kamaji slammed his gavel down repeatedly on the wooden box, waving a fist around in the air, “Hey, you little runts! Wanna turn back into soot?!” Then turned on her, fist still raised in the air, “And you, watch it. You can’t take someone else’s job.” He waved the gavel at her, “If they don’t work the spell wears off. Got no work for you hear,” and the old man glanced back into his shop, at the soot balls. “Look elsewhere.”

Then the workers all stood up with their respective pieces of coal, making angry noises with their high-pitched voiced, and lifting their load up and down, as if they were shaking them at her. They advanced on her, dropping the lumps around her feet until she had a steadily growing pile around her legs. She wasn’t sure what to do, she couldn’t very well swat them away, and then she’d have to carry all the coal because she’d have killed all of the old man’s help.

“Hey,” Chihiro exclaimed, trying to get their attention, “Oh, come on now. Is that really necessary?”

“You soot balls got a problem?” Kamaji grumbled, leaning over the edge of the box, “Get to work! To work!” he yelled, waving his arms up in the air.

The sound of wood sliding over wood barely registered to her as she stood, back flat against the wall; the soot balls still piling their coal high around her knees now. “Chow time!” came a feminine voice from behind where Kamaji worked and she looked up, not knowing whether to ask for help or try and hide. “What? You guys at it again?” and then the slamming of what she could only guess was a hidden door, because she hadn’t seen one when she was over there before.

There were footfalls that came closer and Kamaji turned to the other side, reaching for something. “Cut it out. Where’s your bowl?” the voice asked as the old man took hold of something with one hand and set an empty light green bowl on the tray with another. “I keep telling you to leave it out.”

“Meal time!” he yelled out, pulling on the tabs a few times before they flew back where they came from. “Take a break!”

The soot balls all jumped out from the coal pile, bouncing over to the ledge that she had previously been sitting on. A girl maybe a little older than her walked up to them as they gathered around, bouncing up and down as she threw what Chihiro could only guess were sprinkles to them from a wooden pail. She had long, strait brown hair, maybe a little longer than hers, and wore pink hakama and yukata and a blue apron, bound back to keep out of her way as she moved.

The soot balls grabbed up as many of the sprinkles as they could, squealing with glee as they continued bouncing around. Chihiro laughed a little at that, not being able to help herself because, come on, that was funny. Then the other girl glanced over and saw her, and her face dropped into an expression of total shock and she stopped moving completely. And suddenly she was on her feet, pointing an accusing finger at Chihiro.

“A human! You’re in trouble! They’re having a fit about it upstairs!”

It? She wanted to retort, Who’re you calling an ’it’, sister?

“That’s my granddaughter,” Kamaji told her, stuffing his face with a huge breaded shrimp.

Granddaughter? Chihiro almost got whiplash she turned her head so fast to look at him, hardly sure whether he were seriously going to try and pull it off or not.

“Granddaughter?” the other girl asked her stance not quite as accusatory anymore as she grew unsure of herself.

“She says she wants to work,” another bite, “but I’ve got all the help I need.” Another bite and then he looked back at the girl, “Would you take her to Yubaba? The girl can handle her, I’m sure.”

The other girl threw more sprinkles out to the soot balls, “Not a chance! And risk my life!?”

Kamaji extended what looked to Chihiro to be a burnt lizard on a stick; she could see the girl’s resolve waver. “Take this, then. A roasted newt.” He twisted it around in front of her, “Real quality.” Then he turned back to Chihiro, “If you want to work, you’ll have to make a deal with Yubaba. Might as well try your luck.”

The girl in pink grabbed the lizard-on-a-stick from the hand extended out in front of her, “Fine! You there, follow me.” She dumped the rest of the sprinkles out onto the ground and the soot balls had a field day, grabbing up as many as they could.

Chihiro jolted back, “Say what?” lifting her feet from the coal pile and sauntering over to the other girl. Just who does she think I am? ‘You there’, she thought, without the guts to say it out loud, lest she resend her offer. What the crap, man, what the crap.

The girl was too busy collecting the bowl and tray to notice, though, and when she looked at Chihiro again she put a hand on her hip, “Can’t you even manage a ‘Yes, ma’am’ or ‘Thank you’?”

Chihiro closed her eyes and took a breath, This broad. Then she just said it, for the sake of not being a pain in the ass just as she had promised she would. “Yes, ma’am.” Oh was this gonna take some getting used to.

“You sure are slow. Hurry,” she said, walking back towards the little wooden door, pail in hand.

“Yes, ma’am,” Chihiro retorted, bound and determined to get on this girl’s nerves as politely as she could. She slipped off her shoes and socks before hurrying to catch up with the girl.

“What do you need your shoes for?! Or socks!”

She narrowed her eyes, her left twitching slightly. “Yes, ma’am.” The soot balls all gathered around as she leaned over, perhaps to see if there were any more sprinkles, and moved as she set her shoes down. They gathered around them tightly, looking at them. Then she walked over to the door, ducking under the drawers to get to it before the girl looked back out and stopped her.

“Did you even thank Kamaji? He’s looking out for you.”

Oh, right. So she quickly turned back around, smacking her head soundly on the bottom of the drawers and falling to her knees as she put her hands to where she just knew was going to be a bump in the morning. “Thank you very much, sir,” she said, bowing respectfully.

Kamaji gave her a thumbs-up with one hand, another still holding onto his food. “Good luck,” and he went back to eating.

She got up quickly and followed the girl into what looked to be a wash room. They made their way to a storage area with more of the hugs jugs covered with cloth and surrounded by boxes just as big, if not bigger.

“Yubaba lives way up at the top,” the girl told her, quickening her pace, “in the back.”

They moved through a room full of gears and pulleys, which moved the elevators far above them. Chihiro looked up at the weights as they counter-balanced the lifts themselves, moving up and down on thick ropes.

“Get over here,” the girl called to her, clearly growing agitated at Chihiro’s dawdling.

Go kick rocks, she thought, rushing to the elevator that the girl was standing in. She pulled a lever and up they went, passing frogs as they carried trays of food down the hallways of the lower levels and slugs with sake waiting for the frogs to catch up. They hollered yelled, “Get this”, “I need that”, “Guest such-and-such is waiting for another”.

They went further and further until the lift stopped and they came out across from a hallway that looked to be nothing more than sliding doors with circles of flowers painted on them. The other girl stuck her head out, making sure the way was clear and then Chihiro followed as she waved her forward. They turned more corners than she could remember until they came up behind a bunch of frogs making dinners, putting different things into different bowls and moving them on down the line.

At least they’re wearing masks and using chop sticks, she thought, otherwise I might just lose my lunch. Who the hell decided on frogs, anyway? That’s really kind of gross.

Around another corner they went, into an elevator that a slug carrying trays had just come out of, and up they went again. “We’re almost there,” the girl told Chihiro, who was hiding behind her, trying not to be seen by anyone.

“Right,” she said, the there was light from behind her and when she looked she saw a lot of steam and blotchy figures through the slats of wood as they passed.

“Here we are,” and as soon as they stopped there was a very white, very fat thing waiting for them, wearing what looked to be a red serving bowl on its head.

Too much to drink? Chihiro thought with a snort, I think so.

The girl stood up very strait then and smiled, “Wel … Welcome.”

The thing let out a noise which Chihiro could only guess was a grumble and pointed upwards with a weird, thin, carrot-like finger. Radish! And she mentally patted herself on the back for being ever so clever. Thousand yen says he’s the radish spirit.

“This elevator is not in service, sir. Please use another.” Then she squeezed by him and marched off, Chihiro not far behind, though still glancing back at the Radish Spirit as it followed them. Down the balcony and over a walkway they went, and below were the baths and all sorts of creatures, spirits, that had come to relax. They didn’t slow even for a second, and Chihiro was tempted to stare at the baths full of the rubber duckies she’d seen crossing the bridge when she and Hake had made their way to the front door earlier.

“He’s following us,” she told the girl, not sure if it was a bad thing or not.

“Quit gawking.”

She saw another elevator not far ahead and hid behind the girl when she stopped to press the service button, the radish walking right up to the doors to wait. The elevator dinged its arrival and the doors slid open.

“Here we are,” came a nasal voice from inside and a bunch of the Wild Things strode out. “Your room is on the right,” a frog informed them as it followed. It sniffed and turned around, “Lin?”

“Yes,” the girl, now with a name, asked, pushing Chihiro into the open elevator before standing indignantly before the frog with a hand on her hip.

“What’s that smell?” the frog asked, a hint of disbelief in its voice as it sniffed at her. “It’s human. You reek of human.”

“Is that so?” Lin retorted as the Radish tried to squeeze into the elevator with Chihiro.

“I smell it, I do. Smells mighty tasty, too.” A shudder ran down her spine at that, Oh, Kami, I’m going to be eaten. “You’re hiding something,” it said, sniffing Lin again. “Tell me the truth, now.”

“This smell?” and Chihiro could only guess that Lin had pulled out the lizard-on-a-stick.

The frog’s eyes got really big and sweat pushed out of its pores, “Roasted … Gimme!” and he grabbed at it.

Lin dangled it up over its head, “Not a chance. It’s for the other girls.”

“I’m begging you. I’ll settle for a leg!” and it jumped up at the treat as Lin teased it, moving the fried lizard around in circles above its head.

Chihiro smiled sardonically, Way to go, Lin. Maybe you’re not so bad, after all.

“Anyone going up, pull down on the lever.”

So she pushed herself through the space between the Radish and the wall of the elevator, grasping for the lever until she got it. Then the doors slid shut and saved her from the frog’s strangely perceptive nose. She felt the elevator pulling the two of them towards the upper floors and tried not to appear as uncomfortable as she felt squished between the elevator and the Radish. The elevator stopped for a moment and he looked around the hallway of sliding paper doors, shadows playing over the surface, sandals lined up neatly in the hallway. He pulled the lever again and resumed their trip ever upwards.

Chihiro dared a glance up at him to find him looking down at her, appearing almost completely ridiculous with the bowl on his head. She quickly looked back down, Freakyyyy.

Then the doors slid open again and this time the Radish stepped out and Chihiro followed, squeezing between him and the threshold of the elevator. On her right were two sets of doors in a dimly lit hallway, above them was what looked like a bird crest and all along the sides of the walls were enormous floral vases.

“This must be it,” she thought aloud, blinking a few times to make sure it wasn’t her eyesight going bad.

The Radish stepped back into the elevator and bowed lightly to her, she returned the gesture and the doors shut again, leaving her alone in the incredibly intimidating hallway. With a sigh, she walked up to the doors, still not quite sure why she was being subjected to this kind of torture, she hadn’t been that bad of a kid … right? And as the door got bigger she noticed that the bird crest was actually an insignia with the outline of the strange bird-woman (the one with the hugely insane hairdo) and a character in the middle. Closing her eyes and shaking her head to get the image out of her mind, she walked up the short flight of steps and looked at the red doors.

What a gaudy knocker, she realized and reached for the door handle.

“Not going to knock?!” the knocker nearly yelled at her as she pushed away from the entrance, throwing her hands up in front of her face. Its eyes rolled up into its skull, “What a puny girl.”

Then the doors opened up all by themselves, all four sets of them, and the chandeliers brightened along the way. “Come closer,” she heard a weird old granny voice say and she felt herself starting to go into shock with all the weirdness that was still inflicting itself upon her poor mental state.

Oh damn, she looked around in confusion, well that just scared the crap out of me.

“I said closer,” she felt something pull her by the front of her shirt and she was being drug through the hallways by an invisible force, the doors slamming shut behind her. There was a sharp right, then a small blue door ahead of her opened of its own accord and the force pulling her disappeared, leaving her to fall forward. She ducked into a roll and came out of it, happily, landing on her own two feet on a strangely simple rug for the rest of the décor in the apartment.

There was a fireplace and two full wingback chairs next to it, and if she hadn’t known better, she would have thought the place to be really very nice. But Yubaba lived here and if that was any indication of how she should think of the room, then she had a feeling that nothing here was what it seemed. She looked over, hearing thuds and different deep voices making a weird “Oi” sound. There were three green heads, full facial hair and huge eyes, bouncing and rolling towards her and all she could do was stand there, a look of disbelief on her face.

“You’re making a racket,” came the granny voice from a huge but small old woman with that enormous bun on top of her head. “Keep it down.”

The three heads bounced around her in a circle before rolling back to Yubaba, who was writing at an ornate desk. The two behind her rolled right into the back of her knees, making her lose her balance and almost trip. They kept right on going, though, right to where the old woman sat, completely ignoring her. So Chihiro waited, deciding that maybe patience would be the best approach. But as she finished writing one paper, set it in a tray and moved on to another, she got the feeling that maybe she should start.

“Um …” she couldn’t remember what she was here for. So she thought for a second, trying to recall how she came to be in front of this intimidating person and suddenly grasped it. “Please let me work here.”

Yubaba looked up at her with enormous brown eyes and drew a strait horizontal line with a single finger ending in a long painted red nail. Chihiro felt like her mouth was being zipped shut and she gripped at it, trying to keep it from closing. The woman smiled lightly and looked back down at what she was doing.

“Stop babbling,” she told her, resuming her writing, “You’re just a useless weakling.” She set a bag of what Chihiro could only guess was coins into the chest sitting on her desk, then closed it, “Besides, this is no place for humans.” Gazing back at her she explained, “It’s a bath house, where eight million Kami come to rest their weary bones.”

Yubaba pulled out what was easily the largest cigarette that she’d ever seen and continued, “Your parents had some nerve! Gobbling our guests’ food like pigs! Just desserts, I’d say.” A flame sprouted from her finger and she lit the end of her cancer stick, “And you’ll never see your world again, either.” She inhaled deeply and blew out a plume of smoke.

All the while that the old woman had been talking, Chihiro was wriggling her mouth, trying to get it to open again, but it just wasn’t happening. And when she’d mentioned her parents, she thought, I knew that junk was bad juju, but no one listens to me! But the woman had her attention now, and she knew whatever was about to happen, it wouldn’t be good.

“You’d make a lovely piglet,” she said matter-of-factly, bobbing her head from side to side, not really looking at her, but when she did, she laughed. “Or maybe a lump of coal.”

She couldn’t help it, she was shaking. The woman laughed as she blew out another plume of smoke and Chihiro was mortified. Maybe this woman was crazy, she didn’t want her here, but she refused to let her leave. The old woman wanted her to suffer, it didn’t matter how, it didn’t matter how long, but she wanted her to be completely miserable.

“I see you’re trembling,” she commented, “Actually, I’m impressed you made it this far.” She glanced around as if she had just thought of something, “Someone must have helped you. I must thank your friend. Just who was it, my dear?” Her voice turned into something sickeningly sweet and Chihiro cringed at the sound of it. “You can tell me.”

She flicked her finger at Chihiro’s mouth and suddenly, it worked again. “Please let me work here,” she immediately spit out, refusing to betray Kamaji and Lin to this woman.

“Not that again!” Yubaba yelled, smacking her desk and her eyes going wide in uncontrollable anger.

“I want to work here!” she shot back, refusing to give in to this woman. She remembered what Haku had said, If you don’t work, she’ll turn you into an animal.

“Shut up!” she said in an agitated voice, the papers on her desk and the curtains ruffling in an invisible wind. Then everything flew off the desk as the woman was launched across the room right in front of Chihiro.

“Why should I hire you?” she demanded, shoving her enormous nose right into Chihiro’s ribs, getting her eyes right in the girl’s face. Then she started circling around her and poking at her with those long ugly fingernails. “Anyone can see that you’re an unruly, unmannered, sarcastic pain, and you have no respect for anyone.” She was behind her now, but she dared not move, determined in a small way to hold her ground, but the larger part of her was just too scared.

“I’ve got nothing for you.” Her nose was right against Chihiro’s arm now and she was glaring at her with her right eye, “Forget it. I’ve got all the bums I need around here.” She paused for a moment, moving to her left side and it was all the girl could do to not fall over, “Or maybe you’d like the worst, nastiest job I’ve got,” her immense fingers clawed up her arm and she felt like passing out right then, “until you breathe your very last breath?!”

And right as those fingers wrapped around her throat, the nails poking at her neck, a boom came from where Yubaba’s desk was. Both Chihiro and the woman gasped and looked over at the sound. There was another boom and another; the screen fell over, the curtain rod was half off the wall, and the picture fell right onto the floor. There were papers everywhere, books thrown astray and the chest was somewhere in that enormous mess. Everything in the far end of the room where they were came crashing to the floor, the clock, the candle holders, even the pieces on the mantle. Then there was a cry that sounded something like a baby, but a huge foot splintered the green wooden door beyond the curtains and she just couldn’t take it anymore. Chihiro pushed herself into Yubaba, her skull feeling like someone was dragging nails over it, not caring if the woman turned her into an animal or not. Whatever this was, it scared her, and she wanted away from it.

“Stop that! What’s wrong…” the woman asked, hiking up her skirts and running over to the foot in the door as fast as her short legs would take her. She gripped at the curtains and leaned inwards, “I’ll be right there. That’s a good baby, now.” Then she looked back at Chihiro, “What? You still here?! Get out!”

Almost immediately, her reply was, “I want to work here!” because between Yubaba running to the “baby” and asking her why she was still there, she remembered that she really didn’t want to be turned into an animal, no matter what she had thought before.

“Don’t shout, the large, small woman hurriedly whispered. The enormous baby foot that had earlier kicked through the door now kicked the woman in the face; and despite how funny it was, Chihiro couldn’t bring herself to laugh just yet. “I’ll be right there…” Yubaba said in that sickly sweet voice. Some wood from the door lodged in her hair as it flew by again, “That’s a good baby, there, there …”

Then she caught on, if she was loud and in danger of agitating Yubaba’s baby, maybe the woman would quit threatening her and trying to push her out. Maybe this was the way she could get the woman to give her a job. “Please let me work.”

And sure enough, “OK, OK, just pipe down.” Score! She thought as the woman looked back to the baby, “There, there, now,” and she hurried off to settle the kid down.

I can’t believe that just worked, she thought, blinking at the empty space the woman had left behind. A box with a stack of papers lying a strew on the floor started to shake slightly until a single paper and a pen fell out and floated over to her. The landed in her hands and she looked down at the paper.

“Your contract,” Yubaba told her, walking back to her desk, all the fallen items replacing themselves where they belonged. “Sign your name,” she pulled bits of wood from her hair and righted her bun, “I’ll put you to work. But one peep out of you about anything, and I’ll turn you right into a piglet.”

She looked down at the contract and back at Yubaba, “So I just sign here, right?” Somehow she couldn’t quite believe that all it had taken was being loud to get the woman to give her a job.

“That’s right. Quite dilly-dallying and do it.”

…right on, then. So she turned to the fireplace and signed her name under the last line.

“Unbelievable,” she heard the woman say, followed by the ringing of a small bell. “That ridiculous oath I took. To give work to whoever asks. Signed it?”

Well damn the luck, and here I thought I was being a pain in the ass. But she had finished signing, “Yeah, I’m done.”

The contract floated up and away into Yubaba’s hands, the woman inspecting it to see for herself. “You’re Chihiro, hunh?”

She blinked, “Yes …” If I had spidey-senses right now …

“What an extravagant name,” the woman said in that voice that she was beginning to detest. She held her hand over the paper and closed it over something, but Chihiro couldn’t see what it was. “From now on, you’ll be Sen,” she informed her, looking beck up at the girl, daring her to say anything otherwise. “You got that? You’re Sen.”

Bullshit. This woman’s on a power trip, but she didn’t want to be turned into an animal, so she kept her mouth shut.

“Answer me, Sen!”

“Yes, ma’am,” and she wanted to kick the old woman, but being a piglet or a frog … or a slug, really didn’t appeal to her.

“Did you call?” came a familiar voice.

She looked over and there was Haku! He just stood there, waiting on Yubaba, not even acknowledging her presence. She couldn’t tell what it was, but for some reason he was different in the face of this woman, not as proud as he had been with her.

“This girl’s starting work as of now. Look after her,” the old woman informed him in a dismissive tone.

“Yes,” was all he said in reply, then he glanced sideways at Chihiro. “Your name?”

She spared a look of confusion, unable to stop herself, “What?” It must just be a mind game. “Chi … oh,” and she couldn’t remember why she’d forgotten her own name. “It’s Sen.”

He turned towards the door they had both come in through, glancing back at her for a moment, “Follow me, then, Sen.”

She did just that, until they were alone in an elevator headed back down. “Haku … um…” she started, looking over at him as he stood stoically in front of the lever.

“No idle chatter,” he told her as he slid a look her way. “Call me Haku-sama.”

Son of a … but she left it alone, because, obviously, nothing was what it seemed here.

Before she knew it, they were headed down to the workers’ quarters, frogs and slugs staring at them both as they descended the stairs. They walked up to a frog sitting behind a wooden desk and Haku explained to him why she was here. But, apparently, he didn’t like her being at the Aburaya one bit.

“Even on Yubaba’s orders…” it started, shaking its head.

“We can’t allow humans,” the other beside him said.

“Her contract’s signed,” Haku informed them.

“What?!” they all seemed to ask at once.

Might as well be a pain in the ass while I can, and she bowed. “Thank you, everyone.”

“The slugs behind her all covered their noses, one even went as far as to complain. “Don’t send her to us. Can’t bear that human stink.”

Ohhhh, somebody get me some salt and a magnifying glass, this chick is ticking me off.

But Haku countered on her behalf. “Three days of eating our food and her smell will vanish. If she’s still useless then fry her, boil her, do with her as you will.” He looked around for more complaints, but Sen was awe struck.

Traitorous little turn skirt, she wanted to beat his head in for implying that she was useless, or even for giving them permission to eat her!

“Back to work! Where’s Lin?” he looked around for the girl who had helped her get to Yubaba.

Lin was leaning against a doorway, arms folded across her chest. “What, don’t dump her on me!”

“You wanted help.”

“That’s right,” the head frog said from the safety of his desk, “Lin’s just perfect.”

“Go, Sen,” Haku ordered, turning to her for a moment.

“Yessir,” and she walked solemnly over to the other girl.

“What a pain,” Lin exclaimed, hands on her hips as she turned to walk out, “You’re gonna pay for this.”

“Off you go,” the second frog told them, laughing a little at their shared misfortune.

Sen bowed as she made her way out and followed Lin down the hall and around the corner until the sliding doors turned to windows. She hardly noticed, though, too caught up in her own thoughts, so when Lin stopped and turned on her, she almost ran into her.

“You pulled it off, huh?!” she asked, suddenly excited. “You’re so attitudal, I was a little worried. Guess you’ll be all right here.”

Sen wasn’t really sure what to say to that, so she cocked her head to the side, trying not to look too confused at the sudden turn of events. What?

Lin popped her hands onto her hips again, “This job’s pretty easy, but if you need something just ask me, I’ll help you out.”

Sen smiled despite her remaining confusion and nodded, “Right on.” She had the feeling Lin was right, but getting her parents back and getting the hell out of this place … she wasn’t so sure about that.

They went a little further down the hallway until Lin turned and went into a room, pulling the string to a hanging light. “This is our room,” she told her, walking over to the closet. We’ll eat chow then go to bed, work’s not until sundown.” She dug around through the clothes, pulling out another blue apron and handing it to Sen along with a set of hakama that matched Lin’s own, “You wash your own apron! Trousers!” She sized her up and looked back into the closet, “You’re about my size … aha!” and she handed Sen a shirt, too.

“Hey, Lin, I know this may seem strange, but is there any chance that Haku has a twin?” Sen couldn’t help but ask.

“Two?! Of him? I sure hope not,” she laughed, pulling out bedding now. “He’s Yubaba’s henchman, watch out for him.”

Despite having suspected that, Sen’s shoulders fell in defeat, she had kind of been counting on him to help her out. Regardless, she helped Lin lay out the bedding on the floor and changed over into her work clothes, wearing her apron and not the shirt.

May as well try to get some sleep, it’s going to be a long day.