SA 2: Always with me chap 3

Chapter 3:

Sakura stood in her room on the top floor. Unlike her master’s room, which resembled being underwater, hers resembled a small forest.

Trees grew along the walls and no carpet or tiles but grass stood under her feet. There was no bed. She slept on the ground in the grass. She used a tree stump as her desk, and her clothes hung on branches in the corner behind the door along with the only thing that seemed material, her dresser.

Opposite where she was standing was a large window. Now it was open and a breeze was pleasantly whipping its way inside.
Hopefully the two of them will tell me more. Most likely they will. Lin obviously, but Kamaji being the old codger he is may stop her so I should go to Lin first.

Sakura closed her eyes and concentrated as she scattered into a mass of Sakura petals. She was still quite edgy with using magic but her innate natural abilities were as good as the day she had first been planted. (A/N: remember she is a sakura tree spirit so she is literally born when her seed is planted into the earth. And that is not meant to sound dirty in any way!)

In her other form she flew out the window and down to the workers quarters.




Lin was having a peaceful snooze in her room. Yeah that’s right her room. Now she was the foreman or forewoman in correct terms. The stupid two frogs recently in charge couldn’t do anything right.

Have to hand it to them though! Lin snuggled into her futon happily.
If the two of them hadn’t been such screw ups I wouldn’t have been able to finally prove myself. I have to admit though I miss the cleaning and hanging with the girls. Meh but they never had anything good to say anyway unlike Sen. Now she was a kid you could converse with. *sigh* I wonder how she’s at the moment?

Lin heard a tapping at her window.

Oh great what now!

It tapped again.

“Go away stupid dragon!” she groaned from her futon.
It kept tapping. Lin buried her face into her pillow. Couldn’t she get some sleep around here?
The tapping suddenly became banging until Lin couldn’t take it any longer. Finally she shouted
“DON’T YOU GET THE MEANING OF GO AWAY BAKA-RYU? NOW LET ME SLEEP!”
“Lin! It’s me” a little girls young voice called from outside.
“Sakura?” Lin shot up and looked at her window. Sakura sat on the outer side of the windowsill

“What are you doing here?” Lin opened the window. Sakura jumped in and lightly landed on the floor. She looked at Lin impatiently and excitedly. Lin eyed her peculiarly.

“Haku didn’t send you, did he?” Lin asked.
“Actually he did!” Sakura beamed excitedly. Lin’s face dropped like a stone.

Great more work! And in the day too. Haku you are going to pay so dearly! Well I’m up now; better see what he wants done.

“So what does that Baka want now?” Lin sighed folding her arms in a pissed off manner. Sakura went stone cold at Lin’s rudeness towards her master but shrugged it off. After all she had woken Lin up in the middle of the day. When most of the spirits got to sleep. Not like they needed it anyway, it was just a luxury.

“Haku wants you to come to his office to see something. He also wants Kamaji to come.” Sakura reported still seeming excited.
“Did he tell you why we should be coming?” Lin asked suspiciously.
“No” Sakura admitted. Lin groaned and started to walk back to her futon. “But Lin” Sakura said hesitantly trying to stop the Yuna before she tucked herself into bed again “there is a scrying spirit in there talking to master and showing him something”
Lin cocked an eyebrow.
“I knew someone was leeching around here” she smirked “that pervert! So he’s the one spying on the girls as they’re getting dressed!”
“LIN!”
“Alright! Don’t get hot under the collar Sakura! So what’s he looking at?”
“I don’t know!” Sakura huffed getting impatient “But they both mentioned something about a girl named…Chihiro… I think she was the human that was here five years ago when Yubaba was still in charge or something,”
Lin froze.

“How did your master react?” Lin asked stiffly.
“Master seemed pretty excited about the topic actually”
“Yeah he would be” Lin sighed rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

Of course he would be excited! He found Sen! And now he wants to send me and Kamaji up to see her too? You have got to be kidding me! But what do I tell this one? Should I tell her? …yeah maybe I should! After all every one in the bathhouse knows about Sen so why shouldn’t she?

“So…” Sakura egged Lin on impatiently “who was she?”
“Let me get dressed and I’ll tell you as we go get that Jiji!” Lin said in a relaxed manner. Sakura pouted and clicked her fingers.
“Or we could go down now!” Lin said stepping out of the door now fully dressed thanks to Sakura’s magic.

The two of them walked down the corridors silently until they reached the elevator doors.
“Lin” Sakura groaned.
“What now kid?” Lin was starting to get annoyed with the constant questions.
“You said you would tell me about Master and the human, I mean Chihiro”

Lin sighed as the elevator doors opened and they both stepped inside. Sakura could be so demanding at times despite the smiling face.

“Well…I guess it’s a long story, you see I only really saw half of the story myself and Haku and Kamaji had to fill me in so I’m not quite sure…” Lin scratched her head “but the story goes something like this. When your master still had his river the then tiny Chihiro fell into his river and he saved her.”
“He saved her, that sounds so romantic!” Sakura squealed.
“Listen kid if you want to squeal or even cry leave it till I’m finished!”
“Gomen nasai, please continue!”
“Thank you. Well you see I think five years after that Chihiro then aged…”  Lin stopped and counted on her fingers “eight…no nine…ah yes ten… came here. Apparently from what she told me, her family got lost whilst taking a detour to their new home in the Human World and ended up here. Her parents turned into pigs after eating the food that was being prepared for the guests, by Yubaba of course.” Lin made a disgusted face at the mention of her old boss “It sort of left her stranded here. So Haku helped her into the bathhouse and she got a job here as my assistant, under the name of Sen. The next day Haku took her out to visit her parents in their pig pen. Personally I think it was a ploy to get some alone time with her. You know with men and how they are?” Lin winked "Anyways there was the infamous No Face incident. I think you know about that. Well Sen sort of started it. Not that I blame her. You see she thought the guy was a customer and out of her stupid good nature let him in.”
“Stupid good nature?”
“Yeah, not all humans are bad Sakura. I used to think so until I met Sen. Yeah she was a klutz and a bit of a ditz at times but underneath all that she was very smart and a nice person. Hard working too. But where was I? Oh yes the No Face incident. Well during the time of the incident Haku had come back from one of his missions and she saved him. I don’t really know how it happened but when Chihiro brought Haku down, he was in quite a state. Almost dead actually” Sakura gaped open mouthed. “Thankfully he wasn’t too bad to be healed by Kamaji. But the jiji said that it wasn’t the medicine that had saved Haku but Chihiro’s love or something.” Lin rolled her eyes. Sakura knew that Lin wasn’t much into lovey-dovey stuff but she continued anyway “He gave Chihiro sum train tickets and told her to go to swamp bottom to go to Zeniba’s.”
“Zeniba?! Why would they go to Zeniba?”
“Because your master had stolen her gold seal under Yubaba’s orders that’s why. The old witch has always had it in for her sister. Not that I know why though… ‘cause I personally prefer Zeniba. But now summing it up. When Haku woke up he immediately went to get Chihiro from Zeniba’s and when they came back Haku had remembered his name and Chihiro passed the old bats test and was sent home.”
“How did master remember his name?” Sakura cocked an eyebrow.
“You know what…I don’t really know…” Lin scratched her head again. “I don’t recall your master saying anything but…” she smiled cheekily and put her hand up to her mouth in a shushing action “they were holding hands when they came back” she giggled.

An awkward silence passed. You could swear that a tumble weed could have crossed their paths it was that silent. But Sakura was happy.

After all she had finally figured out her masters long kept secret.


Kamaji was sleeping atop of his station where he basically lived his everyday monotonous life. His bushy moustache hairs moving in time with the continuous sound of his loud snores.

Lin and Sakura pulled identical faces of disgust at the sound.

Nothing had changed much down there in the boiler room since the end of Chihiro’s adventure. So as Lin and Sakura stepped in there was no surprise that they were greeted by the usual storm of soootballs. They squeaked excitedly, jumping up and down spreading soot everywhere on the floor.
“No! No! I don’t have any Komppeto (sugar stars) on me! Now shoo!” Lin hissed at the soot balls. She and Sakura both kicked at the sootballs trying to make them part a way so they could reach Kamaji, consequently their feet got covered in a whole heap of soot.
“Oh great!” Sakura looked down at her now black feet.
“At least you’ve got a dark complexion!” Lin whispered as she spotted some sootballs emerging from the black soot on the floor. She was right though. Sakura had dark brown skin whereas Lin had a common peachy complexion. Sakura snorted.

“It’s not funny” Lin hissed trying to dust her feet off.
“What’s not funny?” Kamaji’s spider like form rose from its resting place. He yawned widely, taking a swig from a bronze tea kettle that was next to his pillow.
“Ahh” he sighed as he finished swallowing.
“Oh sorry Kamaji!” Sakura bowed apologetically to him.
“Daijoubu…Daijoubu. NOW GET BACK TO YOUR PEN YOU LITTLE RUNTS!!!” Kamaji yelled at the sootballs. They scampered away leaving a large trail of soot behind. He sighed at the mess on the floor.
“Now” Kamaji said as he took another swig from his large tea kettle “what are you two down here for?”
“Haku wants you and me to come upstairs to his office” Lin huffed still dusting her feet off.
“What’s stopping him from coming down here?” he asked hopping down from his post with his many arms. He stretched and crawled over.
“A scrying spirit! Who can’t be bothered dragging her all seeing ass down here” Lin crossed her arms and snorted.
“What does he want us to see?” Kamaji cocked an eyebrow. Haku never sent for both Lin and himself to go upstairs often and he usually had a good reason to.
“Your grand daughter” Lin said jokingly.
Kamaji smiled but Sakura was confused.
“Inside joke” He said simply opening the small door.
“Well no point in sitting here lets go”

So the three of them finally made their way upstairs.


Haku sat in his office watching Chihiro in Nardissia’s mirror. He had learnt a lot from just watching her.

For one thing she was a part of a broken family. It made his blood boil to think that her parents weren’t looking after her properly. The both of them just leaving her to her own devices without caring about her, they were her parents!

But the fact that she had a protective and caring little brother and that they looked out for each other cooled him down some. At least she wasn’t all alone in the world.

So far what Haku had seen within the past hour or so were Chihiro and Toma playing video games with each other. You would think it would be boring but it was actually quite funny.

“Aw shit!”  Toma cursed as a K.O. sign flashed on the T.V. screen.
“Hey no swearing Baka!” Chihiro slapped him on the back of the head.
“I will when you stop beating me all the time!” Toma rubbed his head where Chihiro had hit him. “And that hurt”
“Good! That will teach you to not swear, Sir Swear-a-lot!” Chihiro laughed. “Besides a young gentleman such as yourself shouldn’t be swearing! Where did you pick up such filth?”
“Take a wild guess” Toma smirked.
“OY! You little…pipsqueak!” Chihiro grabbed her little brother in a headlock and gave him a nookie.
“OWOWOWOWOW!”

They really are siblings. Scrapping and squabbling.  But you can tell their very close.
Haku couldn’t get over how much Chihiro had grown in the five years she had disappeared from his life. She hadn’t changed; in fact she had stayed the same as before just slightly more mature.

She was definitely looking grown up too. What was once an innocent scrawny girl had turned into a charming, disciplined young woman. A woman with delicate features yet very strong lion eyes that held a strong golden lustre.

That’s strange… How come I didn’t notice that before?
Haku cocked his head to the side.
In all his years of living in the human world Haku had never seen a human bearing eyes with such a lustre like that. It was a trait that only existed in…spirits…

Toma as well, blue ocean eyes as clear as sapphires. His blue black hair looked like a miniature mane. And very sharp, strong, noble features. Very dragonish features.

Though Haku hadn’t even so much as met or heard about Toma’s existence till today he still held a small piece of respect for him. Toma was very strong in his way of doing things and that attitude could get him either very far in life or ram him into dangerous situations.

Just like his sister. He smiled letting his emotions take over for once.

If you got rid of the human smell and dressed them appropriately they could easily pass of as spirits in human form. Toma could pass of as a dragon but Chihiro…I don’t know…probably as a nymph. But she’s…

Nardissia smiled. Though not at the image she was showing but at Haku. He was so hopelessly in love with that girl that it could so blatantly be seen.

Well he better expect a lot of competition if he wants to win her heart. Other male spirits would kill and start wars for this girl. Especially that guy…Ichirou…oh boy…one can only imagine what trouble this young dragon’s adult brother would stir. Maybe I should warn him…and miss out on some good fun? No way!

BANG!

Haku’s office shook with such force that Haku himself got jerked out of his chair.
“Good morning to you too Lin” he muttered trying to stand as the angry Yuna stormed her way over to him.

Sakura and Kamaji emerged from the doorway. Sakura looked in absolute shock at Lin who looked like she could kill anything that came in her path.

All Haku could see was a large knuckle sandwich that was heading straight for his face. However he had noticed it too late and Lin punched him hard, her fist smashing his nose, making it bleed and sending him on the floor again.
“Lin!” Sakura cried out trying to fly over to her master’s side as he groggily tried to stand up.
“No point now kid.” Kamaji stopped Sakura, easily holding her back with one of his many arms. “Let her use up her anger”
“but…”
“It’s ok, she won’t kill him! Or at least I hope not…” he added inaudibly.

“Don’t you ever- wake- me –up- like- that- again!!! You hear me!” Lin kicked at Haku keeping him from standing. Any other person looking at the scene would find it quite funny actually. Well Nardissia was laughing anyway.

Haku was this powerful dragon, which knew magic, owned and managed a large bathhouse and yet here he was lying on the floor unable to stand and getting his ass kicked by a Yuna. But he didn’t complain he had expected this to happen anyway. The best thing to do was to let Lin use up all her anger so that he could avoid any later mishaps.

Finally after a good couple of minutes Lin stopped and surveyed the pitiful dragon that was lying at her feet. He looked back up at her his emerald eyes glowing.
“You finished?” he asked, dragging himself up to a sitting position nursing the spots she had kicked.
Lin looked up at the ceiling for a moment. “Yeah I’m done!” she sat next to Haku in a friendly manner. Much of a contrast as to how she was just treating him only minutes ago
“So how’s Sen”
“See for yourself” Nardissia snorted. Kamaji and Sakura joined them on the floor.

“Wow, she’s very pretty!” Sakura said before she could stop herself.
“Indeed.” Kamaji stroked his moustache thoughtfully taking a good hard look at his granddaughter.
“Hey! You scored big Ryu!” Lin smacked Haku on the back grinning.
The dragon stiffened at the word scored.

“So Onee-chan,” Toma’s voice brought everyone’s attention back to the image.
“Where did you get that hair tie? You always have worn it since you came here.”

Haku stiffened in his chair. What would she say? She couldn’t tell her little brother about the spirit world could she? No that was against the law and besides no other human would believe it anyway.

Chihiro’s face seemed to mimic Haku’s inner uncertainty. She paused seeming to think before she said anything.

“It’s actually a long story… you see I got it on our detour…and well I never told you about what happened did I?” She scratched the back of her head laughing nervously.

“No you didn’t” Toma peered at her curiously, eyeing her odd behaviour.
“Well you see when Dad got us lost in the forest next door, due to his stupid nature” Chihiro rolled her eyes. “We managed to find this tunnel you see, and well on the other side there was this town…and…”

“Oh here it goes!” Lin clenched her fists with anticipation. Everyone turned dead silent.

“Well Mum and Dad got in trouble with the management and…well let’s say…”
“They didn’t get chucked in jail did they?” Toma rolled his eyes.
“…yeah actually they kind of did for a bit!” Chihiro looked at Toma’s face, his eyes widened in shock.
“And what about you did you go to jail?”
“Me?” Chihiro burst out laughing “yeah your older sister Chihiro a juvenile jail bird! As if! No I got a job!”
“A job! You were ten!”
“So are you at the moment, so listen up kiddo!” Chihiro reached over to a sketch book on the coffee table in front. She opened it and showed a page to her brother.

“Hey All-Eyes!” Lin called to Nardissia at the top.
“My name’s Nardissia!” Nardissia glared at the top “what do you want Lin?”
“Whatever, can you show us what’s in the book or what?”
“…alright”

The image on the screen changed to being behind the two siblings looking down at the sketch book. There on the page was a fully coloured watercolour painting of the bathhouse. Every detail correct, not a thing out of place.

“That’s where I worked!” Chihiro pointed to the building smiling softly.
“A bath house?” Her brother looked at her as though she was nuts “you worked at a weirdo bathhouse”
“Hey! Don’t diss that place! It was cool working there!  Apart from the fact I was scrubbing it all up, for no pay! I had a lot of good times and made a lot of good friends there”
“Oh yeah who are these friends?”
“Well…there the other staff, Kamaji-the boiler man…hmm let’s see…ah yes Lin! I was her assistant when I worked there. She was like a bossy big sister,”

At this comment Lin started sobbing. Haku took out a handkerchief and handed it too her.
“Thank you” she snivelled as she blew noisily into it.

“Any one else to add?” Toma looked up cheekily pointing at a figure that was drawn on the opposite page.

Haku and Chihiro, although in two different worlds blushed a deep pink…at the same time.