Heart Eater | Spirited Away

VII.

美しい魂
beautiful souls

LIFE IN THE BATHHOUSE so far had proven... interesting. Chihiro could confidentially say she had never been a place more strange.

She had drawn baths for spirits that looked like little shrubs. Spirits that breathed purple smoke and walked on three legs.

Spirits that spoke in gibberish and spirits that didn't speak at all. She'd helped catch a loose pet that halfway resembled a naked mole rat but bleated like a goat when squeezed, scrubbed enough laundry to make her skin crack, and been called stinky more times than her own name.

Chihiro hadn't seen Haku since that night under the stars. Lin told her he was often gone — away on tasks for Yubaba.

She thought it felt more like he was avoiding her.

She had yet to see Yubaba either, but for that she was glad. The stories she'd heard had hardly painted the witch of the bathhouse in a flattering light.

That and the fact that Chihiro had been unable to shake the sharp lick of terror that slicked her spine whenever her name was mentioned.

Perhaps the child in her had exaggerated the eeriness of Yubaba — maybe it wouldn't be so bad now that she was grown.

Maybe.

The end of her shifts brought daylight. The spirits were always quick to bed when the dawn came — shuttering windows and retreating indoors.

Not Chihiro. She didn't mind the night, loved it actually, but she did miss the sun. So, with her little sketchbook tucked beneath her arm, she would slip out into the garden and bask in its warmth.

It was in those scant moments that she found some semblance of solitude. Free from the rapid pace of the bathhouse... and the stares.

Lin and Kamji had assured her that the fascination would soon fade, but it'd already been a week and there'd been no change.

So, that was what brought her here now. To a little bench perched astride the ridge overlooking the water. It'd rained the night before, and the tracks were flooded. It was pretty enough to paint.

The exact way the light caught on the surface was proving tricky to capture. She hissed in irritation, scrapping the attempt and starting from scratch.

"I thought it looked quite nice," she heard a voice muse from behind.

Surprised, Chihiro twisted around, her hair catching in the wind. She had thought she was alone. No one was ever awake at this hour.

There, leaning against the corner of the building, was a woman. Her satiny blonde hair done in a wolf cut, and a pretty jewel dangled from one ear. Eyes the color of the sea appraised her, framed by long pale lashes.

She wore an intricate baby blue blouse that tucked haphazardly into white trousers. Her shoes were heeled but Chihiro thought she was tall enough as it was.

Mostly, she was struck by how stunning she was. With sharp features and high cheek bones, she might have even been even more beautiful than Haku. Maybe.

The way she held herself made Chihiro think she knew it too.

"Who are you?" Chihiro asked, standing quickly. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.