Nobody's POV
It had been 5 years since you came to the bathhouse. You had been serving Yubaba loyally for all those years. In the process, you met lots of spirits. Befriended most, but you had one enemy. It was more like a competition, though. Haku. He was a river spirit. He worked religiously for Yubaba. She would send him out on the most dangerous of missions. If you were handed a mission that was just the least bit of life threatening, Haku would take it from you. He stole every opportunity for you to make Yubaba proud of you. It was infuriating, to say the least. People called him 'Master Haku', nobody called you Master. It was just 'y/n'. You found it hard to deny your frustration. Venting to Lin helped, but sometimes it wasn't enough.
"Y/n! Where are you headed? I heard Yubaba is out right now. You should take a break," Aogaeru croaked. You had never been particularly fond of him. His greed always got the best of him. He would take bribes from customers and give them special treatment for gold.
"I was just wandering around. I suppose you could say that I'm waiting for something to happen." The frog scowled and jumped away. Looks like he wasn't fond of you either. Not that it mattered anyway. You had recently taken it upon yourself to spy on Haku. You wanted to catch him doing anything slightly unruly. If you could report that to Yubaba, surely she'd discard him. Resulting in your victory.
"Lots of guests tonight. I'll be so busy," some of the girls complained behind you. Your eyes trailed the long bridge and found Haku. He seemed... off. He was walking somewhat uncomfortably. He approached the bathhouse but was stopped briefly when Aogaeru jumped up to greet him,
"Master Haku! Where have you -" Suddenly, a girl was revealed. Her hair was tied into a high ponytail, and she wore unusual clothes. She reeked of human pheromones. It sunk in... Haku was with a human. It was the perfect report for Yubaba. Finally. At long last, Haku's continuous streak of mission completion was over. No more 'Master Haku'. You watched as he put the greedy frog into a bubble and sped through the crowd. He flew right past you, but you were smart enough to follow him. He led the girl to a hatchet, and the two of them crawled through it. He ran past the screen doors. People were already freaking out about the human. The stench was everywhere. Workers were calling out to Haku. You saw them hide behind a bush as he mumbled something to her. Regrettably, it was inaudible to you. So, you figured you'd walk closer. Casting a spell on yourself to make you invisible, you moved closer and closer.
"You did great. Listen. I'll tell you what to do," he started,
"I'll distract them. Meanwhile, you'll escape." The girl wore an anxious expression.
"No, don't go! Please stay with me!" Hearing her plead was as sickening as hearing the bathworkers scrub the dirty baths. You decided to reveal yourself. It was risky, and the thrill satisfied you.
"You're so done, Haku." You snickered. He turned to face you. The girl looked horrified. Haku gritted his teeth and stood up in front of the human.
"Y/n, you have to keep quiet about this." Unbelievable. Truly unbelievable. He wanted you to side with him. Right when you caught him. Had he always been so selfish? Perhaps. Most likely.
"Why would I? This is my chance to prove to Yubaba that I'm better than you. Not to mention that I'm not a traitor," you spat. For a moment, you swore he gave you a sympathetic smile. No matter— it was still your time to prove your loyalty. In turn for Haku's.
"Please, Y/n. She needs our help. This isn't about me or you. This girl... you're really willing to sentence her to a sentence such as death or reincarnation as a pig?" You chewed on his words for a bit. He was right. You'd be a horrible person, letting an innocent girl go like that. She was no more than a child.
"Fine. I'll keep quiet. However, only if you stop taking my missions." He scoffed at your request, but you quickly narrowed your eyes at him.
"Okay, fine. Deal. Please help her somewhere safe. Take her to Kamaji. Ask him to hire her." You sighed and turned to the girl. She looked back and forth between you and Haku.
"You have to follow my friend. If you want to survive and save your parents, that is." The word 'friend' being linked to Haku almost made you gag, but you didn't want to show it. The human already seemed in enough distress as is. She was shaky and likely traumatized.
"Human, you better not start anything. Follow me." She eyed you nervously, as Haku left to attend to his matters.
"Will this Kamaji person really hire me?" She queaked.
"I don't know. You're human... there's not much for you to do." You followed her to a steep pathway of wooden stairs. They looked old and creaked under your feet. She carefully climbed down them whilst you let yourself float. The perks of being an apprentice were simple magic such as that. In a flash, one of the steps cracked, and the girl tripped. Your arms swiftly locked around hers as you carried her in the air. She was screaming.
"Will you keep quiet? People are going to hear you!" You hissed. She covered her mouth as you descended. The door to Kamaji's workshop was worn down, and the paint was scaling. You gently turned the knob, opening the door. The sound of Kamaji turning the wheels could be heard now. The human viewed her surroundings, noticing the steam all around her. It was quite hot down there, but it wasn't unbearable or any of the sort. As you stepped in, you noticed all the dust bunnies carrying coal into the stoked fire. The girl backed away, but you pushed her forward.
"Excuse me, Kamaji. We have a situation." He turned to look at you. You saw your own reflection in his pure, black glasses.
"In what way does this involve me, L/n?" His throat was clearly dry.
"My friend here is looking for a job. She's new." You already knew he was going to refuse. The man was simply too stubborn. As he did, the human took it upon herself to provoke the soot balls. It became a mess, and you had to help her out of it. Adding to the chaos, Lin came in to serve dinner. She handed Kamaji his meal and proceeded to throw sprinkles to the small soot workers. Whilst doing so, she noticed you and the human.
"You- you're human! Y/n, that's a human! They're frantic about it upstairs!" She yelled. Kamaji, in turn, decided to help out.
"That's my granddaughter. She's looking for a job, but I'm fully booked here. I don't need any help. Could you take her to Yubaba?" Lin immediately shook her head.
"No way! There's no way I'm risking my life for some human!" That's when Kamaji pulled out a roasted newt to bribe Lin with. If only Haku had given you one... Lin eventually took it and decided to help.
"Lin, you'll share with me, right?" She ruffled your hair and nodded. The human looked to be in a daze, so Lin took charge and asked her to follow us.
"Can't even muster up a yes ma'am?" She snapped. The girl quickly replied with a faint 'yes ma'am'. It sounded weak. That's what humans were anyway. Lin made her take all her footwear off before you all made it through the tiny door. The three of you made it past some gears and woodwork before stepping into an elevator. Lin pulled the handle, and you surged upwards. You were contemplating ditching the human. For some reason, you felt like you had to go spy on Haku again. He could've been up to no good. Meanwhile, he had you running around for him like a trained dog. It was humiliating. On the flip side, you didn't want to leave Lin all alone with the girl. She likely had a lot on her mind aside from her. After all, she was a bath house worker. You weren't.
When you finally made it to the next elevator, Lin pulled the handle again. When you reached the floor you were supposed to, a large radish spirit with a bowl on its head blocked the way.
"Excuse me, sir, are you going up?" You asked. He nodded.
"This elevator doesn't go any further. Take the other one." With that, he followed you to the next one. It felt like things were constantly unfolding. The human couldn't stop gawking at the spirit. Not only did she lack manners, but she was also rude. It was vexing to you. When you arrived at the final elevator, you had to wait for it to arrive. The silence was awkward, but it wasn't all that bad. The wait was brief.
"Here we are," one of the workers announced to the customers in the elevator. They peacefully exited, but the worker didn't. He turned around and faced Lin. In that moment, you knew what he was about to say.
"Lin, Y/n, do you smell that? I think I smell something. Oh my, it's human! You smell exactly like a human! You guys aren't telling me something. Tell me the truth, right now! I demand you do so!" Of course, this would happen. You didn't think to smear the girl in mud or have her wear yours or Lin's clothes to mask her scent. Surely you were busted now. Yet... Lin pulled out the roasted newt she had received from Kamaji.
"It's a roasted newt. That's the smell." Obviously, it wasn't, but the worker was too excited and gluttonous to realize that. He quickly tried to grab it, but Lin held it up in the air, making him unable to reach it. The sight was quite the joke.
"No, no, it's for Y/n and I," she smiled before throwing it your way. You caught it and quickly closed the doors to the elevator. Of course, Lin had to leave you.
"May I ask, what's so special about roasted newt anyway?" The girl muttered.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" You scoffed.
"Look, I don't like your friend or anything. I'm not trying to come between the two of you. I just really want to find my parents and leave," she said. Her voice was shaky and nervous. You immediately broke out in an uncontrollable laughter.
"Haku is nothing but my competition. He's my nemesis. To even think he's my friend? That's repulsive. Haku is repulsive." The elevator stopped, and the two of you stepped out before bowing to the radish spirit. He gave you a slight wave and pulled the handle.
"Are my parents okay?" You ignored her. If Yubaba saw you being chummy with her, she'd suspect something. You wouldn't want that. No, you wanted the exact opposite. Haku was going down. If you could find a way to let Yubaba know about what he did, you'd be the star. People would call you Master instead of Y/n. When the two of you finally reached the first door, you heard the voice of Yubaba. She importuned you to come in. Naturally, she didn't direct it at you. After the girl stalled, Yubaba forced her in with magic. Doors opened before the human, and you swiftly followed by, flying.
After a few turns, you finally reached her. The human was thrown to the ground, whilst you gracefully landed on your feet. The three green heads you knew all too well made their way towards the girl. Yubaba complained about the ruckus.
"Yubaba, this human would like to work here," you said confidently. She eyed the girl for a moment before cackling out loud.
"Nonsense. There's no use for a weak little thing such as her. We need only strong and loyal people. People like you, Y/n." You smiled at the fact that she didn't mention Haku. Serves him right.
"I think something happened to her parents. She wants to repay it by working here." As much as you wanted to stay on Yubaba's good side, you had to follow Haku's orders. You needed him to stay off your missions. He always stole your thunder. He'd take your most dangerous missions and earn Yubaba's smile and validation. Whereas you were stuck with safe and less impressive tasks. You'd had enough. It was your time to shine, and you were going to do everything in your power to get your way.
"Hmm... I can clearly see someone put you up to helping her, Y/n. Why don't you tell me who it is?" You were about to answer when the girl suddenly spoke before you.
"Please let me work here!" You could tell Yubaba was frustrated from the beginning, but hearing the girl herself pushed her to lash out. This girl... you gritted your teeth. She took away your one chance of exposing Haku.
"–And why would I hire someone like you?! You're nothing but a spoiled brat!" The girl was trembling now. You did nothing but idly stand by. Yubaba got closer until she had her fingers around the little girl's neck.
"Perhaps I could give you the nastiest and hardest job I have to offer..." A sudden rumbling emitted from the room beside the office. Things fell to the ground, and everything became a mess. You knew who caused it, but you chose to continue standing your ground. Yubaba hastily went to the now broken, green door. The cries of a baby were heard. After a few seconds, the witch turned around and saw the girl still standing by the fireplace.
"What are you still doing here?! Get out!" The girl didn't seem to care.
"Please let me work here!" She yelled. You had to hold back a laugh. The whole situation was quite amusing to you.
"Fine, fine! Just quiet down! Y/n! Give her the contract and a pen!" You quickly got to work, sifting through the messy pile of contracts. You found a pen and gave both to the human. She accepted it and tried to find somewhere to write her name. She chose the floor. As she was writing, Yubaba came back and cleaned things up. She hated the fact that she'd taken an oath to hire anyone who asked to work.
When the girl was done, she handed the contract over. You watched as Yubaba stole her name like she had with so many others. Luckily, she didn't do that for you. It was mostly because you didn't have a name to begin with. You had no identity. You'd been a lost spirit.
"I see... Chihiro. Wonderful name... but your name is Sen now," Yubaba began,
"Answer me, Sen!"
"Yes ma'am!" You felt satisfied, knowing you'd fulfilled your end of the deal. Haku was now obligated to stay away from your missions. You simply couldn't wait to smear your victory in his face.
"You called for me." Speak of the devil. You turned your head and saw none other than Haku himself. His facial expression was as stoic as ever.
"Have Sen here get to work when it's time. I trust that you'll look over her." Once again, you'd been completely overlooked. As if you simply didn't exist. You bit your lower lip so as not to say something you knew you'd regret later on.
It'll be my turn soon enough.