“We’ll be Friends Forever, won’t we, Pooh?’ asked Piglet.
Even longer,’ Pooh answered.”
-A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
For the rest of the night, Chihiro simply stared at the soot balls working while she lay down on the blanket that Kamaji had lent her. It was nice and soft, and her body did need some down time after an eventful day. One by one, they would carry the super heavy pieces of coal with their super-spirit strength then make their way to the burning furnace to hurl them in.
They were especially cute when they made a special trip to the side of Chihiro’s face just to give her a wave sneakily without Kamaji’s noticing. “Good job, little guys. Keep going!” she whispered to them. They jumped up and down excitedly in response.
“I saw that, you. Stop slackening!” Kamaji grunted disapprovingly at his tiny workers’ actions.
In a moment of shock, they seemed to lose their arm strength, resulting in them getting squashed by the pieces of coal that fell on their little bodies. “Oh great…” Kamaji muttered.
“Aww, they’re so cute!” Chihiro gushed.
“You’re too easily amused, Chihiro,” he replied, clearly not amused in any way. He was busy at work, hands working hard at their individual jobs. It never ceased to amaze her how he could do so many things at once. Multi-tasking wasn’t something many people could do and they only had 2 arms.
“When’s Lin’s shift over?” Chihiro asked idly. Her arm was placed over her eyes since the lights couldn’t be switched off.
“About time. She should be coming up any minute now. You better get some sleep before she arrives or you’ll be as dead as a roasted newt on a stick.”
“That’s a… very interesting analogy, Kamaji…” Chihiro shuddered at the mental image she had in her head. Suddenly she felt sick; she wasn’t very good with anything slimy. Granted, there wouldn’t be much slime on a newt, but it was just gross thinking about it roasted on a stick ready to be served on a platter.
“… …stupid Chichiyaku… I’ll kill that no-good, annoying ass!” Lin huffed through the opening as she crawled through. In her anger however, she accidentally hit her head on the top of the short opening. “Ouch!” she complained, rubbing her forehead and scowling at the culprit for good measure.
Sitting up, Chihiro couldn’t suppress the giggles that bubbled up in her chest any longer and burst out laughing. Lin glared at her and closed the opening before taking a seat next to the happy girl.
“It’s ain’t funny, kid.”
“Sure it wasn’t, Lin,” Chihiro winked. It was so fun to tease her.
“Whatever, you little imp,” the weasel spirit rolled her eyes. “Hey Kamaji,” she greeted before she could forget. The boiler man grunted in acknowledgement.
Chihiro sidled up to Lin and nudged her playfully. Lin couldn’t help but smile; it was too difficult to keep up the angry act in front of her little sister.
“Are you feeling better now?”
“Yes, much better. Thanks a lot,” Chihiro beamed. Lin smiled warmly in response.
“So, fill me in on everything now. How many hunks did you hook up with?” she seemed to brighten up quickly, clearly very excited to find out how Chihiro’s love life had been in the last decade.
“Well, I didn’t ‘hook up’ with anyone, Lin.” Chihiro frowned at the usage of that term.
Her eyes widened considerably. “Weren’t the guys all falling head over heels for you? Look at you! You’re a mega-hottie!”
A sweet blush crept up Chihiro’s cheeks and she shied away from her sister. “I’m not, Lin.”
“You are, too.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Stop living in self-denial or I’ll slap the sense out of ya!”
Chihiro laughed. “You wouldn’t slap me. You couldn’t bear it.”
“Don’t count on it, squirt.” Lin narrowed her eyes at her teasingly.
“So, have you been in any relationships, Lin?”
The weasel spirit snorted, wrinkling her nose in distaste. “You know how the spirits here are; all the men are all sissies who can’t handle things on their own. I’d much rather count on myself.”
Surprised and amused by Lin’s outburst, Chihiro couldn’t help but giggle. “Ouch, Lin. I wonder how many of them actually like you, though. What about the customers?”
“Hmm… some days the customers that come in here are pretty good-looking, I guess.”
“Oh, come on, Lin. Give them some credit!” she cried.
“Please, they’re not my type in any way,” Lin deadpanned.
“Why not? You don’t even know them! Come on, Lin. Open up your heart!” the girl said in a sing-song voice. Teasing her really was fun.
“Since when was this conversation about me, anyway? It was supposed to be about you!”
“It’s more interesting to talk about you…” Chihiro was feeling reluctant to talk about her disastrous love life. After all, she hadn’t ever landed herself in a relationship. She just couldn’t bring herself to date another guy, since well, a certain dragon had taken her heart since long ago; she had just needed some time to realize it. Her friends would say she was beautiful and lucky to have so many guys wooing her, but she thought otherwise. It was painful to have to hurt someone else by rejecting their feelings.
“Heartbreak?”
Chihiro blinked. “What?”
“It’s written all over your face, hon. I can tell. Is it Haku?” Lin teased, hoping to get a reaction.
As if on cue, a warm pink tinted her cheeks. She opened her mouth to deny Lin’s claim but the weasel spirit beat her to it.
“Aha! I knew it! You’ve been in love with the dragon boy this whole time!”
“Lin! I’m not, okay?”
“Oh really? Then why are you blushing so hard if he doesn’t mean anything to you?”
“I…” Chihiro stopped short, unable to come up with excuses. She was a horrible liar, anyway.
“…Is it that obvious..?” she asked meekly.
Lin rolled her eyes. “You’re such a hopeless dope.”
“Gee, thanks. I really appreciate the support,” Chihiro shot back flatly, glowering at her.
“I was just kidding. Although, if you wanna be serious here, Haku’s not too bad a choice. Every time he comes in the bathhouse the women start flocking to him.”
Chihiro frowned at the mental image of women surrounding Haku like a king enjoying the company of thousands of concubines. It sparked off some sour feelings in her and she felt her spirits dip.
“Someone’s jealous, I see,” Lin sang, grinning at her little sister’s green face.
“I’m not jealous!” she pouted, but held the same scowl in place.
“Oh yes you are. Don’t worry, he never bothers with them; he’s not a man-whore like the others.”
Inside, she heaved a sigh of relief. But she was still annoyed at the fact that those women could actually be around Haku while she was deprived of the privilege.
“Man-whore? Really?” she raised her eyebrows.
“Don’t get me started,” Lin warned.
“Yes, please don’t,” an annoyed Kamaji interrupted. Lin scowled at him but he seemed to ignore it and went back to his work.
“Fine, I won’t, grumpy old boiler man,” she huffed.
“Thanks Kamaji!” Chihiro bowed, shooting a mischievous sideways glance at Lin who was shooting daggers at her.
They stayed in silence for a while, the conversation having come to an end temporarily. Lin was tired and she looked rather haggard. Her hair was a mess; uncombed strands were sticking out in odd places, and her clothes were all crumpled after a day’s work.
She tried massaging her sore neck and moaned at the terrible aching. Chihiro then helped to massage the pressure points on Lin’s back and neck, earning a lot of a satisfied groans. “Gosh, that feels good, Chihiro. Thanks a lot,” Lin muttered.
Chihiro laughed at the other interpretation she had in mind. She had to get her mind out of the gutter. “You’re welcome.”
“I’m so tired… Are you going to sleep soon?” Lin asked, stifling a yawn.
Chihiro shook her head. “Probably, I’ll wait for Kamaji.”
“I’ll wait with you, then. I think I’ll sleep here tonight.”
“What? Lin, I don’t have extra blankets down here,” Kamaji said. Lin rolled her eyes. “Do I look like I care? I’ll just bring a blanket down here then!”
“Your actions will be too suspicious. People may get curious. And you know Chihiro must not be found at all costs.”
The woman opened her mouth to retort, but seeing that she could not argue with the boiler man any further, merely folded her arms crossly and grumbled to herself. “Fine, then I’m staying up to talk.”
“Oh, come on, Lin. I’m not leaving tomorrow; you can just talk to me tomorrow. You should get some sleep; you look very tired.”
“Looks can be deceiving,” Lin rebutted stubbornly.
“Lin, stop being a kid. Just go to bed.”
“Who’re you calling a kid, you brat?”
“I’m 20. You can’t call me a brat,” Chihiro stated flatly.
“Hmm… I guess so. But you’ll always be a dope.”
She rolled her eyes. That was probably something she’d have to live with.
“Oh hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Lin started.
“Yes?”
“What’s with the woolen hat on your head? You cut your hair or something? It’s really short.”
Surprised by the question, it took Chihiro a second to register fully before answering, “Y-Yeah, I did…”
“Why’d you cut your hair? You strike me as someone who looks better in long hair.”
“Well, I guess I just wanted a change?” Chihiro tried in her best convincing tone.
“Well, you should keep it long. I think you have nice hair,” Lin commented.
She smiled a rueful smile. “Yeah, I think so too…”
“So why do you keep that woolen hat on anyway? Isn’t it hot enough in here?”
“I guess it just looks cute?”
Lin looked unconvinced, however. “What’s up with you? You don’t look very well, Chihiro.”
The girl gulped subconsciously and Lin noticed it. “I’m perfectly fine.” Her hand subconsciously travelled to her head to touch the soft fabric that decorated her head.
“Really? You look kind of pale. And you’re a little too thin. You on a diet?” Lin continued.
“No, I’m not on a diet, Lin,” Chihiro scoffed at the thought of those silly girls who would starve themselves just to end up all bony and uglier than before. She paused to think of another reasonable excuse for her pale complexion. “…Maybe it’s just the lighting here that makes me look paler.”
“Really? You seem awfully unsure of yourself, bud. Don’t lie to me, Chihiro. You can tell me anything,” Lin coaxed. Her sister was hiding something, and she didn’t like being kept in the dark about something, especially when it came to that dope.
“I’m not lying.” Her right eyebrow twitched simultaneously.
“Oh yes you are, bud. Now spill. I know you’re hiding something.”
Chihiro looked away, trying hard to avoid Lin’s hard gaze. She did not want to have that conversation. It was way too abrupt to jump to that topic. And it would just spoil everyone’s moods.
“Come on, Chihiro. There’s nothing you can’t tell us,” Lin added, sensing her reluctance.
By then, Kamaji had paused from his work to sneak a little break to listen to the girls’ conversation. If it had something to do with his granddaughter, he wanted to know.
“I don’t know… I really don’t want to talk about it, Lin.”
“Why not? We really care for you, Chihiro. Can’t you see that?”
“I… Lin, this isn’t something I can say so easily,” Chihiro answered frankly.
“I can see that, but that’s why I want to be there to help you.”
“Same goes for your grandpa here, Chihiro,” Kamaji added.
Her insides melted with overwhelming warmth. She didn’t want to leave them; she wanted to just stay with her friends till she was a ripe old age, but that was difficult. Of course she had a chance of surviving, but then again, she didn’t want to keep her hopes up.
People around her saw her as an optimistic person with a positive outlook on life and all, but it was easy to comfort others; people other than herself. Sure, it made her sound like a hypocrite, but she didn’t want to keep her hopes up for fear of disappointment. She’d already been let down once by him, she didn’t want a repeat on that, especially when she was afraid that once she closed her eyes, she wouldn’t open them again.
Inhaling deeply, she placed her hand over Lin’s. “I’ll tell you guys, but you have to promise me to… just stay strong, okay?”
Both of them nodded grimly and even the soot balls had stopped working to listen to her. The only thing that sounded was the consistent crackling of the fire to fill in the silence.
“I… I have acute myelogenous leukemia...” she stuttered, swallowing the huge lump lodged in her throat.
“… Sorry, what’s that?” Lin asked, confused. Everyone held their breaths—including the soot balls (if they could breathe)—while awaiting Chihiro’s answer.
She took a deep breath and murmured grimly, “I’m dying.”
********
“How… how can this be..?” Lin asked again, choking on a sob.
Chihiro hugged Lin tightly again. The woman cried into her clothes, getting them damp with her tears. The usually unfeeling boiler man wiped some tears away from his face under his sunglasses, and he looked at his sweet granddaughter from where he was.
Chihiro, the sweetest, strongest and bravest person in the world was dying? That could not be true. After all, karma was something spirits believed in very much. Tears welled up in Kamaji’s eyes again as he thought about his precious little granddaughter who could possibly be leaving them forever. He hadn’t shed a tear in 2 whole centuries; Chihiro certainly was a force to be reckoned with, seeing that she had the power to make him cry.
Lin, on the other hand, in a nutshell, was shocked and had completely lost her composure after hearing the news. At first, she had refused to believe Chihiro’s words, forcing a laugh and wanting to pretend it was just a prank. But of course, she knew that it was the harsh truth and with the thought of possibly never seeing her little sister ever again, broke down.
Chihiro grimaced internally. She should be the one crying; not them. Not that she minded at all. She was already used to it. When her friends had found out, they’d been the ones bawling and getting their pretty eyes all swollen while she was the one busy comforting them.
“I’m so sorry, Chihiro…” Lin said, obviously not done with her crying, “I should be the one comforting you, not the other way around…”
“Shh, it’s alright. I understand. I’m sorry to break the news like this to you. I just ruined the mood…”
“Don’t blame yourself, Chihiro. I’m a useless grandfather. I can’t do anything to help you, my dear. If there was anything I could do to help, I would,” Kamaji said sadly.
Although now she felt like crying too, she blinked the gathering moisture away and forced out a smile. “Well, I would feel better if you two were smiling. I love it when you smile, guys. Come on, don’t cry, smile for me, won’t you?” She smiled in example, and Lin hurriedly wiped her tears away, pulling away from her and tried to smile whilst sniffling. Kamaji, too, gave her a tight smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. It was good enough for Chihiro, though. Seeing them smile put her at ease; it was her best source of comfort.
“So, does it hurt when you undergo that what-rapy?” Lin queried again.
“Not really. It’s chemotherapy.”
“So that’s why you lost a lot of your hair?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“Oh, you poor thing. It’s okay, you’re still beautiful,” Lin remarked, smiling a tiny smile.
“Thank you, Lin,” Chihiro grinned.
“See what you’ve done, you little squirt. I can’t believe you made me cry! You just ruined my strong image,” she jested, trying to lighten the mood, although she still couldn’t help but sniffle here and there.
“More like hot-headed.”
Lin pretended to be angry again, but it didn’t quite work with her swollen eyes and red nose. Instead, she looked rather foolish, and so the girl burst out laughing.
She was dumbfounded at first; she didn’t know why Chihiro was laughing, but her laughter was so contagious, eventually she herself began to laugh along too. Kamaji chuckled to himself and began to get ready for bed. It was late and time to go to sleep. The soot balls knew it too, and so one by one, they scurried back into their little holes, ready for a good night’s rest.
As the girls embraced one more time, Lin whispered in her ear, “I guess you ain’t too bad, little dope.”
Chihiro grinned. “Just say you love me and get it over with.”
Lin rolled her eyes. “My compliments are hard to earn. Take it or leave it.” Standing up to leave, she bid them goodnight and left for the dorm.
Chihiro, suddenly feeling a little cold, snuggled underneath Kamaji’s blanket. “Goodnight, grandpa,” she smiled contentedly.
“Goodnight, Chihiro. Have a good rest; it’s been a long day,” Kamaji returned and covered his body with the blanket to shield it from the cold air. Then he turned out the lights.
The room was now quiet and in a couple of minutes, it was broken by Kamaji’s snoring. Chihiro giggled and when she closed her eyes, a wave of drowsiness washed over her, pulling her into a deep sleep as she smiled satisfactorily. What great friends she had.
In the meantime, while the Spirit World was in a deep slumber, a certain other friend she had yet to reconcile with was already making his way to the bathhouse for his next visit.
********
A/N: Ohoho she finally told them! Annnnddd yeap you guys can expect some interesting stuff the next chapter! And feel free to tell me if I made any mistakes in the technical stuff!