Chapter 31. Meeting Yubaba.
Following Lin, Sora and Chihiro looked around to see levers going up and down above them.
"Probably has to do with the elevators" mumbled Kairi, seeing one open up.
"We have to go all the way up, to the top floor. That's where Yubaba lives" said Lin, entering the elevator.
Facing them, Lin asked "Are you guys coming? We don't got all day".
Rushing into the elevator, it was a tight fit for so many people inside of it.
Chihiro and Sora, leaned close to one of the walls that wasn't sided with panel, with cement wall facing it.
"Do you two want to lose your nose?" asked Lin, looking at them out of the corner of her eye.
The two of them backed away and faced forward.
"So what's this Yubaba like?" asked Riku.
"You'll see for yourself in just a few minutes" said Lin.
"Were half way their already. So just stay close until we arrive" said Lin.
"Kay" answered Chihiro.
The elevator came to a stop and opened up to reveal a Radish Spirit, wanting to go up.
"The Radish spirit! Sorry Sir, this elevator doesn't go any higher" said Lin, plastering a smile on her face.
"You'll have to take another one" said Lin, uncomfortably and pulled Chihiro along.
"Wait for us!" said Sora, taking hold of Chihiro's hand.
Exiting out of the elevator, you could just how grand this Bathhouse really was. Their were baths everywhere, filled with spirits and odd looking animals
"Look at those! Those chicks are so huge and adorable!" said Kairi, squealing with delight.
"You can get a closer look at them, after we get our jobs Kairi" said Riku, rolling his eyes.
"He's following us" commented Chihiro, hearing squeaky footsteps that belonged to the Radish Spirit.
"Just don't look at him" said Lin, facing straight ahead and full of purpose.
Arriving at another elevator, it opened up to reveal a bunch of monster like spirits with horns and long teeth, dressed in bathrobes.
"Step to the right, please gentleman" called out a Frog man, from behind them.
"Your rooms are right this way" said the Frog man, passing them by without a glance.
"He didn't notice us" whispered Kairi.
Right then the Frog man caught a whiff of something in the air and began to sniff.
"Lin!" called out the Frog man, turning to face all of them.
"Spoke to soon" muttered Riku, knowing they were caught red handed.
Chihiro was pushed into the elevator by Lin, followed by Sora who grabbed hold of Riku who grabbed hold of Kairi just in time.
"What!?" whined out Lin, letting out a breath of relief once they were out of sight.
"What is that smell, it's human! You smell just like a human Lin!" said the Frog man, facing her and stepping closer to her.
"Oh really?" said Lin, hands on her hips.
"Where's it coming from Lin?" demanded the Frog man.
C'mon, your hiding something aren't you?" asked the Frog man, getting close up and personal.
"Show it to me!" said the Frog man.
"Is this what you smell?" asked Lin, whipping out the roasted newt Kamjii gave her earlier.
"Roasted. Newt!" gasped out the Frog man, who was drooling and sweating.
Lin pulled her roasted newt away before he could take it.
"No way frog. I'm saving every last bite for myself" said Lin, smirking.
"Please. Just a little bit. Just give me a leg" said the Frog man, trying to get it out of her dangling hands.
"If you want to go up, pull the lever on the right" called out Lin.
"You'll have to do it Chihiro, your the closest" said Sora, being squished in the back.
"Can't you share?" cried out the Frog man, while Chihiro pulled down the lever to everyones relief.
The first stop you could see a long hall way filled with screens, with shadows of spirits or animals inside them.
"This must not be it" said Riku, seeing the Radish spirit pull down on the lever.
The next stop revealed to be Yubaba's floor, filled with decorative tiles, vases, and huge looking doors.
"This lady has no sense of style" said Sora, earning a few weirded out looks.
"This isn't the time to be making comments on furniture Sora" said Riku, hitting him on the head.
"Sora does have a point" said Kairi, thinking it was somewhat tacky but could tell the vases were expensive.
Chihiro walked ahead of them and stood outside the massive reddish pink door ways.
"That's a weird looking ornament to hang on a door" said Sora, reaching out to touch the golden faced ornament.
"What about the bird statue?" asked Kairi, pointing above the doors to reveal a golden bird that looked a lot like the one they had seen outside earlier.
Chihiro reached out for the door handles when the golden ornament spoke.
"Aren't you even going to knock?" it asked.
"Your the most pathetic little girl I've ever seen" said the Ornament, rolling it's eyes back.
"Aren't you just a ball of sunshine" commented Kairi.
"Kairi!" said Riku, in warning.
"Talk about no manners or politeness" said the Ornament.
The huge doors opened up, to reveal four massive doors just like it and opening up as light above them lit the room.
"Well come in" called out the Head Honcho.
"I said... Come in" said Yubaba, waving her jeweled cover hand forward and her red nails clutching onto something.
Chihiro was pulled forward before Sora, Riku, or Kairi could react.
"Chihiro!" they called out, but the doors slammed shut instantly the moment she went through them.
"We have to get in their!" said Sora, banging his fists down upon the door.
"She's not gonna stop us!" said Riku, grabbing hold of Sora's arm and summoning Way to Dawn.
Sora quickly summoned KingdomKey and jumped back to perform the ritual that opened new path ways.
Inside Yubaba's office.
"So your the girl who is causing an uproar in my Bathhouse" said Yubaba, taking a good look at her.
Chihiro having landed on her face, got up to face her when three heads came her way.
Backing away in fear, Chihiro couldn't stop gasping at them as they surrounded her.
"Quiet down your making a racket" said Yubaba, scrawling something down on a piece of paper.
"Excuse me. I was wondering if you could give me a job" said Chihiro.
Yubaba looked up at her and zipped her mouth closed with a gesture of her hand.
"I don't want to hear such a stupid request" said Yubaba, finding it amusing.
"Your just a stinking useless weakling" said Yubaba, lifting a bag filled with gold coins.
"And this is certainly no place for humans" said Yubaba.
"It's a bathhouse for the spirits, where they come to replenish themselves" said Yubaba, placing a long cigarette in her mouth.
"And you humans always make a mess of things. Like your parents" said Yubaba.
"Gobbling up the food for the spirits like pigs" said Yubaba.
"They got what they deserved" said Yubaba, using one finger to produce a flame and lighting her cigarette.
"And you should be punished too" said Yubaba, drawing in a breath and releasing a bunch of smoke out of her nose and into the air.
"You could be a piglet or if you prefer, maybe a lump of coal" said Yubaba, taking her old sweet time in punishing her.
"I can see you shaking. I'm actually impressed you made it this far" said Yubaba, cackling slightly.
"But I'm sure you didn't do it on your own" said Yubaba, smiling now.
"Let's thank whoever helped you" said Yubaba, sweetly and cunningly.
"Just who was it dear, why don't you tell me" said Yubaba, unzipping Chihiro's mouth.
"Please. Can't you give me a job!" said Chihiro, the moment she could speak.
"Don't start that again!" said Yubaba, thumping her desk.
"Please! I just want to work!" insisted Chihiro.
"Don't... Say... That" said Yubaba, turning red in the face in anger and everything on her desk begun to shake.
Instantly heartless appeared around them and Sora bursted in through the door.
"You three!" said Yubaba, angrily.
Chihiro ran for cover as heartless came pouring out of the room everywhere.
"Your the ones causing these things to make a mess of my Bathhouse!" roared out Yubaba.
"You, NO GOOD FOR NOTHING HUMANS!" shouted out Yubaba.
Riku blasted out Dark Aura at the heartless that surrounded Chihiro by the fire place.
Sora performed Stop and attacked the motionless heartless.
"It's not our fault that theirs heartless here! We're here to stop it, You Old Hag!" yelled out Kairi, using Firaga strike raid and setting the heartless aflame.
Using Reflega, Kairi blasted out the remains heartless with her light.
"You owe us" said Sora, placing a hand on Chihiro's trembling shoulder.
"I owe you nothing" said Yubaba, crossly.
"Give us a job!" demanded Riku.
A loud thumping noise could be heard followed by loud wails.
"Oh dear! You woke up the baby!" said Yubaba, watching a large foot come crashing through her door.
"Mommies here, now be a good boy" said Yubaba, sweetly and ignoring the four of them.
"Why are all of you still here, I told you to leave" said Yubaba.
"I want you to give us a job, please" said Chihiro.
"Quiet down, your scaring the baby" said Yubaba, getting hit in the face by a bunch of wood.
"I'm not leaving, until you give me a job!" said Chihiro, one last time.
"Okay okay, just be quiet" said Yubaba, whispering softly to her baby.
"Way to go Chihiro" said Sora, cheerfully.
Four pieces of paper came their way followed by a floating pen for each of them.
"That's your contract, sign away and I'll put you to work" said Yubaba, coming back into the room and fixing the place up with a flick of her fingers.
"If I hear one little complaint out of any of you, you four will be joining her parents in the pig pen" said Yubaba, fixing her picture on the wall.
"So, do we sign our names here?" asked Sora, pointing to a blank spot on the piece of paper.
"Just sign it! Do you want the job or not? said Yubaba
Chihiro knelt down by the fire and begun writing her name carefully down on the scrap of paper.
Sora, Riku, and Kairi copied her.
"I hate being so nice all of the time" said Yubaba, aloud.
"Are you done yet?" asked Yubaba, making the piece of paper slide out from each of them.
"So your names Chihiro" said Yubaba, holding it in both her hands.
"Yes Ma'am" said Chihiro, standing up now and waiting.
"What a pretty name" said Yubaba, sliding a jeweled covered hand over the paper and gathering up some of the letters off of the page.
"And it belongs to me now" said Yubaba, with a twinkle in her eye.
"From now on your name is Sen. You got that? Answer me Sen!" said Yubaba.
"Yes Ma'am" said Chihiro.
"As for you three" said Yubaba, turning her gaze upon Sora, Riku, and Kairi.
"Your new names our Aro, Kiu, and Ri" said Yubaba, naming Sora, Riku, and Kairi in order.
Yubaba jeweled hand flashed outward again and collected parts of their names as well, from the scarp of paper they each signed.
"You called for me" said Haku, appearing behind them and ignore all four of them.
"This girls sign a contract, set her up with a job. Including those three" said Yubaba, with distaste.
"Right. What's your names?" asked Haku, facing them now.
"Wha? Chih- oh it's Sen" said Chihiro.
"Aro" said Sora, glancing at Riku.
"Kiu" said Riku.
"Ri" said Kairi.
"Okay, follow me" said Haku.
The five of them enter the elevator and begun the descend downwards.
"Haku" said Chihiro, looking at him.
"Don't talk to me and address me as Master Haku" said Haku.
"C'mon! You act as if you don't know us!" said Kairi.
"Aren't we your friends?" asked Sora.
"Sora. Kairi. Let it go" said Riku, having an idea why Haku was acting this way and earning unhappy looks from the two of them.
Exiting out and descending some stairs of the living courtiers of the Bathhouse.
"I don't care if Yubaba gets angry with us" said a Short Man in a yellow uniform.
"Were not taking humans" said a Tall Man with a big mustache in a blue uniform.
"Their already under contract" said Haku, on the last step and facing them.
"What!?" shouted the Tall man, in disbelief.
"I promise to work really hard" said Chihiro, bowing slightly.
"Were not gonna take her into our apartment" said a Woman, in a kimono.
"She'll stink up the whole place" said another woman, holding her sleeve against her nose.
"Three days of eating our food and her smell will go away" said Haku, coldly.
"Sounds like someone is defending a certain someone" said Sora, glancing at Haku.
"And if she doesn't work hard... roast her, boil her, do whatever you want" said Haku.
"Now get back to work!" said Haku, looking at each and everyone of them.
"Where is Lin?" asked Haku, as the workers scatter away.
"What! Don't you dump her on me!" said Lin, leaning against a wall.
"You said you wanted an assistant" said Haku, with a smile.
"Come on Chihiro" said Kairi, taking her hand.
"That's perfect, give the girl to Lin" said Short man.
"Oh great" said Lin, unhappy about the situation.
"Sen, Ri, Get going" ordered Haku.
"Right" they said together.
"Why are you picking on me? You owe me one Haku, you hear me?" said Lin.
"Have a nice day" said Tall Mustache man.
"Come on" said Lin.
"What about us?" asked Sora.
"Your with me" said Haku, leading Riku and Sora away.
In the hallway out of ear shot
"I can't believe you two did it! I was so worried about you two" said Lin, turning to face Kairi and Chihiro.
"Now let's get some clothes" said Lin, hurrying down the hall to their rooms.
To be Continued.