Lost and Found (Spirited Away fanfic)

First day on the Job

 Chihiro was surprised at how much she remembered the interior of the bathhouse. She had no trouble recalling the quarters in which the yuna slept. She stood at the entrance of the quarters, using a small key Kohaku had given her, which looked quite similar to one she would've used in the human world. She wasn't quite sure how to go about waking the workers. They all looked so peaceful in their sleep, and she was sure they'd spent their entire previous night slaving away at customers, as they did every night. Chihiro was beginning to feel a bit tired herself, as it was beginning to be her bedtime. Still, she knew that she was likely to not have an opportunity to sleep until the night was over.

She pondered to herself how she would proceed. She scanned the room and found Rin, snoring softly, curled into her blankets. She then thought to herself, how would Rin do this? She cleared her throat and spoke as loudly as she possibly could without yelling. "It's time to get up! We have a full night ahead of us!" groans and moans flooded the room. Suddenly, a yuna lifted her head from her pillow and glared at Chihiro. "Is that a god dammed human?" Chihiro felt her courage melt away and become replaced with anxiety. Kohaku was right, she was likely to be frequently disrespected during her time here. "Yes, yes, it's a god dammed human." She heard Rin's sleepy voice grumble from across the room. "She stinks." replied the yuna, nestling back into her pillow. "I told you all Sen was back. At least treat the poor kid with some respect, none of us would be here if it wasn't for her." The yuna grumbled as she rose from her mat. "Doesn't mean she gets to boss us around now." Chihiro bowed at the yuna nervously. "I'm sorry, it's just that Kohaku made me his assistant and he told me I had to come here and-" she stopped speaking when she saw the utter shock on the faces of the yuna ahead of her.

Rin was the first to pipe up. "Chihiro, I told you not to sign any contracts." Chihiro tried her best to defend herself, knowing she hadn't listened to friend's advice. "Yubaba didn't write the contract. Haku did." one of the yuna seemed visibly annoyed. "Stop calling him that. It's disrespectful. He's the only one here who was able to reclaim his name, and you think it is within your rights to refer to him by the name Yubaba forced upon him?" Chihiro was starting to become flustered. The yuna was right, Chihiro really hadn't given it much thought to call Kohaku by his honest name. It was a tad disrespectful, even though he didn't seem to mind. Rin stood from her cot and placed her hands on her hips, glaring at the yuna. "He wouldn't even have his name if it wasn't for her. She's the one who remembered it, not him." Another yuna giggled. "Are you two... a thing?" "No," Chihiro replied hastily. "He's a dear friend of mine. We are not lovers." The yuna laughed a bit more audibly, now. "Suuuuuuure!"

–

Chihiro had spent her night fussing around the bathhouse, reprimanding those who she saw slacking off (although she wished to do the same), and becoming more and more tired by the minute. She had gotten a few warm welcomes, even a couple of hugs from the grateful spirits she left behind. She had also received her share of rolled eyes, grumbling, and overheard gossip about whether or not she was sleeping with Kohaku. The latter more amused than annoyed her, it was interesting to see how similar the spirits' interactions were to that she's seen of humans.

Chihiro was barely keeping her eyes open by the end of her shift. She silently thanked Kohaku for making her work more managerial than physical. She didn't know if she could handle the labor she witnessed from the yuna and frog spirits who were constantly bustling around. During the day, after a long night's sleep, she probably could if she put her mind to it, but the girl hadn't slept for a good 24 hours by the end of the night.

She dragged her feet behind her as she returned to Kohaku's quarters. She knocked the door tentatively. "Haku, it's me." The door opened immediately with no one behind it, but she could hear the dragon rustling through paperwork as he had been doing last evening. "Come in." She heard him grumble. She entered his quarters and stepped inside of his office to find him scribbling away on another document, this one looking newer than the rest. "How was your day?" She inquired, yawning. "Busy." He hadn't looked up to her while he spoke. "And yours?" Chihiro plopped down on his bed, which seemed very inviting at the moment. "Not bad. I'm not used to the whole staying up all night thing. I'm going to have to adjust." Kohaku recalled how fragile humans are, and felt a bit of guilt for having her work the first day she was here rather than letting her get some rest. Humans needed much more rest than the dragon was used to. He only slept when necessary, which was only a few times a week, while she slept even longer than the Yuna's did at night. He would know, he found it interesting to watch her rest while he was still using his magic to keep up with the human, and would check on her throughout the night. He smiled at the thought of her snoring and talking in her sleep.