Spirited Away: The Wait [ORIGINAL]

An Old Friend

     The three of them were seated in the mess hall at a small round table, each enjoying a cup of hot tea and some snacks. Haku was quieter than usual, only moodily drinking his tea with a distant and blank look in his eyes. Chihiro would have chided him for bad manners if he weren’t acting so odd and if it were not for Rei sitting beside them looking very engaged in their conversation.

     “So, how have you been, Rei?” Chihiro asked with a gleam in her eyes.

     Rei returned her smile. “Quite well, I suppose. How about you?”

     “Same as usual, I guess. I’ve been better nowadays though. Are you here on an errand?”

     He shook his head. “I’ve been employed here. My previous job was much too tiresome, and when I came here for an errand, I decided the environment here would be much more conducive and comfortable for me. It seemed they were short of hands over here too so there were no problems getting a job here. It’s quite the lively and homely shelter, I must say.”

     Chihiro leaned forward in thrill. “Then, that means we’ll get to see you around pretty often?”

     Haku muttered a curt “No” at the same time Rei said, “I gladly presumed that.”

     Chihiro turned her gaze to Haku. The man was still rather stone-faced and cold, though she was surprised he had even been listening to the conversation. “Why not?” she asked him, frowning slightly.

     “You know your condition well enough. We cannot come here too often,” he said.

     “But, I assumed we’d be able to come here once a week or something like that.”

     “We’ll work it out another time. But you cannot visit too frequently.”

     “But—”

     “No ‘buts’,” Haku interrupted, giving her a meaningful gaze that read: This conversation is over.

     “Well then, in that case,” Rei cut in, “I had better treasure the time I spend with the lady. How long will you be staying here for, if I may ask?”

     “3 days. We’re here to visit a friend. She was in quite a critical condition earlier,” Chihiro answered.

     “By any chance, are you referring to the woman whom everyone in the shelter was talking about recently? Many were quite worried for her, even though no one seemed to actually know her that well.”

     Chihiro nodded. “Yes, she’s called Shizuna. We’re waiting for her to wake up later so we can visit her and talk to her.”

     “A faithful friend you are, milady.” He nodded in appreciation. “You are quite a special one.”

     Chihiro was surprised as she bit into her cookie that had something that looked like cream covering it. It was sweet, yet it didn’t taste like ordinary confectioner’s frosting. “Isn’t it normal for people to get worried for their friends when they’re in trouble, though? That’s what friends do, don’t they?”

     Rei looked down at his cup. “To be honest, I have never had much friends before, so whenever I was in need of help, passers-by would merely glare at me like I was scum. You, however, are different.” He took her hand in his, surprising her with the sudden contact, “You were very hospitable and welcoming when we first met.”

     “Well,” she looked away shyly, “you were the one who saved me first, so thanks.”

     “No need. I gained a friend in the process, so I should thank you.”