"Penny for your thoughts, onee-chan."
"Eh?" The Princess looked up from the wooden railing she had been resting her elbows on. She had been admiring the silent morning vista of the fast-receding sea and the little railway that stretched out to the horizon on its raised embankment from the vantage point of Yu-baaba's private balcony. "Oh, hello, Chihiro." The white clouds bordered her head with an aura as she turned. "I still can't get used to you calling me your big sister. Maybe when we first met, I could. But now, when you're older than I am..."
Chihiro shook her head. "It doesn't sound so strange to me, Nausicaä. In a few years I guess you'll understand why." She joined the Princess at the railings. "What are you so deep in thought about?"
The wind-rider looked back out at the clouds. "To tell you the truth, was thinking about Angel."
"Angel? Why?"
"I think I know now why she didn't come to Aburaya with me, why she was forbidden to set foot over the bridge."
"Oh? And why is that?"
"She's innocent and must remain so. Coming to Aburaya would've destroyed that. It's ironic, isn't it, Chihiro, that in this place, even the spirits themselves partake in the pleasures of the flesh?"
The only child of the Oginos came to stand by her charge. "I guess that it must seem that way to one like you." She looked thoughtfully at Nausicaä. "You know, you really do look good in a yukata."
"I do?" Nausicaä looked down at herself, down at the camellia-decorated navy-blue cloth, glittering gold obi, tabi socks and zori-shod feet. "Thank you. I wouldn't have bothered, but Rin said it was only appropriate that I wear this."
"In all the times we've met," Chihiro added. "I've always seen you wearing your people's clothes. This is the first time I've seen you wearing something native." She adjusted the décolletage of Nausicaä's collar. "By the way, I've just talked to Yu-baaba, and she told me she thinks you're strong enough now for Haku to send you back to your world."
Nausicaä raised her eyebrows. "I am?"
"Yes."
The Princess straightened up. "Then before I go, will you tell me, Chihiro, of the times we're going to meet again? Why don't you want to reveal that future to me?"
"B-because," said Chihiro, the words glomming up in her throat as she was suddenly caught in that tangle of emotions that exist between tears and laughter, "it would spoil the surprise. I'd rather leave you something to hope for, than lay out your future for you." She grinned. "And expect you to follow it."
Nausicaä smiled at the last statement. "Yes, I suppose you're right." She looked back out at the serene landscape and the fluffy white clouds that drifted over it. "When, in truth, have I ever done the worldly things people expected of me? I could've had a nice, relatively quiet life if only I'd acted the way people expected me to."
"But then you wouldn't be the Child of the Wind, would you? You'd probably be someone more like your father Jhil, or perhaps Kushana. Speaking of which, bring her to the next party."
"I doubt if she'd agree to come. She's not that sort of person."
Chihiro laughed. "Neither are you, but shocho got you to come to Koganei, didn't he? I think she needs a break after all the work she's done."
"I'll ask her about it. I guess Torumekia won't fall apart if she's gone a few days." Nausicaä grimaced. "Although if she insists on traveling in one of those big Royal Corvettes of hers..."
"The people in the studio will be running all over the place trying to conceal it, or explain it to the police," Chihiro finished for her, chortling. Nausicaä was amazed that she knew what a Royal Corvette was. Just what was going to happen in the future? "They'd probably find some way to stuff it in the Museum for the duration of Kushana's stay and claim it was a new and temporary exhibit." Watching her impish face, the Princess had a sneaking suspicion that her friend and guide was hiding something from her...
But even as her voice died away, Chihiro's expression grew somber and thoughtful. "Try to bring as many of your people as you can, Nausicaä. Don't mind the consequences. I'm sure that even if any of us get into trouble, things will always have a way of working themselves out."
"What do you mean, Chihiro?"
A pause. "You do know your Father's thinking of retiring, don't you?"
"Well, yes, but... he came back, didn't he?"
For a minute it appeared that Chihiro was struggling with something in herself. "He can't always be coming back, Nausicaä. He's old, and he needs to rest someday."
Nausicaä blinked rapidly, surprised at the tears welling up in her eyes. "No, he can't be retiring... I never thought seriously of that before..."
"Yeah. Neither did I, but being at the studio made me think..." Chihiro smiled gently down at Nausicaä. "I know he didn't like me much at first, but still... I'll miss him when he goes." She blinked, and Nausicaä could see that her eyes also glistened with unshed tears. "He loves his work too much. Perhaps he'll spend time with his family..."
"I'll miss him too. I wish there was some way for us to visit him any time we wanted." Nausicaä looked sympathetically at Chihiro, and having no one else to share her sadness with, impulsively gave her a hug. The older girl returned her hug and softly stroked her back. They stood on the balcony for a long time, unmoving under the dazzling blue sky with its white clouds.
------oOo------
Above all else, Yu-baaba was a greedy and parsimonious woman. It was a necessity. Feeding and clothing her son, keeping the bathhouse together and its workers paid and happy, and living in the style she was accustomed to couldn't exactly be done for free. What was the term Chihiro used, 'high-maintenance'? She hated being bilked of any amount of money. Which what was happening exactly to her, she thought as she argued with the foreman of the extra workers through the skull-head telephone in her office.
"Look, I've given you what was left for everyone, and no, I can't put in more transportation allowance. What I gave should be more than enough for you and your gang to make your way safely back to Mizu-ya. Consider yourself lucky I didn't take my twenty-two percent cut of your wages."
The foreman fired back something (which we will leave out because it contains a lot of imprecations and bad words not necessarily understandable by those not of the Spirit World) and Yu-baaba, at the end of her patience, snapped out, "No, my word is final! Now deal with it!" She broke the connection--and the telephone as well--by slamming her massive fist down on it. She swore as she lifted her hand and bone splinters fell back on the book-strewn table. Great. Now she'd have to badger someone into getting her another skull from the depths of Aburaya's garbage pit. A simple receiver set just didn't blend with the decor of her office.
She hated the fact that since the letter that informed her of Nausicaä's pending arrival didn't mention the exact day and time the Princess was going to come to the bathhouse, she had to hire extra crew to keep Aburaya open and ready for whole days and nights--two, as it turned out. Originally she hadn't planned to, but all her workers, from the lowliest frog-man to the fox-ladies to the slug-ladies to the junior managers to Aniyaku and Chihiyaku and even Kamajii himself, put up an uncharacteristically brave protest at the thought of working at all hours and threatened to quit en masse, contract or no contract. Add to that the silent support given by Haku and some of the kami customers, and her threat of instant death didn't have its desired effect. She didn't want to kill them all; it would have cost too much to replace everyone. Besides, good help was hard to find these days: as much as she didn't want to admit it, her workers were very good at what they did. They had to be; weaklings and lazy-bones didn't last long in Aburaya.
She sat down in her chair, thankful that the extra workers' tenure ended as of today. Her pet Kashira was idly rolling itself around on the floor in front of her desk, and she was going over some papers when her door knocker announced that someone was waiting to be admitted to her office. She flung all her doors open with a nonchalant wave of the hand and threw her voice. "Come in."
After a couple of seconds in came Chihiro, Nausicaä, and Haku. The three bowed and Yu-baaba closed the doors behind them with her magic. She did not get up from her chair.
"Ah, Princess Nausicaä. I trust your past days were pleasant ones?"
"Yes," Nausicaä replied, bowing. "Very."
"Chihiro has told you that you're to go home?"
"Yes. Could you tell me when, please?"
Yu-baaba shrugged. "It's all up to you."
"As soon as possible. I don't wish to impose on you any more."
"It's no imposition. In fact, you could stay a couple of days more if you wanted to." Yu-baaba gestured to the stack of gold bars piled beside her desk. "Someone has paid very handsomely for your stay here."
Nausicaä considered. "Maybe tomorrow morning. I... I'd like to spend a little more time with Chihiro, if that's okay with you."
"Tomorrow it is then. Just tell Haku when you want to leave. In the meantime I need to speak privately to these two, so you must go, Princess."
Nausicaä bowed to her, and to Chihiro and Haku as well, then left the room, waving a small goodbye to Kashira as she did so. The three heads looked at her, went 'ugh,' and hopped up and down in farewell as the door shut behind her. She traveled down to the entertainment rooms to watch the baths and Aburaya's various doings. She didn't feel like being alone today.
------oOo------
"What's it like to fly?"
Nausicaä regarded the gigantic boy standing beside her on the balcony. She had returned to it after lunch, having had her fill of the controlled chaos that characterized the baths, and been joined there by Bou, Yu-baaba's son, and his erstwhile sidekick, the Yu-bird. The creature was the size of a hawk, as black as a raven, and had the head of Yu-baaba.
"It's fun," she said simply. "You're free to do anything you want. You can go wherever you want to."
"I wish I could fly," said Bou enviously. "I don't like being stuck here all the time, and walking is very tiring for me."
"You could ask Haku to carry you," Nausicaä suggested, having seen the river spirit fly out Yu-baaba's window with Chihiro on his back yesterday after they had paid that courtesy call on her.
"I have. He says I'm too fat and heavy."
The Yu-bird perched on the railing beside Nausicaä squawked once, and Bou's eyes brightened. He leaned over to beam at it. "You're right! Why didn't I think of that? I could ask mommy to turn me into a mousie again, like Zeniiba did!" The Yu-bird harped once more, and Bou replied with a disdainful, "No, I'm not going to ask you to carry me. If mommy turns you into a haedori, you'll be too puny to bear my weight. If you stay the way you are you'll probably eat me. I want Haku," he insisted. "He flies faster and higher than you do."
Nausicaä noticed the disgruntled expression on the Yu-bird's face and just had to laugh. "That sounds like a good idea, Bou. I'll put in a good word for you with Haku." She felt confident enough that the river spirit would listen to her. Despite his aloofness, she sensed that he already knew her. Maybe he had already met her before, in one of those times that Chihiro refused to talk about.
"Would you? Thanks!"
"Bou? What are you doing out of your room?"
The three individuals turned. Standing in the doorway leading back into Aburaya was Haku. His robes were a plain white now, and his pants an unadorned cornflower blue, but the same steely look was in his eyes.
"Speak of the devil," murmured Nausicaä. "Oh! I didn't mean that literally, Haku!"
The dragon-man's geta clonked on the wooden flooring as he walked to the railing. "That's okay, no offense taken. What are you two jawing about?"
"Bou wants to fly with you, Haku. Won't you do him a favor?"
Haku sighed. "He's very heavy, Nausicaä. I can't fly well with him on my back. We might have an accident."
Nausicaä told him of Bou's plan. The river spirit raised his eyebrows.
"Well, of course! Like before! Sure, I'll give him a ride then."
Bou jumped for joy and set the entire balcony shaking. Haku and Nausicaä had to hold on to each other to steady themselves, while the Yu-bird flapped off the railing and emitted an irritated squawk in the giant child's direction.
"Thank you so much, Haku!" he exclaimed. "I'm going to tell Mommy!" Bou ran off into the bathhouse with floor-shaking steps, and the Yu-bird followed him.
Haku and Nausicaä watched his going, then realized they were still holding on to each other. They blushed, quickly straightened up, and looked away from each other, an awkward silence descending on them both. After a few minutes the Princess couldn't stand it any more.
"It must be wonderful, being able to fly without having to resort to machines."
Haku looked at her. "I wouldn't know. I've never flown that way, like you do with your Mehve."
"You know, Angel told me something..." She suddenly grinned and started to clamber over the railing, and Haku watched in horrified mystification as she stood gingerly on the tiled roof beyond it.
"Nausicaä, what are you - no, no, no! Are you crazy?"
His outcry had been provoked by the Princess' sudden sprint towards the edge of the roof. She leapt into space, her arms spread wide.
"No!" Quick as lightning Haku flew off the balcony as Nausicaä disappeared below the edge.
The spirit among spirits quickly caught up with her and managed to catch her before she had fallen very far. The first thing that emerged from his mouth was an irate, "Why in the name of the Nine Heavens did you do that?"
Nausicaä appeared ashamed with herself. Her face was a flaming red. "But I thought... I thought Angel told me I didn't need my glider to fly any more... I must have heard wrong..."
"That was very irresponsible of you, Nausicaä," Haku scolded her as he slowly flew back up to the balcony with her in his arms. "If I wasn't here you'd have been killed."
"I'm sorry..."
They came back to the balcony and Haku gently set Nausicaä down. "It doesn't matter if you were wrong or right, Nausicaä. Your life isn't your own any more, remember? And besides, your stay here has erased whatever powers and bodily harm that have come to you since you left your world. That was the real reason why you had to pass by Aburaya. You couldn't be permitted to go straight back to your world. Your body had been changed; you would not have survived had you gone directly home."
Nausicaä thought of Juna. My life isn't my own. I wonder if it ever was. The words made her tremble. She always thought of herself as free to ride the winds to wherever she chose... preferring to not think of the weight of the world dragging her down into the depths of the Forest of Corruption that existed in her heart. "I see." Looking up at the river spirit, she cut off her train of thought and asked, "Haku, have you met me before?"
"Yes. I was with Chihiro at the time." She tried to coax him into revealing more, but he refused to say anything else about the matter, save that Nausicaä had been kind to a bullied kid.
"You know, I was wondering... seeing you two together... Haku, do you love her? I don't mean to pry," she hastened to add, seeing the annoyance on her companion's face. "It seems so obvious, but I could be wrong..."
The annoyed expression on Haku's face disappeared, and he chuckled. He looked down at the floor as he spoke. "Of course I do. I love her so much I let her find happiness with her own kind."
"But doesn't that make you sad? Wouldn't you rather have her by your side?"
"Gee, what is this, an inquisition?" Haku muttered, and Nausicaä thought he was going to shut up permanently. But he continued talking. "Since you were good to me too when we met, I'll let you in on a little secret. Yes, it makes me sad sometimes, if I think about it. But she belongs to the human world, Nausicaä, not this one. She's better off there, with someone who can share his life with her, who knows what it's like to be a human... someone who can grow old and die with her. And so I chose to let her go." He sighed. "You know, when the sadness overwhelms me, I fly as fast as I can and try to leave it behind."
Haku turned and headed for the door. "Don't go telling Chihiro any of this. It would confuse her heart and only make her miserable. That's the last thing I want her to be."
Nausicaä was quiet for a long time after Haku had left. So that's why you're gone most of the time, she thought. You drown your sorrows in the sky.
"At least you two are as loyal and licit to each other as if you were married, Haku," she said to doorway. "That itself is precious enough."
------oOo------
After spending the rest of the day in talk with her studio compatriot, trying to find out about her future self (the one that would meet Chihiro when she was younger) but failing (Chihiro would say nothing except that she had grown very fond of Nausicaä), the Princess was busy in her private room that night, examining a cardboard box that had been handed to her by Rin, who claimed it had just arrived by post. Upon opening it she found a short note amidst a couple of paper-covered packages and one furoshiki-wrapped shape.
Dear Nausicaä, the note read. It was written in common Torumekian script. I hope you're feeling well. I have a couple of things I'd like you to give some people. I'd do it myself, but I'm pretty busy with work at the moment. Fair winds to you, my girl.
There was no signature anywhere, but she instinctively knew who had written the note. She closed her eyes and pressed the small piece of paper against her chest, then carefully set it aside and began examining the packages.
------oOo------
At the same time Nausicaä was reading the note Chihiro quietly picked her way through the crowded sleeping quarters to her pallet, which had been already laid out for her by Rin. She was going to sleep beside the fox-spirit tonight, just like she did in the old times. Yu-baaba had seemed mildly surprised at her wish to stay in the crowded room, but Chihiro insisted. I may have the status of a guest, she had told Yu-baaba, but I want to act like a worker, like I did before. Otherwise, I won't belong here. Yu-baaba naturally agreed: getting an extra hand without having to pay for it was just too good an offer to pass up. Of course, Chihiro was really in Aburaya to help Nausicaä, but given her attitude, there was no reason she couldn't do any of the other chores Yu-baaba and the managers might think up for her...
The soon-to-be bride found Rin still awake and, like many of the others around her, gloating over their little red bags of gold. She removed her jacket and folded it, put on the chemise lying on her pillow, and plopped down onto her futon.
"Rin, put that away and go to sleep," she said as she threw the blanket over her. "It won't multiply if you stare at it."
The fox-lady smiled, tied the bag shut, and looked out the windowed shutters past the sliding paper doors. "Look at me, Chihiro," she said, sighing. "Almost thirty and I'm still in this dump." She gave the bag a little toss, then tucked it away under her pillow. "But thanks to this, I've only got five years left to go. Then I'm going to ride the train and finally find my own place in this world."
"I'm sure you'll get out of here earlier than you think," Chihiro said. "Anyway, I'm happy for you. But Rin?"
"What?"
"Why do you still want to leave? You've built up a pretty good life for yourself here in the bathhouse."
"Are you kidding? Even though Yu-baaba's put me in charge of a section, the pay's not as high as I thought it would be, and I don't want to spend my life cleaning floors and scrubbing tubs. Although I have to admit I like cooking..." Rin shook her head. "No, Chihiro, I don't want to stay here." She raised a hand, palm up, pointing out the window at the starry night. "My future is out there somewhere, and I intend to find it."
Just then a voice called "Lights out!" It was the strict yuna, if Chihiro remembered correctly. Furomune was her name under Yu-baaba, but no one called her that. Instead everyone called her 'O-mune-chan,' just to spite her when she got a bit too uppity for their tastes.
The room was dropped into a twilit darkness, and Rin stopped talking, wriggled into her futon and lay down.
"'Night, Chihiro."
"Good night, Rin."
------oOo------
Early the next morning, Chihiro ran down the main wooden staircase, her arms raised away from her sides to steady her. She was calling for Haku. It was time.
A third of the way down a particular flight she lost control of her legs and, yelling for everyone to watch out, careened willy-nilly into a wooden wall which shielded an elevator tube, slamming into it with such force that she bounced off it and fell to the floor, landing roughly on her butt. She groaned and rubbed her posterior as she stood back up. She checked her face; fortunately her nose wasn't broken, though it stung.
Haku, who had heard her call and was already going up the staircase to meet her, saw what had happened and rushed to her side to help her up. "For goodness' sake, Chihiro!" he shouted, looking her over. "You're no longer a clumsy ten-year-old! Be more careful, please?"
"I'm sorry," she apologized, grinning ruefully and scratching her elastic-bound hair. She gave the bottom step a gentle kick. "I guess the bathhouse and I don't really get along." She blushed as she saw the few people in the area shielding their faces and chuckling at her misfortune.
Haku swept his glance around the immediate vicinity, silencing the titters and chitters of laughter with his angry gaze. "Why were you looking for me?" he asked, linking elbows with her.
"It's time for you to bring Nausicaä home." Haku could feel the sadness in Chihiro's voice. "She's all set and eager to go."
"Okay." They began to trudge back up the stairs.
"Chihiro?"
"Hmm?"
"You think your future husband will like getting married to a red-nosed woman who falls down a lot?"
"Shut up." She gave him a punch on the shoulder. "Thanks a lot."
------oOo------
Rin was in Nausicaä's room, having just served her a last meal. The Princess was again wearing her blue flying clothes, miraculously healed of all the hurts they had suffered.
"All set?" asked Haku.
Nausicaä nodded as she lifted the sack containing the mysterious parcel onto her shoulder. She had left her world bearing one; now she was returning to it carrying another. And this one was almost as heavy as the previous one was, when she carried Boo in it.
"Then let's go."
------oOo------
They all went up to Yu-baaba's balcony, where the bathhouse owner awaited them in its anteroom, along with a tremendously rotund gray mouse and a black bird the size of a large fly, that seemed all beak and leg and barely any body.
"Well, I guess this is it," Yu-baaba said. "Goodbye, Princess Nausicaä. I must say I regret your going."
"No doubt because of the gold," Haku muttered under his breath. Chihiro elbowed him in the ribs, and he cast an annoyed look at her.
"Thank you for everything." The Princess bowed to all of them. "I'd like to stay longer, but I'm getting homesick. And I have these things to deliver..." She patted the sack.
"Haku, she's in your hands now," said Yu-baaba, who was then content to fade into the background and leave things up to everyone else.
The river spirit took Nausicaä's hand and started to lead her out to the balcony, but she stopped him. She turned to look back at Chihiro. "I guess this is when I'm supposed to take my leave of you."
"Yes, it is. But we'll see each other again." Chihiro smiled. "Have a safe trip home, Nausicaä."
The wind-rider could not forbear giving her one last hug. "Take care," she whispered. "Congratulations on getting married."
"Thank you." Chihiro kissed her on the cheek, then looked down. "Oh!" The mouse and the fly-bird were bumping into her ankle, trying to get her attention.
"What do you two want?"
To Nausicaä, who already thought the mouse looked suspiciously familiar, everything suddenly became clear. Her eyes widened.
"Is that Yu-baaba's son?" She knelt down and carefully let the mouse and the fly-bird hop onto her palm. "Hi. So that's what you look like when you're in another shape. You're so cute." She held them out to Haku. "Your promise."
Haku looked at the eager faces of the two creatures and sighed. Taking the mouse from Nausicaä's hand and placing it on his shoulder, he cautioned it, "You had better hold on," as he eyed Yu-baaba. "I don't want anything happening to you." As he spoke, the fly-bird fastened itself onto his shoulder beside the mouse.
They went out to the balcony, where Nausicaä put on her cloth helmet and fastened her ear flaps, cinched her sack against herself, and checked her belt, boots, and spats. When she was finished, Haku instructed her to climb on his back and put her arms around his neck. Then he hooked his elbows under her knees, and when everyone was set, he looked at Rin and Chihiro.
"I'll see you two in a while."
"Take care, Haku," Rin said, wagging a finger at him. "Wouldn't want to make Chihiro here worry too much about you."
"Hey, when have I ever been reckless?"
The mock-boastful look on Haku's face made Rin grunt in laughter. She made a show of gathering a deep breath. "Well, there was the time you sampled that potion from my desk without asking it what it was. Yeah, served you right. Then there was that race you entered with the spirit of the Sumida, without getting approval from the town council and wrecking the Renewal Festival in the process. Then there was that little matter about scaring Chihiro half to death and making her wet her bed by waking her up through tapping on her window while in dragon form..."
"I-I don't think we need to know any more," stammered an annoyed and mortified voice. It was Chihiro. "Anyway, Haku?"
"Yes?"
Nausicaä could see the affection in their eyes and a sparkling purple glow in Chihiro's shoulder-length hair as the two exchanged glances. "Thanks for agreeing to come to my wedding. Hurry back."
"Of course." Haku turned to Yu-baaba, who was standing by the door. "I'm leaving."
Yu-baaba nodded, and Haku braced Nausicaä against himself and with a mighty leap propelled himself into the air. The Princess thought she heard the roar of a dragon as the river spirit took off, but guessed that it was just the sudden rush of the wind. She looked back one last time, at the fast-dwindling figures on the balcony.
"Goodbye, Chihiro!" she yelled. "Goodbye, Rin! Goodbye, Yu-baaba!"
The figures waved back, and Nausicaä turned away and faced forward, no longer wanting to look at them because she feared she might start crying. She wondered when she would next see the little girl who had run around the studio bringing foodstuff to everyone during the Christmas party.
You won't map my future out for me, will you? she thought to herself. We'll see who surprises whom next time. She smiled. The coming years suddenly seemed bright and full of promise.
------oOo------
Chihiro watched the wind-rider and water-god soar away into the lightening sky, and wiped the solitary tear from her face. Goodbye, onee-chan. Under a different sky, in a different time, we'll meet again.
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(Posted Tue, 21 Jun 2005 19:14)
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