I have decided based on the pattern of views that I will try to update every other Wednesday from now on. This chapter had to be the toughest for me to write yet since I didn't want to use a time skip and I didn't really want to talk about all the little things that make up Chihiro's every day experience. Even after staring at it for two weeks, it seems terribly rough. After I finish writing the entire story I plan on going back and fixing all of these rough points, so please bear with it as I push ahead. As always, reviews and messages are the best way to get me moving faster on the next chapter. Thank you for your continued support.
Chapter 9:
The sound of rain pitter pattering on wood rang throughout the bathhouse as the morning routine got under way. Chihiro came downstairs after giving up on dragging the hung over Lin from her bed, only to find that she was not needed. After making the usual rounds, she found herself asking the foreman again for any task he might have. There was simply nothing that wasn't being attended to already with so few customers and all hands on deck.
"With the weather we are having, I doubt we will have many more spirits visit us. I'm letting people off in every department today to relax. Not even Yui makes the journey here when it rains. The best thing you could do is find some quiet corner out of the way and relax. We will be busy enough tomorrow if the lands flood." As the foreman had patiently explained to her when she had first arrived downstairs, the majority of spirits that regularly came to the bathhouse chose to stay home and relish in the rainfall rather than make the journey to the bathhouse. Though not nearly as strong as bathhouse water, natural rainfall was cleansing for spirits, especially spirits associated with water. However too much water could cause flooding, and that could clog up many water spirits with impurities. It was all a delicate balance. Taking his advice, Chihiro set off to create her own entertainment by exploring the nooks and crannies of the bathhouse.
Chihiro began her wild adventure on the floor below Haku's flat. Wandering among the finely polished floors she peeked into several of the rooms reserved for their finest quests. The crisp tatami crunched quietly beneath her feet as she entered the last room in the hall. Green and gold paint glimmered from the paper walls, depicting flying pheasants and pleasant woodlands. Chihiro gently traced a finger along the wall as she followed the painting around.
"Are you having fun there," a voice interrupted in her ear. Jumping in surprise, Chihiro spun around to face Haku.
"Jeez Haku, cough or something next time. You scared me!" He laughed as she swatted his arm in irritation.
"Alright, alright sorry," he rectified as he grabbed his stinging arm. Giving him a parting frown she looked back at the painting. It was like he had appeared out of thin air. How had she not heard him sneak up behind her? Noting how the edge of his blue kimono was not even a step away, she wondered what brought him to this floor when they had no guests here.
"Do you need something," she asked as she resumed her tracing. Stepping to stay beside her, Haku watched her finger travel.
"No, I just heard you down here and thought I'd come investigate. I eh missed you last night," he nervously admitted as he ran a hand through his hair. Looking back at him, she smirked at his uncomfortable stance.
"Yeah, I kinda missed you too," she replied nonchalantly. Haku stopped in his steps for a moment before continuing after her. Scrambling to find anything to talk about, he said the first thing that came to mind.
"When the weather lets up, would you go out on a picnic with me?" Haku felt a moment of panic rush over him. Did he just ask her on a date? He had to stop himself from smacking the palm of his hand to his forehead right then and there. Chihiro picked up her pace to keep the grin that grew at his words from showing. He took her movement as a denial and started to come up with some excuse to cover his actions. Why had he asked her that when he knew what was at stake? Hadn't Lin made it clear that he was getting much too comfortable with her and needed to keep his distance? Chihiro was actually thinking that going on a picnic with the handsome dragon could be a lot of fun, especially if they were trying to rekindle their friendship. Surely he wasn't asking her on a date…that would be impossible.
"Where would we go? Aren't most of the gardens filled with outdoor baths here?" Haku felt his racing heart soar at her casual acceptance, but it was followed by a plague of guilt. He was keeping secrets from her, yet she trusted him so easily…but that didn't matter right now. What mattered was her easy acceptance to going out with him.
"There is a beautiful flower maze nearby that I think you would enjoy. There is also a nice traditional Japanese garden on the side of the bathhouse for the staff to enjoy. If you would prefer that one-"
"No, the flower garden sounds just fine." Catching up with her, he stepped in front of her and put an arm out as if to admire the painting as well. Instead his purpose was to stop her long enough to examine her expression. The small blush across her cheeks was quickly met with a matching blush from his own and he suddenly felt nervous. She had agreed to go on a date with him and despite everything, he was cheering in delight inside. Now he just had to make sure that everything was perfect.
"Well I suppose that I will get back to work then. Have fun in your wandering," he said awkwardly and with a bow departed quickly with a kick in his step. Chihiro watched him go and couldn't stop the giggle that followed afterwards. For someone who was going on a picnic with a friend, he was awfully excited she thought.
After exploring most of the upper levels, Chihiro found herself sitting at the edge of the side garden Haku had mentioned. Her bare feet dangled off the hallway edge and hung dangerously close to the mud below as she let the rain water hit her calves. Gutters sloshed water over their edges and tin buckets placed out in the open to catch the water were overflowing. Even in the dark and rain, she could admire the simple beauty of the Japanese garden. The gardeners had truly outdone themselves with the white stone path and mossy stone statues. Sitting quietly in thought she debated what she could do for the remainder of the day. Perhaps taking lunch with Kamaji would take up some of her time after checking in on Lin. Watching an infirmary worker appear out in the rain to collect a handful of buckets, Chihiro didn't notice how the ground seemed to weep water and how some of that water moved towards her feet. Collecting first in tiny droplets and then in small streams, the water pooled below her feet, waiting for just the right moment... Pulling her feet back inside to wipe them dry, the water receded back into the ground. Tugging on her socks, Chihiro moved with purpose to intercept the infirmary worker.
"Pardon me," Chihiro called out waving a tentative hand to stop the yuna. Turning to her and staring with wide eyes, the yuna nearly lost the buckets she was carrying inside. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if anyone was going to take care of the patient in hospice if Yui isn't going to be here today."
"The magic in hospice will care to his dietary and excretory needs since he is unconscious so there is no need for any of the staff to risk their skin to check on him."
"Don't his wound dressings need to be changed daily?"
"The wounds can manage for a day or two until Yui returns. It's not like he has any hope of recovery," she replied with a huff of irritation. Politeness told her to let the yuna go, but curiosity insisted she ask the question burning in her mind.
"What does the infirmary need with the rain water?"
"We use it to cool down the spirits and bathe them. Now if you don't mind, these buckets are fairly heavy and I am expected back."
"Yes of course," Chihiro muttered absentmindedly and with a short bow, the yuna hurried off. She stared out into the rain as her thoughts ran ahead of her. Not caring for someone just because they were likely to die rubbed Chihiro the wrong way. Everyone should be getting equal care and those dying should be no exception to that. If it were her, wouldn't she want to go out comfortably? Letting her feet carry her forward, Chihiro set her tentative thoughts into action.
Carrying a bucket of rain water in hand, Chihiro pushed open the door to the hospice infirmary. Empty silence greeted her as the steam washed over her and the door shut behind her. She walked towards the supplies crates and dug around until she found a comb, wash towels, wound dressings, and poultice materials. Ignoring the sweat beginning to drip down her brow from the steam, Chihiro made her way to the bedside of the only resident living in there. Putting the supplies on the bed beside her, she picked up the clipboard at the foot of the bed and reviewed Yui's patient care notes. Chihiro noted the old poultice placements and took a deep breath before setting aside the clipboard.
"Hello there, kitsune-san. My name is Chihiro Ogino and I will be cleaning your wounds today," Chihiro spoke in a shaking voice. Placing her hand on his bare shoulder, she could feel his steady heart beating, reassuring her that he was not yet gone. Everyone else might have given up on him, but something told her that he was far from being done. Carefully removing the poultices, she followed the same cleaning procedure as she had seen Yui perform the other day. However before applying the new poultices, Chihiro wet the comb in rain water and used it to gently remove some of the dirt and knots in his fur. Working gently, she began singing quietly to herself as a mental distraction from the task at hand. Once his chest was clean, she applied the new poultices and set to work combing out all of the dirt and tangles from his matted fur. Every now and then, the fox would shift in his sleep and sigh. Chihiro gently combed through the now clean fur on his face.
"You must of have been quite a handsome fox with this white fur of yours. I wonder how you wound up here," she spoke softly as she sat back onto her heels. Giving him a glance over she felt better about his state than before. There were areas she hadn't traveled to out of discomfort but surely having most of him clean was a start. How could someone heal if they weren't clean? All of the sweat pouring out of their bodies from the steam and incense couldn't have been comfortable. Wetting some rags with the still cool rain water, Chihiro wrapped his forearms, calves and forehead. Gathering up the trash and left over supplies, she returned to the supply crates to dispose of them before returning to remove the now warm rags.
"Well I guess I will get going then. Feel better soon," she whispered and with a parting glance, she disappeared back into the steam to find the exit.
Chihiro dangled her feet off the edge of the bed and looked at the vial clasped in her hand. She had had a nice afternoon with Lin and Kamaji in the boiler room, organizing the herb shipments as they chatted. Kamaji had shared with her some of the funny stories of the bathhouse and she in turn shared some of her stories from high school and university. Lin was particularly fascinated with Chihiro's failed dating attempts and oftentimes interrupted with tales of her own failures. Kamaji chuckled from his perch above them as he poured out more tea. Time seemed to fly and before long, Chihiro excused herself for bed. A long relaxing bath later and here she was ready to go to bed as the rain continued its assault on the bathhouse. Turning the vial in her hand, she thought over the possible consequences that taking it could have. Part of her hesitated to take the mysterious substance, but the desire to know more, to remember what had been taken, was too tempting. Opening the vial, she took a sniff and felt her nose crinkle at the familiar scent of ginseng. Chihiro up ended the vial as she would a shot and swallowed the vile substance down. Tossing the empty vial into the nearby trashcan, she laid down beneath the covers and fell asleep.
Loud club music roared over the sound of a flowing fluid onto ice as Chihiro opened her eyes. Staring at the alcohol spiraling into a glass, her vision blurred to focus on the image before her. Stumbling off of her bar stool, Chihiro felt the world spin around her as if she were heavily intoxicated. It was so hard to focus. People were dirty dancing in time to the bass, but sometimes when the colored lights flickered in a particular manner she saw spirits in some of their places. Continuing her slow pace forward, Chihiro stopped to hold her reeling head. The floor was not supposed to be at such a sharp angle and the edges of her vision seemed to fade irregularly into black. Moving out onto the dance floor, Chihiro pushed past some of the other dancers until she was at the center. Giving herself over to the music, she closed her eyes and started dancing.
Firm hands grasped her hips and brought her moving form back against firm, warm flesh. Ignoring the small voice in the back of her mind screaming that it wasn't right, she pushed back into the man and heard his gasp of pleasure above her ear. Lifting her arms upward, Chihiro wrapped them around his neck and continued dancing. With the way her head was spinning, she couldn't focus long enough to care about anything more than the pound of the music and the feel of his body against hers. It was the familiar whisper of her name spoken like a caress that jolted her eyes open and brought her to push away from him. Turning to face him, Chihiro was surprised to see Haku standing there looking back at her.
Looking him over with an appreciative eye, Chihiro admired the way his dark green button up and black slacks framed his narrow build. The people dancing around them seemed to push them back together and Haku smiled warmly down at her as he wrapped his arms around her once more. Running her hands up his chest, she began to rock against him in time to the music once more. She didn't care if he was a dragon, right here and right now, he was a human man in her world and she wanted him. Primal urges heated her blood as they moved tighter and tighter together. Chihiro could feel the tension in him, as if he too could feel the pressure. She had to close her eyes again as her head reeled, but she grounded herself in the feel of him. Opening her eyes, Chihiro found his forehead pressed against hers and his green eyes gazing into her. The short distance between their lips disappeared and Haku kissed her with a fiery passion that ignited every cell in her body. Giving him entrance to her mouth, their tongues warred as she pushed even closer to him.
Chihiro closed her eyes and let her head roll back as Haku moved his rough kisses from her mouth down her neck. When she opened her eyes again, she was laid out on a soft white bed naked and Haku was busy kissing his way down her neck to far more interesting places. Chihiro could feel the heat in her blood sear even hotter under his tender ministrations. She could not think of anything other than him. It was all so right and so wrong at the same time. Her vision seemed to black out again, only to recover to the view of Haku's head down between her legs. Surely he wasn't going to-Chihiro's brain short circuited at the feel of his lips and tongue starting a form of physical magic she had yet to experience in reality. It took Chihiro several hazy moments to mentally recover from the shock and the resounding waves of pleasure rolling through her body. Opening her mouth to try and stop him, all that came out was a loud moan as he found the right spot.
"Chihiro, Chihiro," Haku called through the closed door jolting Chihiro from her sleep, "Are you alright in there?" Chihiro's eyes darted around taking in her sweaty, aroused state and the mess of sheets surrounding her. A hot blush of embarrassment crossed her cheeks and she smacked both hands to her face to cover it. At least Haku hadn't come in to check on her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. What's going on," Chihiro called out. She mentally groaned at the throaty sound of her voice and prayed that he would not open the door.
"It seems the rain has let up for a bit and the bathhouse is at relative ease. Would you like to go for that picnic now?" Chihiro nearly cursed her luck as she disentangled from the sheets. Of course she would have to spend the morning with the man she just spent the night have illicit fantasies about...not that he had to know that. Using a left over towel from the hamper, she tried to quickly wipe off most of the sweat and other fluids that she had acquired. Realizing that only a cold shower would fix her, Chihiro crossed the room and threw open the door to face Haku.
"Yeah, sure, but let me take a quick shower first and get ready," she replied as she hurried past him towards the bathroom. Haku felt himself stiffen in more ways than one at the scent that drifted off of her. As the bathroom door slammed shut, he leant into her bedroom and took another sniff to be sure. Frowning slightly, he quickly shut the bedroom door and retreated back to his desk to find the most boring accounting statements he could find.