This is only half of what I had planned originally for this chapter, but it will have to do for now. I will be working double shifts at work for the next 2 weeks meaning my time to write will be nonexistent so I wanted to give you what I have so far. I am going to aim for a July 24th update, but there is a good chance I will not update again until early August sometime since i have to move out of my lair and prepare to live out of my suitcase for the month of August. I got the poll fixed so PLEASE GO VOTE. It's simple really. You go click on my name (northestwinds) and you will see a small graph at the top of the profile page that you can click on to see the prompt to vote. If I get over twenty votes on the poll I'll post two chapters with the next update or something to reward you guys for your participation in solving my indecisiveness.
Thanks for your continued support and patience. You guys are the best and I'm grateful to have you guys as readers.
PS- I don't write tragedies cause I'm one of those saps that cries for hours after one of the characters I like dies. I still haven't gotten over the engineer's death in Valkyria Chronicles and its been two years...anyways, do not give up hope. I have an ending worked out that is in line with everything that I have set up thus far and fulfills the romantic desires between the two leads...it's just a long way on the horizon.
Chapter 20:
Several days had passed in silence between Lin, Chihiro and Haku. Nobody had seen Haku around the bathhouse since the last major rain, though there were rumors of several small skirmishes occurring in the woods beyond the town. The flowers had stopped appearing in front of her room each morning, much to Chihiro's relief. After their fight, she had thrown out all of the flowers in her room and the small stones he had given her. She had even picked up the hairpins with the intention of sending them down the trash shoot as well, but found she didn't have the heart to destroy them. Secretly she treasured them like her memories of their shared time together. Chihiro was trying hard to get over her broken heart, but each night she would glance at the closed box in her closet with a small frown. Logic argued against it, but her heart still wanted him. Lin gave Chihiro the space she thought she needed and continued on with her work grumpily. For her part, Chihiro worked almost incessantly on the summoning dance and after her morning lessons with Yui, would practice at the infirmary so Hikaru and Okita could help correct her. Eventually she did go and apologize to Lin, but didn't explain herself other than to say she had had a bad day. Lin accepted her apology and passed the blame off on disappointment from Haku's rejection. In time she was sure they would be back to being close again. The tension between the heads of staff and the missing master was well-hidden by the excitement for the upcoming festival.
When Haku did arrive back to the bathhouse, Lin was the first person waiting for him in his office with a hand cocked angrily on her hip.
"You could have at least sent me a note. Where have you been? I've been worried sick! Chihiro is acting weird, you have been missing, and Watari-san is as stone faced as ever, useless bird that she is."
"There were several Tainted assassins lurking in the woods beyond the town that needed disposing of. Those eels are useless pieces of shit," Haku swore with disgust and sat down in his office chair. Slamming her hands down on the desk, Lin leaned towards him.
"Well I could have used some notice! The heads of the planning committees have been throwing a fuss since we are only a week and a half away from the matsuri and they need final budget approvals before proceeding. We also need to finalize the list of guests we are having during the matsuri so that those denied can make other arrangements. And most importantly you haven't seen Chihiro. She's so focused on perfecting that stupid dance that I swear the bones of her feet are coming out of her fragile skin. Aren't you supposed to be taking care of her?" Picking up the first stack of papers on his desk, Haku began to absentmindedly read them.
"What she chooses to do with her time here is none of my concern so long as she is nearby and secure," Haku drawled without interest. Lin looked at him in shock. Was this really the same dragon that had growled at her weeks prior for coming within ten feet of the girl? He was acting just as strange as Chihiro.
"Did you lose your perfect little control and kiss her again? Is that why both of you are acting like this? I thought your rejection the other day was fairly destructive on its own without you leading her heart this way and that."
"Our relationship or lack thereof is none of your concern."
"It becomes my concern when one of you is trying to work herself to death and the other is off fighting battles that don't need to be fought. Haku, be honest with me. I'm not the enemy here and you know I'm the closest thing you got to a friend." Cocking an eyebrow at her over his papers, he let his lips quip up in a mocking expression.
"Look Lin, things are much more complicated than I'm willing to explain. There is too much at stake for me to consider pursuing her at the moment, even if I was interested in doing so. I have to keep the peace."
"Now we are getting somewhere," Lin said with a sarcastic sigh and eye roll, "So you like her back, but are finding excuses why you two can't be together. Why am I not surprised. You guys always make the little things so complicated! Oh and speaking of complications, in case you forgot proper courting etiquette, let me remind you that using magic to punish someone for trying to get close to you is a shitty way to go about rejecting them. If you use magic to harm her again, trust me when I say that I will be sharpening my blades and coming to pay you a visit, master of the bathhouse or not." Haku stopped himself from correcting her. There was no way he was going to honestly admit to her what really happened those moments of contact when he had tittered on the pinnacle of his control.
"I'll keep that in mind should she ever decide to grace me with such favors again," Haku replied with a nonchalant smirk. Inside he felt anything but what he was projecting. Lin balked at the expression and felt herself grind her teeth in anger.
"Finish this paperwork before lunchtime so I can distribute it before the afternoon committee meetings," Lin demanded whirling on her heel and stalking towards the door. Stopping in the doorway, she frowned back at Haku. "She deserves better than you. I hope you know that."
As the door slammed behind her, Haku felt himself slump in his chair. The impact of her words threw salt in the wounds. "Tell me something I don't already now," he whispered before turning his gaze towards Chihiro's closed door. Shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts of her, Haku started on the paperwork piled atop his desk.
"These are the ankle bells, fan, and mask you will be wearing when you conduct the ceremony," Yui stated as she placed the boxes onto the tatami floor beside them. Opening them with precision, she pulled out each relic and explained its history. Chihiro slowly put on the mask and bells before taking the fan from Yui's extended wings. "From now on, you will practice as if each run through is the ceremony itself. I will mimic the motions he is bound to take, but you must keep your mind completely blank. By not focusing on a specific spirit, you should be able to feel the flow of magic without committing it to action."
Together they went through the summoning ritual with the relics and Chihiro felt the weight of each movement. It was like her entire body was charged and she moved slowly with purpose as if underwater. Suddenly, Yui's nit picking from the beginning made sense. She made far fewer mistakes now with the actual objects than she probably would have otherwise. Small things like the small wrist flip before the dip helped to keep the tassel of the fan untangled and the turning out of her feet helped her keep her balance. All of it had a purpose and she had learned well. As they finished up the ritual dance, Chihiro closed the ceremony out and allowed the relics to slip through her fingers to rest in their boxes. Her feet and hands were red as if stung by the energy she moved and her face was flushed and sweating. Despite her discomfort, Chihiro could feel the pride that Yui vibrated as the crane spirit smiled widely at her.
"That was very good for a first time. Let's do it again a few more times and call it a day. You will need time to recover after using magic for the first time." Smiling back at her, Chihiro picked up the relics and donned them again. This time they seemed to hum slightly with resonant energy, but she started the dance again. "Who knows, you might even be able to show Okita-san your dance tomorrow night at his going away party if you work hard."
Chihiro took Yui's last minute advice to soak her hands and feet in cold water. With a basin of water in hand and a few frozen towels, she found a comfortable seat in front of the fire and set up camp. Haku had been gone for days and she had yet to see him, but it was obvious from the silence that he was not here. Moving her toes slowly into the water, she relaxed the muscles of her legs and closed her eyes. She had worked hard to get here and the fact that Yui was finally allowing her to practice with the relics meant that she was reaching an acceptable performance. The only downside of practicing with the relics is that her feet and hands became sore after every run through. She wondered if it had anything to do with the channeling of energy through the dance motions. Wrapping her hands in towels, Chihiro closed her eyes and relaxed back into the couch. The sound of the door opening from Haku's office didn't even phase her.
Haku saw Chihiro sprawled out on the sofa with her hands wrapped, feet soaking, and eyes closed. Even from his position in the doorway he could see the sores troubling her. He was tempted to go over and lay a hand on her to send a small burst of healing magic through her. Remembering their last meeting, he instead moved quickly to retrieve one of the numerous gifts in his room. Spirits were beginning to arrive in town for the festival and many of them were eager to pay their respects to the master of the bathhouse. Returning back, he stood beside the couch and cleared his throat loudly to get her attention. Lazily opening her eyes, Chihiro looked at him as if she wasn't truly seeing him. It was easier for her to pretend he didn't exist than to face the truth.
"Zeniba has sent dango from the Capital as an apology for her long delay. I hope that you will share some with me," Haku lied easily as he opened the box and offered her one of the leaf wrapped treats as a peace offering. Taking one neatly and putting it into her mouth, Chihiro muttered her thanks and focused her eyes on the fire. Sitting on the far end of the couch, Haku set the box between them and nudged them closer to her. "Feel free to help yourself. I already ate my share and it's you who has been truly inconvenienced by this whole mess."
Chihiro defiantly popped another one into her mouth and kept her internal sighing from coming out. She had been so caught up with the preparations for the festival and the whole situation with Haku that she had almost forgotten the ticking clock hanging overhead. Wrapping some hair behind her ear, she wondered if he was expecting her to start a conversation since he was still sitting there. This was the closest they had been in days and the longest they had spoken since the milestone fight.
"I thought she would have found the answer by now."
"The archives at the Capital are extensive and even for a skilled witch like her, they are a challenge to navigate." Leaning over, Haku took one of the dango and ate it as he watched her out of the corner of his eye. Her eyes had peeled downwards after taking another sweet into her mouth. A hint of red bean paste lay exposed at the corner of his mouth and he was sorely tempted to close the distance between them and lick it off. His thoughts were interrupted as the lights suddenly went off and the sound of a wailing siren pierced the air. Chihiro's fear was instant as she turned to look at his calm expression with her own concern. He could smell the angst and terror coming off of her, but all he felt was resignation at his interrupted attempt to make peace. The barrier across the river was under attack and that meant he needed to go. Haku got up and moved smoothly towards the cabinet as Chihiro hastily dried her hands and feet off.
"I should get downstairs and help Lin lock down the bathhouse. Surely there is something I can do to help."
"You should stay up here where it's safe," Haku countered as he quickly poured a small cup of tea from the waiting tea pot on the table. She couldn't recall it being there before, she would have helped herself to some if it had, but it was there now. The room was lit by the flashing red lights that cast the room in an eerie glow. Chihiro watched him down the tea quickly and grimace at its flavor.
"I am going with or without your permission, Haku. I would be of more use downstairs helping out. If it makes you feel better, I promise I will be careful."
"If you are going to be stubborn and insist on going then at least let me give you something to improve your chances of survival, incase anything happens. Kamaji warned me you would try something like this when the time came and to think I actually doubted him…" Haku grumbled as he went to the cabinet and quickly fetched a small bottle. Pouring its contents into the tea cup, he quickly filled it with tea and offered it out to her with indifference. Taking the cup with a skeptical expression, Chihiro drank the tea back and felt herself grimace at the terrible bitterness that followed. She was more surprised that he hadn't asked for her to put the hairpins in since Lin had admitted he had charmed them for her protection.
"Then I'll be off then," Chihiro muttered as she put the cup back onto the table and started to walk past Haku. Stopping to give him a smile she spoke honestly. "And thanks Haku. For trusting me."
Nodding his head he motioned for her to continue. Walking confidently into his office, Chihiro made her way towards the door as he followed closely behind. She had nearly no time to react as her knees suddenly buckled out from underneath her and her vision faded to black. Catching her in his arms, Haku adjusted her limp unconscious form closer to his chest. Apologizing earnestly to her, he held her tight for a moment longer before walking to the bathroom. Bubbling happily with eagerness, his water had already removed the cover and drain cover of the bath in preparation.
Climbing the steps to the edge of the bath, Haku carefully considered what he was about to do. He could feel the tremor of his barrier under attack, but that didn't stop him from curtly reminding his water of all of the things that could go wrong. There was no time for him to hide her anywhere else and he sure as hell wasn't going to let her downstairs when the bathhouse was under siege. He was going to have to trust himself, trust in his water, to keep her safe. Sliding her gently into his water, he felt the water carefully wrap itself around her. Leaning over he tested the air bubble around her face to make sure it was adequate and with a rue of regret wiped the smear of red bean paste away from the corner of her mouth. She had trusted him moments before and would surely be angry at him later for this, but her safety was worth it. Giving his water a quick nod, he watched it pull her down the drain as fast as it could, eager for its time alone with her. Haku closed the cover over the bathtub and walked quickly to the balcony to change forms. The town across the river was the source of the disturbance, and though it felt manageable he was not going to take any chances.