Hey everyone. I'm sorry for the long delay, but I truly struggled in writing this chapter. It did not come out the way I wanted it to, but its been two weeks and despite numerous edits, it simply has not gotten there. Rather than continue to stew over it, I have decided to post it and move on. The faster I can get to the end of arc one the faster I can go back and edit all of the chapters and smooth everything out. I know that by the end of this chapter you will probably want to rage quit the story (I know if I was a reader this would probably be the end of the line for me) however I ask that you give me at least two or three more chapters to try and show you why these events were necessary and meaningful to the overall story. The next chapter is already half written which would usually mean I could post fairly soon, but I have to write 8 12-15 page papers for my classes over the next two months meaning I might be burnt out for a bit and take a while again.
Poll: 12 out of 15. I've pretty much made up my mind on which one I want to work on, however this needs to be finished first before I start on that project in detail and I said I would leave the poll open until the arc ends.
As usual, thanks for your patience and support. I promise you will have your Haku x Chihiro fluff and relationship eventually, but first there are bigger fish to fry. ;)
Chapter 27:
Chihiro sat upright with a shock as she gulped down air hungrily. Her nostrils faintly burned still and her hands were twisted in the sheets as if to hold on for dear life. Taking a deep breath, Chihiro felt her body slowly calming down from the aftereffects of the tanuki ash. Late afternoon sun poured in the window telling her it was much too early for her to be awake, but her body was much too awake to consider going back to sleep. Wiping a hand across her nostrils, she frowned as the smear of black residue that spread to her appendage. Chihiro slid out of bed and silently walked her way into the bathroom. Streaks of black mixed with the cold water flowing down the drain and she looked at her messy appearance in the mirror. Sweat greased hair that was tousled from her restlessness and dark circles hanging beneath her eyes greeted her. Wiping her face off with a spare towel, Chihiro exited the bathroom and almost crashed into Haku who was making his way in sleepily. Startling at his half naked state, Chihiro blushed heavily and looked away as she muttered a good morning.
"Good morning to you as well. What wakes you at this hour of morning," Haku asked curiously as he moved past her into the entranceway to the bathroom.
"Just couldn't sleep," Chihiro remarked waving it off. Leaning against the doorframe, Haku smiled at her. Chihiro couldn't help but feel her face flame red at the way his eyes sparkled with his earnest sleepy smile and how his body looked lounging on display before her. Tugging her eyes away, she reminded herself of all the reasons Haku was off limits and not worth the trouble of pursuing any longer.
"It's not often our schedules match up," Haku stated as Chihiro tried to leave to return to her room. Stopping in her tracks and turning back to face him, Chihiro raised an eyebrow in question. "Would you consider having breakfast with me? I've missed you."
Chihiro opened her mouth to turn him down and instead let out a sigh. Yui wouldn't be around until well after the sun went down and she was unusually starving at the moment (perhaps an aftereffect of the tanuki ash?). Balancing between desire to spend time with him and not wanting to develop any further feelings for him, Chihiro finally caved to the offer.
"I would like that."
Hana floated peacefully on the cushion in her palanquin as her procession made its way from her room to the front door. Today she would go out and receive the package her father had sent her from the river. She was pleased that it had arrived in time for the festival which would begin in two days' time. Talking idly to her friend and marriage rival from the neighboring swamplands, Shoko-chan, the two fish were being carried towards the exit. Shoko was a calm salmon spirit with a biting wit and a cleverness that Hana lacked. As Hana confided in how she was torturing a weasel spirit that hadn't given her the proper respect with difficult or painful chores, their palanquin drifted past the railing overlooking the large tub. Glancing down at her handiwork, Hana felt the words clam up in her mouth. The small weasel spirit was not fighting the bloodworms in the mud bath mess she had prepared as punishment. No, the large weasel spirit was deftly handling the known wetlands pest with an uncanny grace. Wrath and rage welled up within her and she growled quickly for the maid who had been sent to deliver the request originally to be brought forward. Bowing low to her, the salamander spirit that served as one of her maids trembled in fear before her.
"Tell me why someone other than the small weasel is doing what I have asked?"
"I passed on the request to the foreman and was assured it would be seen to. I am so sorry Hana-sama, please punish me as you see fit." Turning to her companion with a sinister smile, Hana mocked the quivering girl. She hadn't been accompanying Hana for long and with the recent death of some of the more senior maids she couldn't afford to kill off another, but that didn't mean they couldn't have fun at her expense.
"Oh whatever shall we do with her? Shoko-chan, perhaps you have a suggestion?" Eyes glinting with happiness, the salmon leant out of the palanquin and lifted the girl's bowed head.
"Bring the foreman to us and I will ensure that you only receive the lightest of beatings." Shaking her head rapidly, the maid's eyes darted towards Hana's before she bowed quickly and ran off.
"What are you thinking?"
"It's troublesome to dispose of corpses on other spirit's turf. Simply kill her when you get home, but let her serve you dutifully for now." Together they laughed as the palanquin resumed its arduous stroll towards the exit.
The morning had started the day off so well in Chihiro's mind that even the cloudy weather could not bring her down. Breakfast with Haku had been pleasant and relaxed as they sat back in their pajamas and watched the sunset. No matter how far Haku tried to push her away, it always seemed like they connected on some deeper level when they actually opened up and talked with one another. There had even been an unguarded moment when he had leaned forward and swept a strand of her hair out of her face, gently caressing her cheek in the process. Seeming to realize his mistake, he had mumbled out an excuse and looked away as he took a sip of his tea. The memory of that alone left her unusually happy and it showed in the slight kick in her step as she practiced.
As she had rehearsed diligently, Yui perched on the edge of the walkway and looked up at the darkening sky. With so many water spirits and other wetland spirits arriving for the festival, it was bound to start raining any hour now. Yui had reminded Chihiro at least half a dozen times that even if she had to leave to take care of her delta in the human world, her heart would be with here in spirit throughout her practice time and the performance. In her opinion, Chihiro was more than prepared for Sunday and would be able to prepare the relics and execute the dance beautifully. Yui's greatest concern was that the marriage candidates would try to harm Chihiro after the dance was over or that some of the powerful dignitaries might try to kidnap her to repeat the cleansing ritual in their lands should it be very successful.
Their peace was shattered as the door slid open and the room filled with water. Shouting out for Yui in her panic, Chihiro sloshed her way over to the crane spirit who was manipulating the water away from them. Gliding in upon the water, Hana and Shoko made their grand entrance.
"Master Haku, Master Haku," the foreman's voice rang out as the fat spirit labored in his quick pace upward. Slamming into the last elevator, he impatiently tapped his socked foot as it rose higher. Racing into Haku's office without knocking, he called again for the master of the bathhouse urgently.
"What is it," Haku asked as he rounded the corner of the desk already on high alert.
"She knows! Hana-sama knows that Lin has been covering for Chihiro." His mind darted as he thought of scenarios to ease the situation. Haku was more surprised that she hadn't sent a servant to complain on her behalf. "And she is heading to the shrine straightaway to punish her."
Haku slammed out of the room and transformed as he ran off the balcony. Flying quickly towards the shrine, he could only hope that he was in time to stop whatever chaos was occurring.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Haku could hear the cacophony of rising voices as he approached the shrine. Landing down and transforming back to his human form beside Yui's well, he took note of the situation. Yui and Chihiro were standing together on the walkway while Hana-chan and her right hand fish Shoko were floating in murky volatile water within the practice room. Instantly, Hana focused her yelling towards him as he walked forwards to get in between the two hostile groups.
"She has been avoiding the tasks that I have assigned her! How can you allow such an insolent rude creature in your bathhouse?"
"Chihiro is the honored dancer for the cleansing ritual! She doesn't have time for your petty games fish! Go back to your water where you belong!"
"How dare you speak to me like that? And don't think I will allow you to lie so openly about such an important matter. I will crush this shrine down to the gravel beneath it if the ceremony is not performed by a pure subject."
"I have been training hard for this, Hana-sama and will undergo the mandatory purification ritual the night before as tradition holds." All three of their voices grew in noise as they bickered and Haku closed his eyes as he tried to listen to all of them.
"Enough," Haku shouted over them and all fell silent. Hana was the first to recover and begin speaking again.
"Kohaku, surely you can't allow this to continue. She hasn't been punished for her insolence and has frankly skirted her duties as a staff member of the bathhouse."
"Hana-san, Chihiro is working at the bathhouse temporarily as my PERSONAL assistant and at my behest, will not take tasks brought forward by anyone else. As such the tasks were forwarded over to other staff members to accommodate your wishes."
"You couldn't have consented to her participation in the cleansing ceremony. Please tell me the crane is lying. You wouldn't make a mistake like that. She is a weasel for kami's sake!"
"Chihiro has worked hard since her arrival to master the ceremony and will be a suitable partner when the time comes to perform."
"Hana-chan is known for having some of the purest cleansing magic in all of the Wetlands. She is a better candidate for the performance than a mongrel from the West and could easily learn the entirety of the ceremony in only a few hours," Shoko said calmly as Hana twisted water irately about her fins.
"Of course I could do the ceremony with you Kohaku. It would mean the world to me to be on that stage with you and cleanse the land with the power of our combined magic," Hana added on as she tried to turn up her charm towards him by batting her eyelashes in his direction. Yui made a loud sound of disgust at the display.
"Hold on a second here. Chihiro here has been working for weeks on this dance. There is no way you would be able to master it with the relics before the ceremony."
"Hold your tongue you zealous bird." The shouting began in full again and Haku caught only bits of it as he put a hand to his head.
"Wait until my friends back at the Capital hear about this or my father. My father will have something to say about this I assure you."
"Well you can tell your father and your friends to come visit me anytime and I will show them exactly what happens when you mess with a delta spirit."
"This is absolutely ridiculous. I have come too far for you to just show up and take this away."
"Shoko has a point," Haku stated calmly as four sets of eyes directed their attention onto him. A drop of water could have fallen and sounded like a box of dropped bells in the silence that followed Haku's words. Instantly he regretted the decision, but if he took it back now Hana would definitely complain and bring down trouble. He couldn't bring himself to even look at Chihiro, already smelling the shift in her moods and knowing exactly how betrayed she would look. "The ceremony at the Lotus bathhouse is basically the same minus the relics, right Watari-san?"
"Yes," the crane admitted begrudgingly as her feathers settled down slightly from her ruffled position. The sound of rain drops beginning to fall outside and the shift of air pressure inside the shrine made it apparent that it was time for her to leave. Yui's brow became wet with sweat in her effort to remain planted in the room and not leave for the human world that instant.
"Then it's settled. Hana will perform the ceremony with me without the relics and Chihiro will be the backup in case something happens."
"What about all that I have put into this," Chihiro whispered but the sound of her voice rang loudly in the room. Yui put a wing around Chihiro and glared at Haku and Hana to the fullest extent.
"I hope you are happy now, Haku. Just remember that when you sleep with the devil you can't expect to wake up in heaven." Ushering Chihiro down the walkway away from the practice room, Yui held her head high with dignity.
"If it helps you cope better Chihiro, think of it as a gift," Haku called after them, "Now you can enjoy the festival to the fullest."
Yui managed to get Chihiro back to her personal room and sit her down on a cushion before erecting a barrier around the room. Turning her attention to the shocked, angry, heartbroken, confused, and betrayed human, she was at a loss of words to comfort her. The sound of rain pouring down could be heard and Yui was obviously in discomfort as she tried to fight the urge to go.
"I should have expected as much from him. Why would he put me first when he could be with her?" Looking up from her seat, Chihiro's eyes watered over onto her cheek.
"You know it isn't like that, Chihiro. We both know that Haku favors you above all others. Even his water sings praises in your name."
"If he really felt that way, then why would he betray me like this? I hate that fish and he knows it. Why would he give the dance to her?"
"He was just probably just trying to protect you in his own twisted way. I know it's hard to understand right now while you are upset, but there is so much more at stake than he is letting on. You should go talk to him after you calm down and sort this out. Maybe some sort of compromise can be made."
Chihiro mutely nodded her head and wiped the tears away. Glancing up at Yui she could see the pale state the crane was in. "I know you have to go. I can hear the rain from here."
"It's not that I don't want to stay, Chihiro. I don't want to leave you alone like this," Yui remarked as she preened a few sweaty feathers nervously. The weather was beginning to take its toll on her. "It's just…I made a contract. When it rains, I can't help returning to that place. No matter how long I live, I will always leave here when it rains."
"A true fair weather friend," Chihiro joked in poor taste. Yui grimaced at her words and hugged the girl closely.
"I will summon Lin here to be with you. Be strong, Chihiro. Don't give up hope and if all else fails, remember you can always return home. Sometimes it is just easier to forget the memories you don't wish to remember than live with them every day."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..
Haku could sense Chihiro's presence in the apartment as he and the foreman entered into his office that afternoon. Eagerly waving the spirit into the chair before his document covered desk, he moved quickly onto the other side. The faster he could finish submitting these reports to the foreman, the faster he could go talk to Chihiro and apologize. If he could just sit her down and explain why he had to do what he did this morning without exposing their relationship, he would feel the worlds better. In the meantime, the guilt would continue to eat him alive. Surely she would understand that he hadn't taken away the responsibility out of spite, but rather for their mutual safety. There would be no issue conducting the ceremony with the koi fish and now she would be free to enjoy the festival to her heart's content under his watchful eye. Submerging himself into updating the foreman, they were only halfway through the documents when a knock interrupted them. Calling for the person to come in, Haku stood up as Hana and two maids floated in. Haku couldn't ignore the way the foreman gulped nervously across from him.
"Kohaku, I wish to speak to you privately regarding a very important matter." Her maids seemed to seep into wall behind their mistress and she looked haughtily at the foreman.
"Master Haku, I would be happy to return at a later time if it would please you." Stepping out from around his desk, Haku leaned casually against it as he addressed his man.
"No that won't be necessary foreman. Hana-sama knows that guests are not permitted in my quarters and our meeting takes priority. If you will stand over there, I will erect a sound barrier around you and the maids so that I may speak with her privately for a moment. We can continue after that." Nodding his consent, the foreman retreated towards the entrance to the office and watched the bubble like film separate the office in half.
"I thought I should let you know that you have a spy for the Tainted within the bathhouse." Haku felt his heart squeeze in fear for the fraction of a second before forcing himself to relax. He knew his staff, and he could think of no one who would betray him or the bathhouse in that manner. "As you know my network of sources reaches from the far reaches of the North to the blistering deserts of the South, I would not lie to you on the matter."
"I will take your words into consideration and investigate myself. Thank you for your concern."
"My sources told me one other thing…," lowering her eyes she floated within an arms' reach of him. Her water gushed about his feet trying to lap him up, but he stood his ground with ease. Within seconds the water retracted from him as if spanked and returned to its master. Speaking to him as if she was telling him gossip that was almost too incredulous to believe, she lowered her voice before speaking. "They said you were in love with a human and that you were hiding her here in the bathhouse. Isn't that the most ridiculous thing?"
Haku felt his blood run cold and he worked hard to keep his face impassive. In the back of his mind, he was mentally screaming in concern and fear, but outwardly he seemed unmoved by the news. Smiling at her coyly, Haku reached out a hand and gentle caressed one of her long flowing fins. He could play this off. Haku could lie his way out of this and put her off Chihiro's tracks. Inside he grimaced at what he was about to do. Shooting a quick prayer to the kami above, Haku smirked flirty at Hana who nearly purred at his affectionate gaze.
"Do you really believe that I would be interested in a human," Haku brought the fin to his lips and placed a gentle kiss upon it, "when I could be with a spirit like you?"
"I didn't think so either and rumors can often be wrong. Besides where would you hide such a fragile creature," Hana laughed awkwardly, but the gears were still turning in her head as she spoke aloud, "but then again, you did protect that ugly weasel spirit this morning. We both know she did not deserve the honor you bestowed upon her."
"And did I not correct that mistake by giving you the dance? You will be exactly what we need on Sunday." The slight pout on her lips told him she wasn't completely sold on his act. He needed her to remain folded in his hand, otherwise there would be more lives at risk than just Chihiro's and his own. "Then let me erase any doubts you may have about my intentions."
Teasing the fin gently forward about him, Haku wrapped his arms around the koi fish and kissed her. Melting into his embrace, Hana threw herself forward against him pushing their bodies into the stacks of papers on his desk. Her fins wrapped and explored about his body as Haku kept the kiss going with a fake enthusiasm. As the sound of papers hitting the ground faded, he could hear a gasp. The sound of a tea cup shattering on the ground broke the two of them apart and their labored breathing was the only noise in the room. From the corner of Haku's eyes he could see the foreman's dropped jaw from behind the silence barrier. This would undoubtedly be all over the bathhouse by morning. Chihiro's mouth open and shut silently as she tried to come up with words to say, her dropped tea cup a breath away from her feet. Hana was the first to recover.
"What the hell is she doing in here?"
"There's no need to be so worked up Hana. Chihiro was just organizing the evening reports from each department on the dining room table as I had instructed her. I didn't think she would finish up this quickly. Chihiro-san, you are dismissed. Lin should be waiting for you back in her room." Chihiro looked back at him confused, but set her lips into a hard line. With a sweep of his hand, Haku returned the cup to its previous whole state and levitated it onto the desk. The previous tea occupant disappeared as if sucked in by the carpet.
"I apologize for the interruption, Master Haku," Chihiro grated out and with a half-assed bow, "I forgot one last thing and I will be out of your hair for the evening." Haku blatantly ignored her as he tried to soothe Hana-sama. Though he was grateful for the interruption, there could not have been a worse person to have walked in. There would be hell to pay when he tried to explain this. Cooing sweet nothings into Hana's ear hole in hopes of being believable, Haku stealthily tracked Chihiro as she left her bedroom and made her way towards the exit.
"I just can't stand her," Hana said loudly as Chihiro moved steadily towards the silence barrier and the exit, "both her and her sister should be sleeping down in the soot where they belong. I hear their homeland has been constantly burning since the famine started."
"So it has," Haku remarked as he watched his girl slip through the barrier with ease from his position over Hana's head. The foreman seemed to say something to her that made her stop and stare at him. Whatever she said in response brought a frown to his lips and she walked out the door without looking back. The sound of the wounded bell cried out in her wake and Haku knew that there wouldn't be time to catch her or finish his meeting with the foreman. "Unfortunately, it seems we have wounded arriving and I am needed downstairs. We will have to continue this another time when we don't have as many interruptions."
Pouting irately, Hana considered arguing, but decided she had won enough for one day. She had after all scored a kiss from the master of the bathhouse and that meant she was one step closer to her goal of marrying him. Nodding her head as if she were demure, Hana retracted her fins and let her eyes eat him over as he took down the silence barrier. Hurrying to instruct the foreman on the last of his reports, Haku made his way into the bowels of the bathhouse.
