Action is taking a hiatus; some brief chapters to establish future fluff and angst. Y'know how every comedy has a scene where the hero walks in on the heroine while she's bathing, and she beats him senseless (even when he's a superhero and she's a twig) ? This is my spin on that scene.
Chapter 3: Bath
The fire demon rose before dawn and slipped out. The temple was built in the valley between two wooded hills. In the small clearing the monk had planted a small, well-tended vegetable garden. Koichira didn't like it. She preferred wild roots and berries to those planted, and gardens never felt free or peaceful. The demon was looking for a spring or small river where she could bathe away the stench of sickness and confinement. She paused as if listening and extended her senses to her surroundings.
First she touched the grass beneath her feet, feeling its struggle to stand upright despite her crushing weight. There was a field mouse in its hole a meter to the left that was gnawing on grains of rice that the monk had washed from his dishes. Koichira skipped past these sensations, searching. She felt a comforting warmth behind her: the monk himself. Puzzled, the demon's consciousness shrank back away from him. Koichira had never before sensed a human's heart, only his powers. It was a deeply unsettling experience. The Shikon jewel glowed in her mind like a blinding white light; Koichira's mind retreated from its intensity. Stretching her mind farther, the demon was able to sense the patience of the old trees of the forest and, at the very edge of her range, a bird singing sweetly to attract a mate. Koichira was mildly surprised when a consciousness reached out to her. As the spirit's mind brushed against her own, the fire demon felt its glittering joy and the coolness of flowing water.
Koichira walked slowly in the direction she had sensed the river spirit. She was unsurprised to find a path winding through the trees; the monk must travel this path several times a day to fetch water. In time she reached the small river, and followed its spirit's guidance down river to a deep pool. She dipped her foot in the water and jerked it out. It was as cold as ice. The fire demon felt the river spirit's laughter shimmering on the pool's surface. Koichira hesitated for a moment. Though she knew it would be extremely rude, she felt a moment's temptation to heat the small pool with her powers. Instead, she stripped and jumped in. She felt tiny currents tickling her and moving through her hair like gentle fingers. The fire demon scrubbed herself vigorously, then shook herself as a wet dog would. She felt the sensation of gentle warmth again and realized that the young monk had come to the river to fetch water.
Takayuki bowed to the river and asked its blessing before wading in to scoop water from the fastest-flowing section of the stream. Koichira could feel in her very bones the river spirit's exuberance. Every droplet sparkled with new energy, longing to flow upstream and into the monk's bucket. Koichira had never seen such excitement in an elemental before, even in the playful and affectionate river spirits. The spirit's energy was so joyful and uninhibited, Koichira couldn't help laughing.
The monk, startled, looked up to find who was laughing. He seemed unembarrassed by the fire demon's nakedness, but bowed to her in solemn greeting and turned back to his task. Koichira stepped from the river and summoned fire to engulf her completely. The flame dried her within a second, but didn't spread to the twigs or dry leaves; the fire obeyed Koichira's will. She was entirely dry when she slipped on her clothing.
As she walked back to the temple, the fire demon listened carefully to the murmuring of the wind through the branches and the soft voices of the other spirits. It confirmed what she had just begun to suspect: all of the woodland spirits adored the young monk. His care and reverence had gained their complete trust. Koichira paused on the temple's threshold. If Takayuki was able to tame the powerful and unpredictable forest spirits, he would be able to tame a wounded fire demon easily, no matter how surly she was. Koichira stepped inside and closed the door behind her, knowing she was leaving behind the freedom of her former life.