Standard disclaimers apply.

Chapter 5

Haku carried Chihiro to the baths that he had instructed Kioko to open. He set her down on one of the stools and looked around for a bathrobe.

"Master Haku, you need not worry about me. Allow my sister to bathe and I will get your bath ready."

Haku froze. Even injured she was looking after her duties. He sighed again and knelled in front of Chihiro. He put his hand under her chin and forced her to raise her eyes to him. "I am not your master, Chihiro. Yu-Baaba did that so you would have a job. You can't be here otherwise. She was helping you, please Chihiro, I'm not your master, and I'm your… friend." He couldn't bring himself to say it. He had loved Chihiro for so long, ever since that little dip in his river. There was something magical about her and what she could do. The way she was acting, it made him feel as though his feelings would go unrequited. But he knew her better, she was doing what any good servant would do, addressing their master and never look him in the eye. (In the background Kioko stood watching this whole soap opera unfold, silent so as to not disturb it).

Chihiro, her head raised looked at Haku, her mind whirling around trying to find some way of telling him how much she missed him. "M-Haku…I…"

"Shhh…" he whispered, as his hand brushed away the strands of hair that were stuck to her cheek. "I know. I missed you too. Don't ever think that I didn't. Please let me look after you."

Chihiro nodded, her eyes finally focusing on Kioko who stood in the shadows trying to be as unseen as possible. "Little sis, come here. We have to get you out of that dirty clothes." Chihiro reached out as far as her arm would allow and waited for her to come.

Kioko bit her lip trying to find some excuse to not be there and let her sister and the man she loved spend some time together but she had to admit she was dirty. "How about I get Rin in here to help her bathe? She might feel less exposed if it was with another woman." Spoke up Haku.

Chihiro thought that was a great idea. Rin could make anybody feel at home and safe. She nodded vigorously saying, "that would be wonderful Haku, I think Kioko and Rin would hit it off."

Haku smiled his eyes falling on Chihiro as she took Kioko in her arms wounds and all. "Alright it's decided. I'll have Rin sent here right away, but what I need Kioko to do is pull the dividers so that we can all bathe together." And with that order given he left the room.

Kioko went about her duty and Chihiro sat stiffly. How was she going to face Rin or Kioko even? No one had seen the scars that littered her back and upper arms. That night might have been the first time their mother used an actual cutting knife but it was not the first time she had cut Chihiro. Yuuko had broken numerous utensils in her need to create pain. She had used everything, pots, pans, forks and dull knives. Chihiro had even been scaled a number of times, nothing like a third degree burn but enough to scar. She couldn't let them see what had happened.

Haku returned, two sets of robes in his arms. One he handed to Kioko the other to Chihiro, "I still have some of my clothes from when I was small, they should fit Kioko for the time being. As for you Chihiro you'll have to do with a some of my clothes as well."

Rising, Chihiro took Haku's sleeve and moved him away from Kioko who was undressing. "I can't do this Haku."

He looked at her, wonderment in his eyes. Over the past few minutes it seemed that the entire cold exterior that he had created faded away like the last snow on a warm day. "Why Chihiro? Is something wrong?"

Chihiro opened and closed her mouth like a fish trying to find some way out of it but found none, and unlike Kioko, Haku could read her when she lied, so she fessed up, "I have scars that Kioko doesn't know about, scars from…certain…accidents. I don't want her to know."

Haku knew she wasn't telling him everything but he also knew that until she felt completely safe she would keep it to her self. He nodded, "I have to have you on my side anyway. I can't heal your wound from the other side of the room." He looked at her his now soft green eyes begging her to fell at least remotely safe.

Licking her lips she made a quick nod as her attention turned to the door where Rin stood a scowl on her face.

"Hey where's Haku, the bastard calls me up here telling me that I'll be seeing an old friend but he's no where to be seen."

Haku greeted Rin and pointed out Kioko that stood once again behind Chihiro and reintroduced Sen. It took Rin all of five seconds to launch herself at Chihiro giving her a hug that could break bone. Chihiro not wanting her to know how much pain it caused bit back a yelp of pain to gingerly hug her back. Haku shook his head; he was going to have to break her habit of keeping her pain inside.

"Well now that we are all here lets get to bathing, I feel dirty just by looking at you too." Haku went around the other side to undress and called over, "Sen when you are ready just come over."

Rin looked at Chihiro, her eyes slowly making their way out of her head.

Chihiro giggled suddenly feeling like a child again, "I hurt my wrist and ankle on the way here, Haku can't heal it from the other side of the room."

"Alright, but if he tries anything you just yelp and I'll beat him senseless for you, 'k?" Chihiro grinned and nodded her head.

Chihiro stood at the threshold of the bath, it was carved out of rock and looked very inviting, and the steam rose in heavy clouds around the room. Chihiro looked around nervously looking for where Haku might be, she heard Rin and Kioko getting along on the other side but here she didn't know what to do.

"You have been in a bath before right Chihiro?" came Haku's voice, he seemed so close but she couldn't really see him.

"Well…never with anyone else." She admitted. "Of the opposite sex," she added under her breath.

"Well come on, you know I wont bite." And Haku came out of the fog. He stood there in all his wet and well-toned goodness. Chihiro gulped back a lump that had decided to lodge itself in the back of her throat. This bath didn't allow for the robe, she would have to go in naked, oh dear… Haku held his hand out to her, waiting patently. Chihiro breathed deeply and let her robe fall and pool at her feet. Keeping her eyes from his, she shoved it in the general direction of his, which she now saw, sat still folded on one of the rocks that posed for seats.

"Chihiro, look at me." Spoke Haku, his voice even. He could tell she was nervous. The faults that she thought her body had making her into a frightened child. But when the robe had first fallen to the floor all Haku could do was be awed. She was firm and fit; her chest was not too big and not too small, just right for his Chihiro. Her waist was thinner then he had expected. He could wash laundry, quite literally on her stomach. Never in his long life had he seen a human in such perfect condition. She finally met his eyes and he could see the shock that he was smiling a true smile. "Your beautiful…" he whispered.

Chihiro took his hand and was led into the bath. The water relaxed her sore and aching muscles like a shower could never. She laid her head against Haku's chest, aware of the proximity of their naked bodies. Haku touched her injured shoulder and began to heal it. Chihiro could feel the muscle re-attaching itself as well as the pulling of the skin back together. It wasn't painless but it was working and that was all that mattered. That done Haku turned Chihiro so that her back was against him; it took all of his mental power to control his primal urges. She was hurt and once they rediscovered one another then, she would understand how much he had missed her. He took her right hand in both of his. This one would be far more painful then the flesh wound. She had fractured quite a few bones and it would take time to heal it. They sat like that for what seemed like hours.

Kioko and Rin had left them to it after Kioko had described the wounds taking care to pass over the knife wound on Chihiro's shoulder. Rin knew that bones were by far harder to heal then a sprained ankle, but she was going to wait until they came out to make sure that Haku had not taken advantage of Chihiro in her weakened state, not that her weakened state was much different then her normal state, Rin just wanted to believe that.

After the wrist was healed Haku moved to Chihiro's foot. She sat where they had and Haku gingerly took her ankle in his hand. He could feel that she had torn a few muscles and worked hard so that they would not be weakened. That done Chihiro was good as new and they finished bathing. Exiting the bath Haku took Chihiro's hand, "I want you to bathe with me every evening, and I will try to make the other scares fade. You will not have to be ashamed any longer."

Chihiro smiled and being the stronger woman that she was now, kissed Haku gently on the corner of the mouth, a prelude to what he might expect, and left the room in search of clothes.

Haku sighed and hung his head, how was he going to be able to keep his hands sexually driven or otherwise, off of her? She was like sugar cane. A little taste and he wanted more. 'What have I gotten myself into?'

A set of grey eyes watched as the couple exited the bathroom, hate searing in them. Chihiro had only been in the spirit world a few hours but already she had made an enemy.