Disclaimer: Yeah, don't own Moribito, but you already knew that  ENJOY!

The next day, the small group stayed near the river, but continued traveling further into the forest. Though there was no sign of La Lunga returning, they didn't want to chance staying in the same place for too long. Though at Tanda's insistence, they took short breaks every few hours so he could change the poultice on Balsa's leg.

The wound was still an angry red and very swollen. While they had been sleeping, the swelling had grown bad enough that Balsa could no longer bend her knee. When Tanda was making a new poultice, Chagum insisted that he be allowed to help, despite Jin's insistence that he didn't need to.

"Balsa got hurt again because I couldn't do anything to help. I had even had training to wield a spear. And I couldn't do anything." Balsa turned her head toward him and gently smiled. She had barely slept the night before and the swelling was making it very difficult to traverse the uneven terrain. There were dark circles under her eyes and her face was pale.

"A bodyguard being worried over by the one she is protecting, how sad." Chagum looked up at her in surprise. She had said the exact same thing the last time she had been badly wounded, just after they had first met. He looked down at the leaves he was crushing. Balsa cringed as Tanda tried to get her knee to bend.

Chagum finished crushing the leaves and handed them to Tanda, who started mixing in the other ingredients. Soon, Balsa's bandages were back in place and they started moving again. Chagum, who had been simply walking ahead of Balsa and Tanda, suddenly got a determined look on his face. He drew the short sword she had given him and started cutting a path through the thick undergrowth that the warriors missed, making Balsa's passage easier. Balsa smiled as Chagum fought to cut the growth, some of it very thick and sturdy. Tanda, supporting Balsa, watched his progress as he and Balsa slowly followed.

"He has gotten much stronger," Balsa quietly observed. Tanda looked at her and saw the same look she had worn when she and Chagum had said what was to have been a final good-bye. His grin widened. Balsa, for all her stubborn and violent ways, was one of the kindest souls he had ever met. Where Chagum was concerned, Balsa had an even softer heart than usual.

It was dark before Mon called for them to stop. After only a few minutes, the other warriors had noticed what the young prince was doing and had taken care to cut more growth from the path. Their longer swords and stronger arms made quick work of the thickest plants while Chagum came behind and took care of the smaller plants. Still, the young prince hadn't worked so hard since he, Balsa, Tanda, and Shaman Torogai had traveled up to the hunter's cave, where they had stayed the winter before the water spirit was to be born. Chagum was exhausted and his arm was clearly very sore from cutting through the foliage.

Chagum looked up at the towering trees as he sat on a nearby rock to catch his breath. Tanda helped Balsa to the same rock, but she opted to sit on the ground. Chagum looked down to her face. She was still pale and the shadows under her eyes had darkened further still. He bent over with his hands folded in his lap until she looked at him, a small smile on her lips. Before he could say anything, she lifted a hand.

"Let me see your hands, Chagum." Chagum sat back and pulled his hands closer to his stomach. Balsa didn't move her hand and Chagum soon gave up. She looked, without surprise, at the blisters that covered his hands. Some blisters had gotten bad enough that they were bleeding.

"Come down here." Chagum, his hands still being held by Balsa's, slipped off the rock to kneel next to her. Tanda, who was again checking Balsa's wound, had set a small jar next to his bag. Balsa picked it up and opened it. She gently rubbed the ointment over Chagum's palms. Chagum flinched as the ointment stung the open wounds, but he didn't pull his hands away. Balsa's hands were gentle and warm. After the ointment, Balsa took a small roll of clean bandages and proceeded to wrap his hands. He watched her in silence. Once Chagum's hands had been wrapped, Jin approached.

"Prince Chagum, your meal is ready." Chagum looked back a him, then returned his gaze to Balsa. Balsa smiled and nodded. Chagum stood and walked to where the warriors had lit a fire and prepared the food.

"Balsa, can you move your leg?" Balsa, who had been staring at Chagum, pulled her mind back to Tanda as he spoke. She tried to lift her leg, but managed to do little more than twitch her toes. She sighed and laid back against the rock as Tanda applied another poultice and wrapped her leg again.

"I'll be back in a minute," he said as he stood and walked to the fireside. Balsa could hardly keep her eyes open. She was exhausted and the pain in her leg was continuing to build. Tanda had turned and started walking back when her eyes closed and her consciousness slipped away.

Tanda returned to Balsa's side only to find that she had fallen asleep. He sighed and carefully lifted her off the ground, cradling her against his chest. He walked to the fireside and gently laid her down in the spot he had cleared for her. Before he laid her head down, Chagum laid a rolled up tunic under her as a pillow. Tanda chose not to argue when he saw Chagum's determined gaze, not even Jin argued.

Balsa woke in the middle of the night to sharp pain coursing through her leg. She gasped and Tanda immediately appeared over her head. She ground her teeth against the pain as Tanda quickly unwrapped the wound.

As soon as the wound was exposed, Tanda could see what was wrong. The wound had reopened, tearing the stitches, and infection that had been building up, which Tanda had been unable to treat, was oozing out. Tanda quickly started cleaning the wound to prevent the infection from hardening and trapping the rest of the infection in the wound again.

After two hours, Tanda finished tying the final stitches and started wrapping Balsa's leg again. It was still oozing, but it seemed that most of it had come out. The swelling in Balsa's leg was already coming down and the pain was beginning to ease. When he finished wrapping her leg, Tanda lifted her head and helped her drink the herbal tea he had kept warm over the fire for that purpose.

"Your leg should start healing now that the infection is gone." Balsa sighed in relief.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Don't worry. You only slept for a few hours . . . but you missed dinner," Tanda added with a smile.

"How long do you think before I'll be able to use my leg again?" she queried as she tried, and failed, to lift her leg. Tanda looked down at her in exasperation as he responded.

"Don't push yourself so hard, Balsa. It is going to be at least two days before the infection is completely gone and the cut is deep. You won't be able to walk without help for at least a week." Balsa finally noticed the tunic Chagum had rolled up for her pillow.

"Chagum insisted," Tanda said with a smile and a soft laugh. Balsa smiled and closed her eyes again.

"Have you heard from Shaman Torogai?" Her question instantly put the mood where it had been before and Tanda shook his head with a frown.

"I haven't heard from Shishio since I spoke to her that first day," he said with a sigh. He lifted his gaze to the horizon where the sun had yet to make its appearance.

"Tonight was the anniversary of the Spirit's birth. I'm still curious as to why we were pulled into Nayug before tonight. Tohya and Saya must be worried," Tanda said. Balsa's gaze turned to the canopy of trees overhead.

"And after we went through the trouble to keep them from worrying," Balsa sighed. Tanda slowly turned his gaze back to her, then pulled the edge of the blanket to her shoulders. The motions were so familiar, so welcome.

"We still have a few hours until sunrise. You should get some more sleep," Tanda said as he stood and stoked the coals in the fire. Balsa turned her head to look at his back. Despite the fact that Tanda had told her to sleep, she couldn't close her eyes. His calm presence was the best medicine for her aching body. She brought her gaze around to the trees again. Why couldn't she tell him how she felt?

I made some small grammar changes to the previous chapters, so that's why those changed. Keep the advice coming! I really appreciate it 