Chapter 3:
"I will send up breakfast, but I suggest you both come downstairs soon. Half the staff thinks she's dead after the way you acted last night Haku," Lin stated as she got up slowly.
"Please let them know that she is alive and well. We will be down after breakfast."
"How did I get here last night," Chihiro asked as Haku looked away guiltily.
"He ran in the main entrance with you cradled against his chest and both of you covered in blood. Damn near sent two yuna to their graves with heart attacks too." Chihiro felt her eyebrows rise at the image. Looking back at Haku, he was staring at the papers on his desk rather than meeting of their eyes.
"I couldn't risk flying with Chihiro unconscious. Besides I have you to handle the staff when I am busy." Moving towards Chihiro, Haku waved to Lin as she left the office through a different door muttering something about him owing her one. Chihiro stepped back into the living area as Haku walked closer.
"Breakfast should be up momentarily. Would you care for a cup of tea while we wait," he asked as he motioned for her to take a seat by the fire.
"Tea would be lovely, thank you," Chihiro replied as she curled up in a corner of the sofa. Pulling out a small tea set from the office, Haku prepared the tea and poured them each a cup before sitting down on the other end of the sofa. Taking the cup, she smelled the warm aromas, "Mmmm, green tea, my favorite."
Sipping from his own cup, Haku shot her a knowing smile, but didn't comment. Even as she took comfort from the tea, Chihiro couldn't find a place to start. She had so many questions that needed answering, but her gut was warning her to choose her words carefully. The girl Lin had mentioned that he could trap her, and Chihiro could only guess how far he would go to keep her here and blissfully ignorant of any danger.
"I'm sorry that you witnessed such a tragedy last night. I'm here to listen if you would like to talk about it." Chihiro smiled sadly into her cup before looking over into the crackling fire.
"I didn't know Tsukasa-san or Nakamura-san very well, but I never would have suspected he wanted to kill her…"
"The decision was not his. He was possessed by the Tainted," Haku cut in politely.
"The Tainted?" Heaving a sigh, Haku adjusted himself wearily in his seat. He frowned as he seemed to consider what to say. Looking down at her curled up feet, he began to speak.
"You don't need to concern yourself-"
"If you expect me to stay here ignorant then I will escort myself out now," Chihiro cut him off. Her hard expression and cutting words made Haku reconsider what he had been about to stay.
"I should have remembered that the silence barrier on the office does not apply to humans…how much did you hear?"
"Enough to know that you want me to stay here until you can find a safe way to return me home. I want to be informed on the situation before I decide if I will stay or not. You can start by explaining to me what the Tainted are." Haku frowned into his tea for a few moments before relenting.
"In your world, they would be called demons, however here they are known as Tainted Souls. They are spirit impurities and the souls of spirits who have fallen into the darkness. Typically, the Tainted can't survive in your world unless they are extremely powerful and can possess a host. When taken, the host's spirit is consumed and the body becomes a mindless shell. Your Nakamura-san was literally a dead man walking. It is much easier to kill Tainted Souls when they have bound themselves to a body. Kill the body, kill the Tainted, but things get much messier when they are in their shadow form. As a shadow their touch is poisonous and without treatment, the infected become corrupted by their own impurities. When they can no longer find the good within themselves, their bodies begin to crumble into a shadow or they become hosts. You will see many of the injured warriors recovering around the bathhouse." The sound of tea whistling from the table interrupted Haku and both of them looked over at the two plates of steamed buns. Getting up, they both sat at the table and continued their conversation over the meal after blessing the food.
"Where do these Tainted Souls come from?"
"We create impurities naturally in small amounts," Haku continued, "mostly in response to pollutions from the human world or dark thoughts within us. That is why spirits must regularly cleanse themselves in some shape or form. Most visit a bath house such as this one to wash the impurities away and we purge the resulting darkness for them. We have lived in relative peace for the past few thousand years, but recently the Tainted have grown too strong. Too many spirits have fallen in a short time span, and they have created an army of hosts and shadows to try and take over all of the Spirit World. This is one of four bathhouses that circle the Capital and provide relief to the spirits who have been summoned to fight the Tainted."
"Presuming all you have said is true," Haku frowned at her over his bun, "then why would a group of broken spirits go all the way to the human world to find me?"
"As the owner of the Eastern bathhouse and a powerful river spirit, I am a prime target for the Tainted. The rumor of your visit here eleven years ago must have reached their ears and they must have thought they could use you to hurt me."
"Why? What happened here eleven years ago?" Chihiro held Haku's gaze steadily as he looked at her with nostalgia. His memories of her flew before his eyes and he opened his mouth to tell her everything before snapping it shut. Looking at the woman before him, he grappled with the surge of confused feelings that had started the moment he saw her on the train platform. Their steamed buns completely eaten at this point, he reached for a sip of his tea to stall for more time before answering.
"Passing through the void back to your world will erase your memories of the spirit world. I could use magic to show you my memories, but we really can't spare the power at this time. We are expecting another attack any day now, and all magic needs to be funneled towards preparing defenses and cleansing the spirits. As soon as Zeniba can find a way to protect you sufficiently, I will help you return to your world and you will forget all that has happened here. There is no need for you to stay here longer than necessary. In the meantime, I hope you will be comfortable staying here as my guest." Haku stood up and collected the dishes into a pile.
"And what happens if I say no? If I demand to go back right this instant," Chihiro asked as she put her cup in the pile. Haku looked up and met her challenging eyes with his confident ones.
"Then I would remind you that you must have on the same exact clothes that you passed through the void with in order to return to your world. Since I have your clothes locked away, you would have to create a contract with me in order to retrieve them. The contract would prevent you from leaving the area surrounding the bathhouse until Zeniba finds a reasonable solution. Your safety is my top priority Chihiro, I'm not keeping you here out of selfish reasons." Hearing the distaste in his tone, Chihiro felt slightly guilty for being difficult. He held her ticket to returning home and rather than throwing that in her face, he had been courteous enough to make her think the decision had been in her hands the entire time. It was obvious he didn't want to talk about their shared past, but that didn't mean she couldn't figure it out by asking others. Nodding her head in defeat, she offered her hand out to him with a small smile.
"I guess we will see what Zeniba has to say at the end of the week." Chihiro stopped her train of thought before it continued into the possibility of what ifs. Zeniba would find a solution and she would go home. Shaking her hand carefully, Haku returned her small smile.
"In the meantime, where will I stay? I know it's the middle of the night, but it feels like it's first thing in the morning. Also I really got to take a bath," Chihiro babbled as she paced back towards the fire. Haku took a glance at her long legs peeking out from beneath his shirt as her back was turned. Feeling a blush cross his features, he tried to clear his mind before it became even more confused. How he had missed that last night when he was magically changing their clothes was beyond him. Haku had been more concerned with filling her with healing magic and protecting her, than how little clothing he had draped on her. Once he had her asleep in his bed with enough magic coursing through her veins to heal a hospice patient to full health, he had returned to his dragon form and coiled around the bed frame. He had been so tense with the desire to protect her last night that he had even growled at Lin when she had first tried to enter the room. It wasn't until Lin returned with Zeniba this morning that he finally left his perch at her side.
"Days and nights are reversed here so your body has adjusted accordingly while you were sleeping. There is a small guest room off the office that you can use for the time being. I'm sure Lin will try to badger you into being her roommate again, but I would sleep easier knowing you are nearby in case there is an emergency." Haku ushered Chihiro through the office to one of the red curtains along the wall. Pushing it aside, he opened the hidden door behind it. Stepping into the room, Chihiro was pleased to find a fairly large bed and wardrobe within. A single window let in a cool summer breeze and a small fire burned in the fireplace.
"I tend to keep the windows open unless it is raining so that air ventilates throughout the flat, but feel free to close them if you need to. There are fires burning continuously in all of the rooms in case of attack. Fire can be used to kill the Tainted in their shadow form. The bathroom is back off the living room, but there is no kitchen up here. I tend to take my meals down in the kitchen with the rest of the staff. It gives me a good opportunity to check in with them and listen to feedback for improvements. You are welcome to use pretty much anything you find in here, with the exception of the small bath in the bathroom. As you will notice when you walk in, it is covered and cold so leave it be. Use the large bath if you need to soak. When you are done getting ready, we can head downstairs and I will give you the grand tour."
Chihiro nodded her head in understanding and Haku swept out of the room gracefully. Watching the door shut behind him, Chihiro slowly walked over towards the window. The night sky glistened over the river below and a cool wet breeze swept past her. Opening the wardrobe, she examined the myriad of traditional Japanese clothes. Ignoring the colorful kimono, Chihiro choose out a plain green yukata with small blue flower embroidery and a matching a cream and blue obi. Collecting the other pieces and ties necessary, she created a bundle and headed out to the bathroom.
The bathroom was an impressive size, though most of it was consumed by a large steaming tub that could have easily fit twenty people. Setting the bundle down on a counter, Chihiro abandoned her clothes and began washing herself under a shower head. The sound of thrashing water caught her attention and she looked back over her shoulder. The water of the large tub was as smooth as glass, and the sound appeared to be coming from a tiny covered bath in the corner. Remembering Haku's warning, Chihiro ignored it and finished showering. Sinking into the hot bath, she sighed in pleasure.