Happy Snow day everyone! I am happy to post early since I've had the luck of 4-5 inches of snow trapping me and my computer in my best friend's apartment for the past 3 days. I found this chapter super hard to write and if it comes across as choppy, I apologize. I recently found inspiration for the next major part of the story and have been writing bits of that rather than this chapter. I wrote some of the next chapter already (might even be done by the end of the week at this rate), and all I could think was "NO HAKU DON'T DO IT!" (that's my only hint to you). Probably no romance next chapter, but if you have suggestions that you would like to read for the future chapters feel free to PM me or send a review.

Shout out to jepsi, LuciaKata, and Sherona849- Thank you for the reviews! It's hard to explain the excitement and joy I feel when I get an email saying I got a new review/follower/favorite. You guys are the best and inspire me to keep at it. Thanks again.

Chapter 7:

Yui Watari walked gracefully towards the staff lounge on the fifth floor where it was rumored Lin frequently had lunch. Ignoring the turned heads from the nearby frogs, she pushed open the door and found the girl she had been looking for sitting at a lunch table within. Putting down her cup of tea, Lin stood up to warmly greet her.

"Is there something I can help you with Watari-san? It is unusual for you to wander this far from the infirmary or the shrine," Lin asked curiously. Chihiro watched them both from her seat at the lunch table as the yunas sitting nearby continued their conversations.

"I came to ask your permission to borrow your assistant for the afternoon. I need some help preparing wound poultices since my staff is occupied with patient care." Lin hesitated in answering and looked back over her shoulder at Chihiro. The idea of exposing her to any of the anguish that rested in the infirmary repulsed her, but if there was anything she knew about Yui Watari it was that each decision she made was deliberate and made with forethought. She was always five steps in front of everybody, including Haku, and that meant that she had a plan…a plan that apparently included Chihiro.

"I could spare some time if you need an assistant…," Lin started before being cut off.

"Lin, we both know that you are needed elsewhere in the bathhouse at the moment. I promise she will be safe with me and that I will return her in a timely fashion without Haku's notice."

"I don't mind helping her out," Chihiro added from behind Lin, "the infirmary doesn't scare me." Lin felt caught between a rock and a hard place, and watched Chihiro put her dishes away before returning to them. Nodding her reluctant consent, Lin tried to bury her unease at the situation under her trust and confidence in the matron of the infirmary.

The crane spirit moved gracefully through the halls in such a manner that Chihiro found it hard to look away. Surely if the spirit had been a human, she would have been a model. Her white and black feathers moved softly among her traditional purification robes. As Watari-san dipped her head down in a bow before passing into the maze, Chihiro caught a glimpse of the bright red feathers atop her head. Her comparison to that of a normal Japanese crane was brought up short however as they turned off to go to a smaller infirmary. Keeping pace, Chihiro noted the turns and how complicated this path was.

"Where are we going, Watari-san?"

"Please call me Yui when we are not amongst the staff. They need the formality and hierarchy to work efficiently, but you are not bound by the same rules. To answer your question, the hospice ward is where all of the poultice supplies are kept. Since we only have one patient there it will also be quieter than trying to work in any of the other infirmary wards."

"Hospice?"

"The hospice ward is designed for spirits on their deathbeds to die in peace. However most of the staff is too frightened to attend this ward since its patients are likely to become Tainted shadows at any moment. Most of the time I come here alone between ward walks to do what has to be done." A black door with a warning written on its frame marked the entrance to the hospice ward. Pulling open the door, Yui watched Chihiro's expression as she stepped within.

The room reminded Chihiro of a sauna with its hot steam, herb smell, and low visibility. Her body was instantly covered in a sheen of sweat as she took another hesitant step forward. Closing the door behind them, Yui led her forward through the steam.

"How come you are not afraid like the others," Chihiro asked as they approached a wall of crated herbs and supplies. Yui's black eyes flashed with compassion as she looked away into the steam.

"I do not fear death," she replied calmly and Chihiro turned to look at her. Smiling to herself Yui continued, "for he has been a close companion of mine for as long as I can remember." Chihiro watched Yui take down three of the boxes and start taking out supplies. Yui looked up at Chihiro and smiled at her slightly scrunched expression.

"You should have nothing to fear coming here as well. Think of it this way, if a spirit managed to transform into a Tainted shadow here amongst the strongest purification waters and incense we have to offer, then it's safe to presume they would be powerful enough to escape the maze protecting the bathhouse from the infirmaries. You would likely be apprehended or killed in its rampage. There is no point to living our short lives in fear." Chihiro frowned, but couldn't deny her logic. Picking up some of the chosen supplies, Chihiro waited for Yui to put the boxes back before following her deeper into the steam. They chose a not so hot and steamy corner and sat down on a wooden bench to work. The matron of the infirmary showed her skills in poultice making as she taught Chihiro and they worked together in amicable silence for a short while.

"Tell me about the patient that is here," Chihiro started as her hands weaved together the herbs and bandages.

"There isn't much to tell. He arrived alone seemingly from nowhere and collapsed after passing through Haku's water barrier. He hasn't awoken since, but I'm not surprised with how severe his wounds are. Even I don't believe he will make it through the next few days, but that doesn't mean we can't make his remaining time more bearable." Using up the last bit of the supplies, they set aside the poultices. Picking up two of them, Yui began to walk through the steam in a new direction.

Quickly following after her, Chihiro nearly lost her in the growing darkness and steam. In the darkest corner of the room, there rested a tall lump of dirty white fur on a cot. Coming up beside Yui, Chihiro recognized the form as that of a fox spirit. As Yui removed the previous poultices from his chest, she could see white fur clinging to the remains of the slashed chest. The deep diagonal cuts crossed his chest and bled a mixture of black impurities and red blood with each breath he took. His ears twitched atop his head, but his eyes remained shut. Yui applied the two poultices across his chest before gently pulling away. His dirty, wet white fur gleaned with sweat, blood, and the remains of lingering impurities. His purple tobi trousers were stained with blood and torn in several places. Chihiro could see why everyone thought he wasn't going to make it, yet as she put a comforting hand on his arm she could feel a stubborn spark of life remaining.

Out of the corner of her eye, Yui watched Chihiro's hand reach out to touch the injured fox spirit. The compassion was evident on her face, and as Yui had predicted, the weeping impurities did not seem to affect Chihiro as they did her and all other spirits. A spirit's impurities could corrupt other spirits that touched them even in their weakened state if they were not cleansed quickly, but Chihiro hadn't even flinched when touching the infectious surface. Yui watched for a few more minutes to make sure her theory was correct. Walking to the nearby sink, Yui washed her hands of the impurities before encouraging Chihiro to do the same. If Chihiro was not affected by spirit impurities unless they were in full Tainted form, then she would be invaluable to the infirmary. Chihiro could touch patients that the staff were hesitant to approach and maybe turn some of them around for good. Turning on her heel, Yui set off to pick up the other poultices.

"Come on, Chihiro. We still have two other wards to visit and restock before Haku finds out you are not tailing Lin. I already have the foreman covering for us should he come hunting in this direction, but it's better to be safe than sorry." Grabbing the remaining poultices, Chihiro caught up with Yui and gave the hospice ward a final glance as the door shut behind them.

"Chihiro! Come over here! I thought you had forgotten about me since you hadn't visited, but here you are. Welcome to the secondary infirmary," Okita called from his bed by the door as they entered. Yui took the remaining poultices from Chihiro and walked off to tend other patients as Chihiro walked over to Okita.

"I'm sorry I could not come sooner, but I am not supposed to be down here to begin with. Haku says it is too dangerous."

"The dragon is right. It is too dangerous for a meddlesome human like yourself, but that's not going to stop you, right?" Chihiro smirked at him and took a seat at the foot of his bed.

"How's your legs doing?"

"The crane says I can be up on crutches within a week, but for now I get to scoot around here in a wheelchair. It has forced me to get more creative with my pranks, but the nurses here don't have a sense of humor," he scrunched his nose with mischief, "but I hear that you have been causing all sorts of trouble upstairs. Quite the gossip, really."

"You shouldn't be giving the nurses a hard time. They are just trying to help you," Chihiro scolded as she neatened the blanket at the foot of his bed. In the corner of her eye, she could see the nurses frowning at them, more specifically at Okita.

"It's hard to stay cooped up in this room when I'm used to spending every day moving freely under the stars. I was a scout for the Southern Imperial Regiment when I was injured, but it won't be long before I'm released back into the service. I'll be gone before too long and everyone can go back to their boring routines. I'm surprised most of the spirits stuck in here haven't died of boredom," he finished with an eye roll.

"The nurses tell me that you have been quite the troublemaker, Okita-san," Yui interrupted as she walked over with a clipboard. Making a few notes, she began her assessment as Okita pulled back the sheets to reveal his legs. The wounds had bled through the bandages with blood and black impurities, and the broken leg had swollen considerably. Yui began unwrapping the bandages, revealing the sickly leg beneath. Chihiro couldn't help but stare at the disturbing site as Okita happily answered Yui's questions.

"Chihiro, you should head back to Lin now. It's getting late and I don't want to have to explain to Haku why you aren't where you should be. She should be near the kitchen at this hour, hurry along now." Nodding her head to Yui, Chihiro muttered her goodbyes to Okita and began to walk out of the infirmary. Looking around, she could see many spirits with different injuries suffering quietly as staff moved among them.

"Oy Chihiro, you better come visit me again! I'll be better soon and we can go for walks around the room while we strategize how to turn this bathhouse upside down," Okita called after her with a smile.

"I look forward to it," she answered loudly and almost laughed at the looks of horror passing over most of the nurses present. Turning on her heel, Chihiro let the door close behind her before leaning back upon it with a sigh. The images of all the wounded seemed to run through her mind and her shoulders felt much heavier now than they had the day before.

Night was beginning its daily wean into daylight as Chihiro sat out on the balcony sipping her tea. Her wet hair from showering earlier clung to her scalp and chilled as a breeze swept past her into the empty flat. Pulling her thin green night gown around her absentmindedly, she adjusted her precarious position atop the rail. Refusing to look down, Chihiro dangled her feet over the edge above the canyon that separated town from bathhouse. The silence seemed to be waiting for the train to make its daily one way trip east. She looked out past the town, over the river, towards the dark unknown. Somewhere out there, spirits were fighting unimaginable horrors and yet the rest of her world would never know their sacrifice. Nobody would care when spirits like Okita died on the line of fire or what became of the nameless fox spirit dying in the bowls of the bathhouse and all of it seemed so unfair. Images of the wounded spirits and the deaths of Nakamura-san and Tsukasa-san replayed over and over in her head. The tolls of war were too high. Setting aside her cup onto the rail, she wondered if going back to ignorance was what she really wanted. Maybe there was something she could do here.

Haku was surprised to see Chihiro sitting on the balcony rail given her supposed fear of heights. Setting the papers aside that he was carrying, he wondered what she was up to. There was something about her distant sad expression that struck him uncomfortably.

"A thousand yen for your thoughts," Haku asked her quietly. Startling at his voice, Chihiro knocked her cup off the rail into the abyss below. Haku felt his heart lurch up into his throat as he saw her lean forward to try and catch the falling glass. Faster than he ever thought possible, he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her middle. Feeling the hit of adrenaline spin through his veins, he lifted her roughly off the rail and clutched her into his chest for a few moments before releasing her. His body felt like it was on fire from the contact, but the gentle breeze eased it away.

"Sorry I didn't mean to startle you," Haku looked at her sheepishly.

"No I probably shouldn't have been sitting up there anyways. Thanks for uh grabbing me," Chihiro replied awkwardly as she ran a tentative hand through her wet hair. They stood there facing each other for a few silent moments as neither made eye contact.

"Please allow me to pour you another cup of tea since I caused you to spill your last one." Nodding her consent, Chihiro followed Haku back inside and sat down on the sofa to wait. Bringing her a cup, he noticed her wet hair. Handing her the glass, he quickly fetched a towel and threw it over her head.

"Haven't you ever heard that it's not good to go outside with wet hair? Here let me help you dry it." Haku rubbed gentle circles on her head with the towel as she took sips of her cup of tea. They sat in amicable silence until her hair was reasonably dry. Returning the damp towel to the bathroom and grabbing a brush, Haku held it out to her in question. Nodding her head yes, Chihiro let her eyes return to the fire and her mind to wander. Brushing her hair in long gentle strokes, Haku slid his fingers through her tangles.

"What were you thinking about that so enraptured your attention tonight?" Chihiro hesitated before setting aside her cup of tea and sighing.

"I was thinking about how many spirits are suffering from this war…" Haku paused for a moment to think over his response before he continued brushing out her hair.

"The war has been going on long before our lifetimes and will continue on long after we return to the ashes of creation. For there cannot be good without evil. The way I see it, the spirits we heal are our efforts towards a better world."

"Is that how you find peace with all of this? You try to find the good in every situation?" Setting aside the brush, Haku began organizing her hair into three tendrils before braiding them.

"I have to make a lot of hard decisions as owner of the bathhouse, but yes, I find some semblance of peace in that manner."

"If you are so at peace with yourself, then why haven't I seen you truly smile once since I've gotten here? Or are dragons simply incapable of smiling?" Freezing in his braiding, Haku bit on his lower lip in thought. Chihiro turned slightly to glance back at him and he gave her a feeble smile. She had to stifle a laugh at his attempt. Rolling his eyes at her, he admitted defeat.

"I suppose you are right. I've been a little too consumed with my work these past few weeks. If the borders could be reestablished, then the war could be managed by the more powerful spirits in the capital, as it was before the recent outbreak. But until then all of the countryside is on alert, including me." Haku resumed his braiding and tied it off carefully before moving around the couch to sit beside Chihiro. Looking over at him, she smirked as she cocked her head at him.

"Well if you keep frowning every day like this, that handsome face of yours will get stuck in a frown forever," Chihiro muttered with fake confidence and the slightest bit of a pout. As he stopped and thought over her words, his small smile grew into a mischievous smirk. Giving her a toothy grin he answered her, "Oh, really? I think I will just have to fix that then."

Catching her in surprise, Haku leaned over and began tickling her. Caught off guard, Chihiro kicked out as she tried to push him away and choked upon her laughter. Tickling her still, Haku stealthily avoided her kicks and closed the distance between them. Smiling at her, he teased her mercilessly until she went on the offensive and tried to tickle him. With the tickle war on in full swing, neither side heard the door open or a person entering the room. The sound of a person clearing their throat loudly cut through their laughter in a heartbeat. Instantly freezing, both looked towards the sound like deer in headlights.