FUZZBALL!
Chapter 27: More Help and Fur on the Rug
"Are you sure this is a good idea, ma cherie?" Iris glanced at Waka, who was frowning slightly at her.
"If I stay in bed any longer, my body will atrophy and I'll be useless in battle. Just give me a few minutes." Iris let go of the man's shoulder, and her legs shook beneath her. She took in a breath, and slowly took a step forward, then another. Waka watched as she started to pick up her speed, pacing back and forth throughout the room, doing things like sitting down or getting up, stretching, getting on one knee, standing up again, and getting on the other, only to repeat the process. This went on for a good ten minutes before her legs decided they'd had enough, and she dropped to the ground. "Ow."
"Are you alright?" Waka gently lifted Iris off the ground, and carried her out of the library.
"Yeah," she responded, glancing at the landscape outside the palace as he walked through the open hall. "Just a little frustrated. I used to count myself as lucky that I didn't get sick often…" she smirked. "Lucky me. When did Queen Himiko say that comb would start working again?"
"A week or so," Waka respond as he nudged the front door open, "and it'll be like you were never sick."
"I sure hope so," Iris said, "considering I've already spent a week sitting and writing." They halls were relatively empty, and Waka got to her room uninterrupted, setting her down on the mat before leaning against the wall. "This is pathetic. I'm like a damsel waiting for the monster to come and get me."
"…I can't help but imagine you'd slice them in half before they could." Iris stifled a laugh, and Waka chuckled. "It is a rather amusing image, isn't it?"
"What, me lying in bed, swinging Poet's Wrath at the thing without being able to move the lower half of my body?" Iris allowed herself to giggle a bit. "Yeah, I guess it is."
"Lady Aya- Iris?" Iris and Waka looked to the door, where the servant stood and glanced to the side. "There's… ah… somebody here to see -" she was cut off by a large ball of white dashing past her and leaping on Iris, and promptly slobbering all over her face.
"Ammy, ya dumb mutt, don't lick her!" Issun jumped up and down on the wolf's head as Iris started rubbing her behind the ears, "You may get this awful sickness!"
"Hi, Amaterasu!" Iris felt herself smile as she buried her face into the fur of the Sun Goddess's neck, while Ammy's tail wagged a mile a minute. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, hey there, pretty lady," Issun said, bouncing over to Iris's side, "Sorry to see that you're sick. Have we met? I'm sure I'd recognize such a nice face, and I don't think I've seen you before."
Ammy barked, and Iris chuckled a bit. "I'm Iris!" Issun stared at her for a moment. "You called me "girly", remember?"
"What are you- WHOA!" Issun jumped back. "Girly?! You look different! What in the world happened in the last few weeks?"
"I believe," Waka said, "that particular story is meant for after you meet with the Queen, don't you agree, my little bouncing friend?"
"-! What are you doing here, ya half-baked prophet?" He turned to Iris. "What is he doing here, girly?! Is there something you aren't telling us?!"
"He's been sentenced to keep an eye on me until the curse passes… wait, what are you guys doing here?"
"We're here on a mission from the busty babe!" Issun responded, returning to Ammy. "Well, Ammy, we should get going! Those Fox Rods won't find themselves!"
"Fox Rods?" Waka glanced at them. "What could those be?"
"Rao needs them to fight Ninetails! Later!" Ammy ran out after giving Iris a lick of goodbye.
"See if you can do something about this plague!" Iris called after them. "…Fox Rods?"