Fevers

   "This is just great." Lin said as she looked at her sick assistant. Chihiro had come down with a really bad fever earlier that morning and was rendered immobile because of it, "I'll have to tell those dumb frogs that you can't work."
   "I'm sorry, Lin." Chihiro weakly replied, "I wish I could help."
   "Don't worry about it, Sen. I can handle one day on my own. Get some rest."
   Lin left the room, leaving Chihiro alone to get some sleep. Chihiro just curled up under the covers and quickly went back to sleep.

   "Lin!" Aniyaku called, "Where is Sen?"
   "In bed with a high fever." Lin responded.
   "Did Yubaba give her permission to stay in bed?"
   "No, but Sen can't move."
   "Can't move? Get Sen down here in the next ten minutes or I'm letting Yubaba know."
   "Go ahead and tell her, frog man. Sen absolutely cannot move."
   "We'll see about that."

   Upstairs, Haku was inspecting all of the rooms to make sure no one was sleeping in. When he came across the room Lin and Chihiro stayed in, he spotted Chihiro under her covers and sighed. He knew Chihiro rarely slept in, but he didn't know the real nature of the situation this time. He walked over to her and gently shook her to get her attention.
   "Sen, you need to get up." he said. Chihiro stirred a little before partially poking her head out to look at him. Haku noticed how red her face was then felt her forehead for a moment and said, "You've got a terrible fever. How long have you had it?"
   "Morning." Chihiro replied, her voice barely present.
   "Since this morning? Can you move?"
   Chihiro shook her head.
   "You're in no condition to work. I'll go to Kamaji and ask him for the proper medicine."
   Nodding, Chihiro brought the covers back over her head while Haku left the room and went down to the main floor to get to Kamaji's.

   "I don't know why Sen isn't working." Yubaba said after Aniyaku explained the situation, "A fever is no reason to work."
   "Lin said she couldn't move."
   "She can't move?! How bad is her fever?!"
   "Lin said it was really bad."
   "Then she shouldn't work! A fever that bad can spread!"
   "Yes, Madame."

   "Sen has a high fever, doesn't she?" Kamaji asked after Haku got done explaining Chihiro's situation.
   "Yes." Haku answered, "She needs to get better soon. A fever that high could kill her if not treated."
   One of Kamaji's arms stretched out to one of the drawers above him, then a second one, grabbing two different herbs and putting them in a pouch, handing it to Haku.
   "One of the herbs will reduce the fever." Kamaji explained, "The other will help her body recover its strength."  
   "Thank you, Kamaji." Haku replied then pulled something out of his shirt and tossed it to Kamaji, "Don't tell anyone."
   Haku left the room and Kamaji opened the bundle, which was a roasted newt. The old man smiled and re-wrapped the treat, hiding it in his shirt for a more useful purpose.

   Haku returned to Chihiro's room, the young girl still asleep under the covers. Setting the pouch of herbs next to her, he searched through the shelves until he found what he needed. Pulling out a bamboo water carrier, he poured the water into a pot and set it on a heater, lighting it with a match. This caused Chihiro to poke her head out once again to see what was going on.
   "Kamaji gave me the herbs you'll need to recover." he explained as he ground the herbs into a powder, "It'll take a few minutes to make."
   Chihiro groaned a little to acknowledge that she heard him. As he waited for the water to boil, Haku checked Chihiro's temperature once again.
   "Your fever's gone down a little. You're still very warm though."

   A few minutes later, Chihiro was now resting again, having taken the medicine moments earlier. Haku had just finished cleaning up and was leaving the room to let Chihiro get some well deserved rest. He smiled at her for a brief moment before leaving the room to resume his work.

   "What do you mean Haku can't leave?!" Yubaba screamed at Aniyaku the following morning.
   "He must have caught Sen's fever, ma'am." Aniyaku nervously answered.
   "Since Sen got him sick, she has to be the one to treat him."
   "Yes, ma'am."

   Chihiro opened the door to Haku's room, a rag tied over her mouth and nose, noticing her sick friend lying on his futon a few feet away. Smiling, she shut the door behind her and walked over to him, sat on her legs, and said, "You're a good friend Haku, but don't treat a fever without some kind of mask, okay?"
   Haku simply glared at her as she gave him some medicine, but it lessened as she continued to tend to him and his room throughout the day. Thankfully, by the following morning, the two were back to their daily morning conversations before work.