"I assume you have a very interesting excuse for this, Komachi."
Komachi froze where she stood. That was to be expected, given that Eiki had just caught her with her scythe, shoes, and socks discarded to the side, one hand already on the tree she clearly intended to climb. A tree which was a fair distance from Sanzu River, much further than anyone could be reasonably expected to stray from it during a work day. A work day which could hardly be called such, considering Eiki hadn't received a single soul to judge.
However, the similarly expected string of apologies didn't follow. Komachi's face shone with guilt as she settled back down, but she said nothing. Her other hand remained cupped somewhat awkwardly against her collarbone, clearly hiding something.
In spite of her frustration, Eiki couldn't help being curious. "Did you find something?"
"As it happens, I did. A little foundling." With that, Komachi turned her hand to reveal a mottled jumble of grey and yellowish down. The small bird darted its head around, fixing its beady eyes on one thing after another, then gave an indignant peep.
"Ah." Eiki leaned closer without thinking, her smile re-emerging. The chick turned to glare at her but made no move to escape. It was at least a week too young to know how to fly yet, let alone how to survive on its own. "Is it injured?"
"I couldn't find anything wrong with it. Good thing all that fluff protected you, huh?" Komachi smiled as the chick let out another peep, then turned to reassess the tree. "So, back into the nest it goes, assuming I can find it. The chick was underneath that branch, but visibility isn't exactly great with all those leaves in the way."
"This is a cavity-nesting species, isn't it?"
"That's right. So, if you spot anything—"
"There." It wasn't immediately discernible through the labyrinth of branches, but there was a suggestion of a small hollow close to where Komachi had pointed earlier. As if to confirm the finding, several high-pitched bird voices rose in a chorus from within the tree. "I can't see how anything larger than a bird could reach it, however. Flying is out of the question, but even climbing..."
"I'll manage. Here." Komachi slid the chick onto Eiki's palm, so weightless Eiki had to look down to ascertain she was in fact holding the bird, then swung herself onto the first branch. She climbed up so quickly and effortlessly Eiki could scarcely believe this was the same shinigami who could sometimes take half a day ferrying a single soul across. Within moments, she had snaked through the worst knot, and soon after, partially obscured by leaves, she peered into the hole in the trunk. "Anybody home?"
A cacophony of peeps responded. Komachi lowered herself back down through the knot. "Guess what, Lady Eiki? Charon has six siblings."
Eiki waited for her to climb back down to the lowest branch, as limber as she had been going up, then relinquished the chick with a smile. "You named it?"
"Suits it, doesn't it? Don't you agree, Charon?"
Charon, back to resting snugly in Komachi's palm, didn't appear to either know or care that it was being addressed. It kept darting its head around, letting out the occasional peep.
"Well said. Either way, it's time to go home." Komachi ascended a few branches, then halted, considering her options. Without warning, she stood up as calmly as if she were on solid ground, rising to her tiptoes and pushing her arm through the widest hole between the branches until her Charon-bearing palm was level with the hole. "Final stop, Charon. And... there you go." The bird slipped into the nest, appearing almost as if it were burrowing its way into the trunk. "That's better. Now, make sure to behave and—"
Whatever further life advice she had meant to dispense at the chick came to an abrupt halt when a tiny but all the more ferocious ball of feathers darted through the air, shrilling out a loud warning cry before swooping at Komachi.
Komachi gave a start. Her surprise only lasted for a heartbeat, but it was all the time needed for her to jerk back and step onto thin air.
A second heartbeat, and a third. Not enough time to think of flight. Plenty enough to fall. Just barely enough for Eiki to take a single running step forward, her arms darting out.
The impact more than the weight made Eiki's knees buckle. She squeezed her eyes shut and managed to straighten up before toppling over, clutching onto her sudden charge with all her might until she was certain they were both steady. She blinked her eyes open and found herself with one arm underneath Komachi's upper back, the other resting beneath the crook behind her knees, perfectly in balance.
She twisted her hand so that the Rod of Remorse wouldn't dig into Komachi's arm. "Are you all right?"
Komachi blinked slowly, as stunned as if she had fallen from the top of Youkai Mountain instead of a branch fifteen feet from the ground. The smile that spread across her face was on the sly side. "Would you hold it against me if I told you this is the best part of my day so far?"
The mother bird chose that exact moment to make its continued wrath known. With a flutter, the other mother bird joined its side.
Eiki began to back away. "I believe we have overstayed our welcome."
"Good luck, Charon!" Komachi kept smiling as they made a brisk retreat until a sudden frown crossed her features. "Wait! My shoes!"
Some time later and at a safe distance from the nest, Eiki waited for Komachi to gear up before speaking. "You did a good deed helping the chick today. I never knew you missed your calling as a squirrel youkai."
As Komachi straightened up, her grin morphed to the slightly sickly smile of someone who knew precisely where the conversation was heading. "However?"
"However... why were you so far from the river in the first place? And why haven't I seen any evidence that you have worked today?"
Cue the excuses and sincere apologies that would nevertheless crumble like burnt paper. Only, neither followed. Komachi nodded, uncharacteristically grave. Usually, even her more sombre moods came with a smile. "You're right. I messed up today. I promise I'll make it up to you."
Eiki frowned. "You know very well that's not what this is about."
She had significantly more to say on the subject, but Komachi hastened to speak first. "I know, Lady Eiki. How about something to say I'm sorry for making you look for me instead?"
"None of that during work hours." But when Komachi stepped closer, Eiki allowed her to place a kiss on her cheek, regardless.
"Oh no, I'm mixing work and personal life in one of the most inoffensive ways possible." The evident sarcasm was enough for Eiki to open her mouth in objection before she saw the smile on Komachi's face, so fond and carefree it was clear she had meant the words with affection alone. "I'll work hard for the rest of the day, I promise. And if what I did just now was wrong, maybe someone righteous and cute should give me a lecture on appropriate workplace conduct."
Eiki found her lips curling upward in spite of herself. "I take that to mean you would in fact listen to one."
"I promise to at least try."
And Komachi did listen for at least some of their walk through the meadows and woodlands and fields of flowers back to Sanzu River. And if they happened to hold hands for much of the same walk, that was perfectly white.