66 66 Flower Arranging

"Stay there if you are not able to move!" Amelia placed everything on the tray and brought it over to Amelia. "Here you can eat." She went over and grabbed her tray and sat next to her.

"Thank you. I am sorry that we cannot eat at the table. Itadakimasu," She started to eat her soup. She eats an egg roll. She then took a few bites of the rice before picking up the fruit. She smiled while slowly eating the fruit and drinking her tea. "Gochisosama. I am not all that hungry and I will go back to sleep." Amelia fell back asleep and did not wake for the rest of the evening. In the morning she opened her eyes and on her lap was Inari. "Good morning little fella."

Inari rubbed his head against her hand and jumped leading her outside. He sat on the porch waiting for Amelia.

Amelia slowly got up and put on her outside shoes. She followed Inari and picked him up at the shrine. "Another fruit? Is your mother going to be mad at you for giving me these?" She holds him in her arms and runs her hand through his fur.

The fox turned semi-human and hugged Amelia. "Mama said it was okay."

The goddess came out from behind the shine chuckling. "You are very lucky. We do not gift these often. They will help stabilize you for now. I hope that you will recover fast but there is no such thing as a miracle cure. I saw that wagashi and when I ate it I was surprised by the taste. So please eat the third fruit and then every month I will leave a new one. Inari you can visit her again."

Inari hopped from her arms and went to his mother turning back into a fox pup.

"Thank you. I will not forget this." Amelia picked up the fruit and went under the sakura tree. She sat under it on the roots and ate the fruit before falling asleep.

Miyuki woke up and panicked when she did not see Amelia and changed her shoes before running outside. She found Amelia under the tree and sighed in relief. "Could you stop scaring me like that?"

Amelia heard her voice and giggles, "I am sorry, Miyuki. It is not that I was trying to scare you. The weather is just so nice and I feel better right now." She opened her eyes and got up slowly.

Miyuki placed her hand on her chest. "I am glad that you are feeling better. Come let's go inside and I will make you tea and get your breakfast."

"Thank you. I will wait for your return." They reached her room and Amelia stays standing and after Miyuki leaves she picks up the flowers. She carries them to the table and the container they are going to be arranged in. She uses a small knife and trims away the leaves and the bottom and makes sure that any impurities are taken away with each flower placed. She got up and went to the tree and cut a small branch off and bowed her head. 'Thank you for the beautiful flowers.' She went back in and added the branch to the holder before stopping. She examined it and smiled. 'This is perfect. With the rest of the flowers, I will be able to arrange something for my room.'

Miyuki knocked on the door and then came inside. She saw the flowers on the table before breaking into a huge grin. "That is amazing. You really knew ikebana*."

"I do. I would like to place this by the shrine today. I know that I have been offering a lot there recently but I also said that I would take care of it so that I may hopefully get a little better." Amelia dipped her hands in the water and dried them before moving to eat.

"Okay, this morning is a lighter breakfast consisting of soup. I hope that you will be able to enjoy it." Miyuki placed the tray in front of Amelia and then said, "itadakimasu."

"Itadakimasu, thank you." Amelia ate slowly but did not say much else. She finished the meal slowly taking her time and smiled each time Miyuki looked at her.

"Amelia, it is strange that you recovered so quickly. Irene was saying that you do not recover very fast from your attacks and Master checked up on you when he got home." Miyuki let her know.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in," Amelia said this and looked to see who it was.

"You seem to be in a good mood. Your friends came by but since you were resting they decided to come back again today. I would like to check you out before going to the hospital." Clarence walked through the door.

"Okay, Father Clarence." Amelia placed her chopsticks down. "Gochisousama. I was done eating so it was perfect timing." She got up slowly and sat on a chair to allow him to look at her.

Clearance checked her out and listened to her breathing then her heart beating. "Hmmmmm, it seems like you are improving a lot since you left the hospital. No puking up blood again correct?"

"No, but I did cough up a little yesterday. I hid it but I guess I should stop doing that?" Amelia looked at Clarence and blushed. "I am sorry about that."

"No, I can understand why you did what you did there is nothing that I can really do. All I can do is give you the medicine to delay the effects. If you get another fever stay inside and rest. I would like you to stay inside for today. That is if you can?"

"If that is what Father Clarence would like then that is what I will do. I will work on my embroidery for Gabriel. I hope that he is doing okay." Amelia blushes while looking worried.

"I am sure that my son is doing well and trying to stay strong to help you out with his very soul. I have never seen that boy so motivated before. It is a pleasant change." Clearance got up and went to the door. "I will be at the hospital if you need me get someone to come and get me." Then he left the room.

*Ikebana (生け花, 活け花, "arranging flowers" or "making flowers alive") is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is also known as Kadō (華道, "way of flowers"). The tradition dates back to the 7th century when floral offerings were made at altars. Later, they were placed in the tokonoma (alcove) of a home.