Our Meadow (Shirayuki X Obi)

CHAPTER FOUR : Outbreak

They don't almost say "I love you"
When they're downtown somewhere, just a little drunk
They don't talk about the future and put each other in it
And get chills with every accidental touch.

-Maddie & Tae

•Obi•

Another letter that she won't read.

He sighs to himself, adding the letter to the stack left unopened on Shirayuki's desk. He glances towards the red-haired herbalist. She stands near the back of the room, looking out at the changing world. With winter quickly transitioning into Spring, the trees have begun to sprout fresh leaves, and the snow has melted away into greening meadows.

Within no time spring will come.

Months ago he stopped giving her Zen's letters, after discovering that she'd been throwing them away.

Eventually, Shirayuki realized that if she over crowed her desk with plants and paperwork then she wouldn't even notice them.

Obi knew it was only a matter of time before Zen forced his way out of Clarines and to their doorstep. Almost every day this week, Zen had sent her a letter.

He thought for sure that two months ago Zen had stopped sending them but it was only after the winter storm cleared that they all suddenly arrived in bulk. A whole two weeks worth!

Zen's need to apologize was almost as unhealthy as Shirayuki's coping, or lack of.

To anyone else, it would appear that she's brushed the whole thing off, but to him and Ryuu, she only just now started seeming back to normal.

"We need help!" A voice calls from the lobby.

Shirayuki's head spikes up. She and Obi exchange a glance just before she sprints past him, looking down at the commons with concern.

Obi quickly follows her as she descends the staircase. She rushes over to aid another herbalist and a collapsed woman.

Shirayuki pushes up her sleeves and drops to her knees beside the woman.

"What happened?" She asks.

"She came in with these strange marks and now she's..."

Shirayuki pulls up the woman's sleeve. Huge purple mounts protrude from the woman's skin. Shirayuki stares down at them for a long while before speaking in a calm voice, "Obi, bring me the Antiseptic."

He hurries to obey, sensing the shift in her demeanor.

Shirayuki removes her hands from the woman's skin as if they're laced with poison. The other herbalist reaches towards the woman and Shirayuki stops her. "Hold on."

Obi returns, finding that everyone else in the room had made a wide birth around Shirayuki and the other two women.

Shirayuki holds her hands out to him and he pours the Antiseptic over them. The smell burns his nose but Shirayuki doesn't even blink. "Thank you, Obi."

She shakes them off and looks over to the other herbalist. "You need to clean yours as well."

The woman does with a confused look. "Do you think it's contagious?"

Obi's head spikes up at the herbalist's words and he jerks his gaze towards Shirayuki. A small crease forms between her brows and she looks down at the unconscious woman.

"Yes, it is very contagious," She says with a serious tone in her voice.

She glances around the room. "Somebody get the head pharmacist!" She calls to the crowd of onlookers. Several people nod and sprint out of the room.