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"𝐀𝐇, Sen." Yuki turned from the shogi board to look at the human girl. "Is something of the matter?" Her twilight hair was arranged around her shoulders and tied with a white ribbon, and instead of her usual white robes, she had on a thicker kimono as white as snow. It was getting colder in the spirit world.
"M-my lady, please help! It's Haku!" The girl fell to her knees. There was blood on her hands and clothing. Yuki could smell the iron, the blood that belonged to Haku. She wrinkled her nose in distaste.
"I see. Stand up, here is a cup of water. Panic will do us no good. Lead me there."
When the two arrived to a room far below the busy movements of the upper bath house floors, Yuki raised an eyebrow in grudging surprise.
Haku was in his dragon form, covered in gashes, cuts, and cuts. Blood oozed out of every wound, and he himself laid silently, barely breathing.
The female spirit slowly kneeled down next to him, running a hand over his scales. Immediately, his wounds started to heal.
"How interesting, Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi. All this for a human girl?" Yuki hissed quietly in the river spirit's ear. The dragon only shifted slightly in response. "What a sad sight the mighty Kouhaku has become."
She stood back up after the spirit's scales were back to its pristine pale color, and turned to leave.
"Sen. When he wakes up, give him this." Yuki threw a tied scroll to the girl, watching as she fumbled to catch it. With that, she disappeared in a whirl of icy, snowy wind.
Haku shivered as three snowflakes fell upon his dragon body.
-
"Zeniba." Yuki smiled warmly as the old witch trudged out of her cozy cottage. The spirit had appeared on the front porch of Yubaba's twin's home, knocking on the door.
"Oh! How nice it is to see you, my lady!" Zeniba and Yubaba were only 200 years old, practically children compared to the millennia old spirit. Goddess. Goddess disguised as a spirit.
"Likewise. May I come in? I have something I must return to you."
-
"She's gone? How? I'm sure I was as fast as her..." Haku sighed in disappointment as he stood in front of Zeniba's front porch.
The stout witch came out of the house, and rubbed her forehead in exasperation. All she had wanted was some quiet time, was that too much to ask? Apparently it was.
"Yes, Yuki-sama left an hour ago. I am forgiving you for your thievery because the kind lady returned my golden stamp, but if you cause any more problems for her, the things I send after you will not be as weak as paper figures." With that, Zeniba slammed her door shut.
Haku frowned and shifted back into his dragon form, deciding to go back to the bath house. He would have to apologize deeply to Lady Yuki.
Suddenly, his head started to pound again.
"Please do not speak to me, and please do not touch me." What was this? Who's memory? It sounded like his voice, but he didn't remember saying such harsh words. "No need to remind me. We went over this agreement long ago. I have no intention of even looking at you." Was that Lady Yuki's voice? Her tone was biting, even colder than the way she usually spoke. Haku felt a pang of hurt. Why? Even he knew this Haku deserved it. To say such rude things to a lady...
The vision ended, and Haku quickly shook his head and flew back to the bath house.
However, as soon as he arrived in front of Yuki's door, it flung open.
Yuki stood in the doorway, her beauty ethereal even as her face held an expression of fear. "What did you see?"
