samantha was just 2 years old when she first met kohaku. she slipped away from the babysitter and walked to the river located a mile down the road from her family's house. when she arrived there,she caught sight of a group of butterflies and started to chase them on wobbly legs.
unnoticed by samantha,she was being watched from the depths by the river spirit. she followed one butterfly to close to the edge and fell into the water,being swept under by the current. kohaku's eyes widened as he rushed up to catch samantha and carry her to the surface.
rarely anyone visits his river at this time of year so there were no witnesses as he walked out of the water with her craddled in his arms. she looked up at him with innocent eyes and smiles as wide as she can at him,not knowing who he really is.
he chuckles softly as he gently sets her on her feet and kneels in front of her. "you've got to be more careful,little one." she pouts cutely and looks down. "ok..." he smiles and lightly ruffles her damp her. "no need to be sad,you're not in your family must be really worried."
she shakes her head. "they're at work and the babysitter was busy on the phone all day so she didn't see me go outside." he sighs in disgust. "how could anyone be so irresponsible.." he then notices her shivering in her wet clothes. "come on,let's get you somewhere warm and dry."
he takes her to nearby cabin that's been empty for weeks but is still cleaned by the caretakers. once they go inside,he starts a fire in the fireplace and looks for clean towels to wrap her in.
"let's hope you don't get sick." he smiles gently at her as he rubs her clothes dry through the towels. she giggles a bit and looks up at him. his eyes soften as he looks into her eyes,his inner dragon reconizing her as his mate.
he decides to watch over her as much as he can then ask permission to court her when she's of adult age. she rubs her eyes and yawns as it's getting close to her nap time. he smiles softly and lays her on a couch. "go to sleep,little one.i'll stay here with you until you wake up." she nods and curls up on the couch with the towels covering her.
he walks over to the window and looks for anyone outside. he sighs after seeing no one. "she's gonna get in trouble someday if she keeps being allowed to wander off like this." he glances over at her sleeping form with a soft expression on his face.
once he's sure she's in a deep sleep,he gently picks her up and carries her home before the babysitter notices a thing. "i wonder if she'll remember me or think today was just a dream.." with a saddened heart,he kisses her forehead looks at her one more time before returning to his river.