"Kohaku," she murmured, her voice whipped away by the wind. Her breath left her in a whoosh as she hit the water. Whatever warmth she had vanished as she was enveloped by the cold, bubbles drifting up from her open mouth. Her ponytail fanned out around her as she reached out, vainly fighting to reach the surface.

Then she stopped, her body sinking slowly in the river. She hit the bottom with a soft thud, mud rising in a small clouds around her. The water was murky, almost impossible to see through, but light still reflected in her open eyes.

Cold water filled her lungs as she accidentally took a breath, and she convulsed, unable to expel it. Instead she inhaled more water, and felt her throat tighten. Her head swam. She was out of air. If she kicked, she might be able to claw her way to shore… but did she want to?

Chihiro heaved again, her body seeking relief. Her face jerked upwards as she coughed, her struggles unheard by anyone. If she could speak, what would she say? She could barely think as darkness ate at the corners of her vision.

She closed her eyes, her pulse beating weakly in her ears.

Then something slid over her wrists, digging into her skin. She was numb, she couldn't move - yet she felt herself being dragged through the water. It flowed over her face as she broke through the surface, and air brushed her skin. Her eyes fluttered, letting sunlight pierce her vision.

She was cold. Water sloshed around in her lungs, and she wasn't breathing. Did she have a heartbeat? But she was thinking, feeling. Was she alive?

Chihiro opened her mouth to speak, but only gurgled. A soft, melodic laugh came from her side. Strangely, though her ears were underwater, she heard the woman's voice just fine. "Oh, child, you cannot speak like that. Come. Come here." She was pulled below the water, and she found herself face to face with the speaker.

And she was beautiful. The woman's hair floated in the water like seaweed, dark tresses that seemed tinged with green. Her eyes were a deep blue, and her skin was pale. Her long limbs clasped Chihiro's. When she smiled, her teeth gleamed.

"Child?"

She found she could speak. "My name is Chihiro," she replied, surprised when her own voice sounded high and clear. She looked down at herself, finding that the fabric of her clothing was unfamiliar. What was she wearing? Her feet were bare, but she had the notion they weren't originally.

"You needn't know my name," the woman told her gently. She caressed Chihiro's cheek, swaying slightly in the current. "This river is Ours. You will be joining Us. Not many children join Us, but you've been touched by Our world."

Chihiro shook her head, feeling slow in the water. "What do you mean?"

The woman smiled. "In time, We will explain. But you will learn for yourself, as well. For now, do you wish to live?"

"Yes," Chihiro said immediately.

"Then that is all We need to know. Welcome, child." The woman laughed again as she pulled, dragging Chihiro into the river's depths. More woman appeared, fading in and out of the murky light. Some glittered green, others made up of hues of blue, and some were the color of the sand.

In awe, she touched her forehead to theirs in greeting, always met with the same words. "Child, We welcome you." She found herself feeling warm at the thought of being part of Them. She didn't want to be alone.

She had the feeling she'd been alone for a long time.

Without her noticing, her clothes fell away, replaced by cloths offered up by the women. She was happy, content. The water which had seemed so cold suddenly felt like silk, wrapped around her like a blanket.

So happy.

But of course, They were always happy.

"Why wouldn't We be?"

He stirred restlessly and opened his eyes. It was silent, since the busy noises of the bathhouse were muffled by the floors between them. Only a few snatches of conversation drifted in through the open shoji, carried in on the cool breeze. With a sigh, he stood and crossed the wooden floor, going out onto the balcony.

It was definitely bustling with activity in the town. Lights were lit in every store, and the delicious aromas from the food vendors filled the air. Spirits filled the streets, and he was happy to note that plenty were filing into the bathhouse.

Well, good. Maybe he could go back to sleep. Kohaku turned to head back when he remembered why he had woken up. It was a nightmare that had done, filling him with a sense of unease. It wasn't a common occurrence either, and usually he slept without dreaming at all.

What had he been dreaming about? For the life of him, he couldn't remember.

He glanced back out at the river, watching as the ferry landed on the shore. The silent ones, shadows that only gained form when they arrived - out of respect to the other spirits - were appearing one by one. He could see the ones still waiting on the boat, their masks seeming to hang in midair.

Perhaps he should go out and eat. He was sleeping late, which was also strange. Normally he was up by dusk, doing paperwork and occasionally checking on his workers. He went back to his futon, folding the rumpled blanket and straightening the mattress.

It was either sleep here in human form, or sleep in the river as a dragon. There were some very rude kappa and a serpent insistent on eating other spirits living in that river, so he preferred to sleep in the bathhouse.

Besides, it was more convenient for when one of his workers had a problem. The one time he'd slept in the river, Lin had thrown rocks into the river to tell him there was a customer who wanted to see him personally. Then the serpent had gotten mad and swallowed her whole.

Needless to say, it had been a messy affair all around.

Lin was thankfully alright. Kohaku suspected she would do it again if the scenario repeated itself. He laughed a little at the thought as he patted down his sheets, smoothing out the last of the wrinkles. Then he returned to the balcony, climbing onto the railing.

The air wrapped around his form as he tilted his head back, looking at the night sky. It was mostly clear, with just a few tattered clouds among the stars.

He lifted himself up, feeling his body lengthen. It was growing stronger, and though the world twisted around him as his vision changed, he saw everything so clearly. He wound himself through the winds, coiling past the clouds, before diving back down.

Soaring over the town, he took in everything at once. Most of the spirits didn't even look up as he passed overhead, too concerned with their food or their shopping.

Everything was fine.

Kohaku finally shrugged off the lingering feeling unease, landing behind one of the stores. Shedding his scales, he brushed himself off and walked out into the street. He was hungry, so he picked one of the smaller restaurants. It was one he frequented often, since he enjoyed the quiet atmosphere.

The tatsumi behind the counter noticed him and smiled. "Haku! Have a seat, and I'll come help you in a bit." He smiled apologetically before the customer he was helping, a mountain spirit with a craggy face and bad attitude, slapped the counter impatiently.

"Can't I just put it on my tab and leave?" he asked impatiently.

Tama - for that was the tatsumi's name - smiled patiently. "No, sir, we don't work that way. But don't worry, I'll have your money counted out shortly."

"Hurry up then."

"Unfortunately, I can't do two things at once," Tama said pleasantly. "It's difficult to talk and count at the same time. I keep losing my place."

The mountain spirit grumbled and opened it's mouth to complain some more. Then Tama's words seemed to get through to it's head, and it closed it's mouth grudgingly. It looked very grumpy at the fact, and Kohaku had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing.

Eventually the transaction was finished and the mountain spirit was squeezing out the doors. Tama rubbed his horns in frustration before going over to Kohaku. "Sorry about that," he said with a sigh.

"It's fine," Kohaku told him. "You handled it well."

"I try," Tama said. He shrugged, then smiled. "Will you be having your usual?"

Kohaku nodded. He folded his hands on the counter and watched as Tama started to make his meal. He and the tatsumi were old acquaintances, dating back to when he was Yubaba's apprentice. He really liked the tatsumi's food after all, and the fact there was such a spirit still unhatched intrigued him.

Tatsumi were spirits who were born from eggs, often left in the nest of other birds. Tatsumi take on the form of the first creature it sees, with the exception of antlers that are always present on it's head. Usually, when they grow up, they hatched a second time into the form of a dragon.

Not the type of dragon Kohaku was - he was a god in his own right after all - but similar. If a human saw them side by side, they probably wouldn't even notice a difference.

Tama once told him he had hatched into a dragon before, but chose to return to his human form. He never told him why.

Kohaku didn't even know the tatsumi could do that. He still didn't think they could. Tama was probably a rare case. He studied the rest of the restaurant, noting the lack of customers. It was usually a little busier than this, and he frowned. "Are you guys doing okay?" he asked when Tama came over with his food.

The tatsumi looked around before understanding. "Oh, we're doing fine. But whenever the river women stop by, spirits flock to whatever store they're in."

"River women?" Kohaku said, surprised.

"Oh, haven't you heard?" Tama asked. He smiled. "The town has been gossipping about them nonstop, I'm surprised no one told you. There have been women who come through town every week. They're beautiful, I suppose. They've begun living in the river."

Startled, Kohaku asked, "What about the kappa and the serpent? Surely they would drive them out."

Tama's voice was dry as he replied, "I believe the women convinced them to leave."

Raising an eyebrow, Kohaku had to admit he was impressed. He had trouble with those spirits, even with his abilities. Were the women sirens? He voiced his concerns aloud to Tama, but the tatsumi shook his head. "They're not sirens. They do have an odd way of speaking. But they are just very beautiful," he reassured him.

"And you don't think so?" Kohaku teased.

"Perhaps they are," Tama replied. "But they've never come here, and they look much like other women to me. I have customers to tend to." He smiled sheepishly. "Though I don't have any when they come by, except for you."

Kohaku finished eating and pushed his plate away, thinking carefully. He wasn't exactly knowledgeable of every spirit that came through the town, but he'd thought he had a good idea of who came and went. The fact that there was a new group living in the river without him knowing came as somewhat of a shock.

He thanked Tama for the meal and paid before leaving quickly. He wandered out into the street and finally noticed that there wasn't as much traffic as there usually was. Were they all gathering where the river women were?

As he walked down the street, he also noticed that none of the stores or shops were busy. Most of them had only a few, if that, customers.

Then he realized all the lights at the bathhouse were on, and steam gushed out in billowing clouds. Were the river women at the bathhouse? Curious, he took to the sky, flying into his bedroom and shedding his scales before hurrying down the stairs. He ran into one of his workers and stopped them.

"Excuse me," he said, "But are the river women here?"

The spirit blushed as she said, "Yes! But they're currently waiting for a bath to open up."

"May I ask where they are?"

"W-waiting room three, sir," she stammered. Her skin turned a deeper shade of red.

Kohaku thanked her and made his way to the waiting room, ignoring the greetings several of his workers and customers called out. In truth, he was often so busy he was viewed as aloof anyway.

They still preferred him to Yubaba though.

He arrived at the waiting room and heard giggling on the other side. He knocked, and the sounds abruptly stopped. "Yes?" one of the women asked. Her voice was high and clear, but filled with amusement. Whether at having a visitor or because of whatever they were talking about, Kohaku wasn't sure.

"I'm the proprietor of this place," he said warmly. "I'm afraid I've not made your acquaintance yet. I'm ashamed, since I'm told you are my new neighbors."

They giggled again, and one of them said, "Then please, come in! We've been discussing the different types of bath oil available - actually, this is the first time we came here! Perhaps you can suggest some things for us."

Kohaku opened the door.

The benches, surprisingly, were filled with eight women. Three had dark hair that glimmered green in the light, while four had blonde hair so light they appeared white. The remaining woman had brown hair in shades of amber, and it was tied back into a ponytail. Each was clothed in an airy dress that matched their hair color.

They were all also pale, and as Tama had mentioned, beautiful. He smiled at them. "So what were you hoping for, then?"

"We were considering these bath tokens," one woman said, pointing. Each waiting room had designs of the bath tokens and what they were for, since customers often had time to kill while waiting for a bath.

Another woman added, "But some of them don't seem like they would mix well together."

"So we were wondering which would be best," a third woman concluded.

Kohaku nodded thoughtfully. They had pointed to several different tokens, each with similar fragrances. However, they were right, it would be too overwhelming to use all of them at once. "Tell me, how fond are you of oils?"

"It doesn't matter," one woman said.

"And what about strong fragrances? Or weak scents?"

They laughed. "We honestly don't care. It's the scents themselves we're curious about," one replied, and they all agreed.

"Then this one combined with this token should be perfect," Kohaku said, tapping two different designs. "Let me know if they aren't satisfactory. I'll refund you if that's the case." He smiled at them. "By the way, I didn't catch your names?"

The women suddenly grew quiet. He watched as they shifted, and none of them looked at each other. One of the women said, "We are sorry, but we are simply Us. We are called the river women, if that helps." She shrugged, and a few nodded. One smiled in apology.

Kohaku nodded. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry." He stood and bowed once before leaving.

So they were not a threat. And they were somewhat strange, but having spirits as customers meant he had seen stranger. He climbed the stairs to his room, closing the doors on the noises of the bathhouse. It took him a while, and he could have taken the elevator or flown, but he never tired and he enjoyed the climb.

As soon as he stepped into his room, the feeling of unease returned. It wasn't the room, he knew that much. It wasn't something he could put his finger on, either. Kohaku looked around, trying to pinpoint what had triggered it.

Then he remembers.

His futon. He'd been dreaming about something important, but the details slipped away from his mind. Kohaku looked around his room, at his desk with papers piled neatly on it - he made sure it wouldn't fly away in the breeze - and at the bare wooden floor.

He couldn't remember. He just couldn't. Kohaku sighed and wondered if there was a magic to recall dreams. There probably was, but Yubaba hadn't been interested in teaching him that sort of magic.

It seemed like a gentle idea. He walked back over to the balcony and mused. Zeniba might know. Perhaps even one of the other workers might, though that wasn't too likely. Kohaku stretched, then looked back at his desk. He really should do his paperwork, but for once, the appeal just isn't there.

Instead, his mind wandered to a little girl who simply didn't belong in this world.

A little girl who wore her hair back in a ponytail and worked hard. She'd matured, as well, in the small space of time that he'd known her. She'd been strong, and beautiful.

He'd fallen in love with her.

A twinge of pain needled it's way into his heart as he wondered if she was dead. Or had she grown up? He had grown up, in the way only a spirit who wanted to could. He had grown up and waited, hoping she would find her way back. Eventually, he'd stopped waiting.

Maybe she'd never looked back since then.

He was a dragon, after all. Dragons were known to be a little too sentimental. He sighed and stepped back, ready to close the shoji. He really did have to get to work.

But then, he saw the river women walking down the street. They were hard to miss, with the crowds of spirits following them down the road. Kohaku hesitated, his eyes following them as they went. He wasn't infatuated with them the way the other spirits were.

Somehow, though, he couldn't shake the memory of them away.

So Kohaku found himself shutting the shoji and darting down the stairs, going out the back way. It's not a way, not really, but it suited his purposes. As he took the stairs three at a time, he marveled at his body.

Growing up made things seem smaller.

Though he should be used to it, with how he becomes a dragon and all.

He found he needed to go faster, needed to soar. So he did. His body lengthened, becoming powerful and fast, and he climbed through the air so quickly he thought the sky would get ripped open from how frantically he was going. That, if he went faster, the black of the night would tear open and the starlight would be blinding.

Kohaku closed his eyes as he paused, so high above the town it is made up of indistinguishable specks of light. The spirits might wonder why he was acting this way, but they wouldn't ask him.

The river women.

He opened his eyes again and coiled up, looking for the river. And when he saw it, he dived down. He slowed just a little when he got close, but he still made a splash. The women, whose skin glowed faintly in the dark waters, were clearly startled.

Shaking his head slowly, he gathered himself and watched as they settled down. Then one of them - her clothes a dark emerald - came up to him. "What do you want with Us?" she asked.

Seeing her in the water brought back some of the dream.

The way her hair drifted in the current.

It was too clean, though, the light filtering through the water too easily. He remembered the dream, the river women who had taken her in when she was whispering his name.

She?

Was it true?

"Chihiro?" he asked, his words echoing through the water as bubbles slipped out of his jaws. When the river women snapped back as if struck, he knew. They recognized her name, and they knew where she was.

He growled, the power rumbling through his belly. "Where is she?"