They say in death, a human is reborn as a spirit. Most believe they will become the guardians of their family, ancestral spirits to live on and protect their home. Others imagine they will become animals, beautiful koi swimming in the palace of the royalty. Then there are the few who believe in dragons. To believe in dragons, one must know a dragon-and that is where our story begins, with a dragon who is a river, and a girl with a pretty name.
All was darkness. The darkness was good, it was safe and cool. It wrapped around and around, a cocoon of soft silk, of sleep. She liked the darkness. Much better than the light, the world that she faintly remembered. Even those memories were fading though. She did not care. She slept.
"Child, wake, you must wake up…" A voice broke the darkness, found her, and she curled closer unto herself, desperately wanting to sleep longer, to ignore the kind voice beckoning. The call was too firm to ignore, and she hated it for a single moment, hated it so much she woke.
The world was different. The light was softer, warmer, dancing along the wooden floor. It was firelight. A strange being came into her vision, one that had no face, only a mask. She growled and the shadow shrank, and the voice returned, scolding gently, "Now now, you may be a guest, but you mustn't be rude child." An old woman with a large head and short body, dressed in blue and her white hair tied neatly in a bun, bent to meet her eyes. She tried to speak, but only animal whines came out. The woman sighed and patted her head, "I know, but please dear, just stay still. I'll get you something to eat." She lifted her skirts and walked towards a table, where breads and cheeses lay. She began cutting and assembling dinner as the shadow hesitantly approached her again. She roared, but the no-faced being continued towards her. A dark hand reached out in wonder, gingerly petting her nose. She rumbled, disconcerted, but did not roar again. It continued to stroke the soft fur there and she yawned, the feeling good. She liked this no-face. The woman returned and smiled, murmuring, "Isn't that much better? If you're nice, others are too. Isn't that right No Face?"
The shadow made odd ah-ah sounds and nodded eagerly, drawing a smile from the creature on the floor. The woman fed her slowly, only speaking once, "Open your mouth. Good." Then the creature once more slipped into sleep, but this time it was warm. As warm as her cottage.
This time when she woke, the light was sunlight, and when she lifted her head to search for the woman and the spirit, she was surprised to see them weaving. The woman paused in her constant rhythm, smiling widely at her guest, "So. You're awake. You can call me Granny, and you may stay as long as you like. What is your name?"
She opened her mouth to answer, but froze, confusion sweeping like a flood through her. She did not know her name.
"You haven't got one yet then?" queried Granny when she didn't answer right away, as if this were all too common here. Wherever here was. "Hm. I suppose I'll just have to call you something then, won't I? How about...Aya? Aya is a good name for a girl." The newly-christened Aya blinked slowly, bored, then dropped her head and rolled away from Granny.
"Hmph, no manners. I don't know what I expected," the old woman sighed, and began spinning again with the help of the masked shadow. She called out in some annoyance, "I used to know someone who hadn't a lick of manners. You remind me of her." Aya snorted and attempted to sleep again. Granny tsked and shook her head, giving up on rousing the cranky girl from her mood.
Just as Aya began to doze again, the windows shook with a loud clattering noise, and Granny sang out happily, jumping up from her spinning—to the disappointment of No Face, who had been enjoying himself quite nicely, "Another guest!"
The door was flung open and Aya spun her large head in surprise, a shape blurred as it ran inside, slamming the old door behind it. In the wake of the loud entrance was a boy, a boy of sixteen with black hair and pale skin, with a wide smile and bright eyes he greeted Granny, "Hello Granny, it's me, Haku!"
He turned on his heel and noticed the curious creature, eyes widening as he gasped, "Another dragon!"
Aya looked this way and that, lost, another dragon? Where?
"Yes. She's our guest, and her name, for now at least, is Aya," said Granny, though she continued in a light scold, "Stop staring, aren't you even going to give Granny a hug?"
He laughed and it was the most beautiful sound in the world, like wind chimes, or a burbling stream in spring. Aya felt warm all over and nearly forgot the sentence just uttered. Wait.
She slowly looked behind her, fear a sharp chord ringing as she finally saw, that yes, she had a long body covered in fur, and even, was that—a tail! She did the only thing one would do if one just realized that they were a dragon; she fainted.