Kohaku River x Kagome

The thrum of magic could be felt throughout the bathhouse, the purity of it settling into the very structure itself and chasing away any spirits with ill intentions when the young woman stepped across the bridge. Untouched by Yubaba's wards and temptations, and gifted with the divine's ability to see and interact with more than the average mortal, it quickly became apparent what sort of being had decided to visit. Workers alike immediately began spreading gossip amongst themselves, wondering why such a powerful miko had crossed the plane of humanity to visit the spirit realm for a bathhouse of all things. Many whispered how odd it was that the woman appeared to be unclaimed by any patron God, for it had been many, many years since the spirit realm had heard rumor of any unclaimed miko with true power being found on the mortal plane.

It was like a fairytale come to life within the bathhouse, as visiting spirits and workers alike vied for the attention of a miko powerful enough to cleanse the entire area with her mere presence alone. Her kindness and beauty were the talk of the establishment, with many left with an envy that was quickly washed away by her power when Yubaba shooed her into the arms of Sen and Lin to enjoy her bath in peace.

And it was this gossip that Haku quickly found himself surrounded by when he returned from a mission the old witch had sent him on. He had felt the miko's power before he had entered the bathhouse, and he ignored the many cries of "Haku-sama!" as he found his feet moving swiftly through the halls toward that pure presence. There was an odd little tinge in his chest, a familiar pain he had nearly forgotten, that he felt lighten with each step toward the luxury baths Yubaba had gifted the miko's stay in an attempt to earn her favor.

"There you are, Haku!"

His journey came to an abrupt end then, as he turned on his heel to greet the human girl whose name Yubaba had stolen in exchange for work. "Sen." The pull of the miko remained, sinking into his very core, even as he looked over the girl to make certain she had fared well during his departure. "Did you need something?"

Chihiro nodded enthusiastically, despite the fact she was panting from her search to find the spirit. She put her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. "I was tending to Miko-sama when we overheard someone saying that you had been spotted coming back. I, well, I wanted to make sure you were okay, and Miko-sama told me to come get you right away. She…" the girl paused, "I think she might know who you really are, Haku. I think she knows your name."

Haku narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, as his hand lifted to the area where the odd sensation continued to pull him in the direction of where the miko resided. Yubaba had taken his name long ago, and along with it she had taken the reason for why he had given it up in the first place. It had only been Chihiro's determination to save her parents, managing to hold onto her true name, that had awakened the curiosity within him on who he had been. Who he was, truly, though he had pushed the curiosity away in order to focus on helping Chihiro find her way out of Yubaba's service before her parents were eaten as pigs.

Could it be true, though? Did this miko know him? Was that why he felt such an intense need to find her?

"Haku?" Chihiro asked. Her frown deepened at the way he was holding his chest, worried if he had been hurt while out. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, of course." Breaking away from his thoughts, he nodded with a small smile at the question. There could be any number of reasons why the miko called to him, even the simple fact that she was unclaimed. She held no patron God, and that made her like a dazzling flame drawing forth every spirit like a moth. He was not immune to the thrill of such a thought, but he was not free. It was best not to dwell on it. "I was actually heading to see this miko myself. Would you like to come with me, Sen?"

Chihiro's eyes lit up with delight, and she nodded. The hope that the woman residing in the bath knew Haku's true name bubbled in her chest, as they began the rest of the short journey toward the large luxury bath. She held it on the tip of her tongue, though, knowing it was best to keep silent about the subject while other workers were wandering around, and chatted about the tub she and Lin had cleaned before the miko's arrival. Haku remained mostly silent, ordering an employee here or there out of their way, but she could see the way his shoulders began to tense when they neared the private room where the luxury bath resided.

If there was one thing she wanted as much as she wanted to see her parents again, it was to see Haku set free from Yubaba. He had done so much to help her already, and so she prayed for her friend the closer they got to door.

The spirit felt his breath quicken the moment the door came into view, sensing the purity of the miko residing within beckoning him closer still. Her aura was massive and tantalizing up close, and he knew that he would have done everything in his power to entice her to remain at his side if only he were free. Her presence was soothing away the tinge that had developed in his chest, and he felt the tension in his shoulders vanish when her aura surrounded him in a warm embrace that spoke of familiarity.

Haku could not help but frown, though, as he forced his feet to remain outside the door that separated them from one another. He had been in Yubaba's service far longer than the average human lifespan, he was certain, yet her very soul seemed to nestle up against him and fill the void where the witch had long ago taken his name. Time worked differently on the spirit plane, he knew, and some part of him began to rationalize that an unclaimed miko could not know him in such a way.

Not even Chihiro's hopeful presence could dispel the thought once it rose, and he hesitated to turn the knob that kept the miko from his sight.

The door opened unexpectedly after a moment, and Haku quickly stepped back, his arm rising to both pressure Chihiro away from the door and protect her if need be. He fought his very instinct to rush inside the luxury bath as the steam began to billow forth, both confused and flustered by his reaction to the possible sight of the miko beyond the threshold.

But the sight was not to be, as Lin popped her head out to stare at them both like they were stupid for standing outside the room. "There you are, Sen!" she sighed, pulling the door shut enough behind her that the room retained most of the steam that had developed while the bath had filled. "I was beginning to get worried that you had gotten lost when you rushed off to find Haku-sama."

Chihiro smiled sheepishly, saying, "Well, Miko-sama was just so excited that I—"

Lin's eyes widened in that moment, as she switched her eyes to stare at the spirit beginning to grow tense once again with the way the miko's aura seemed to thrum around them. She had only heard stories of the way powerful spirit's enticed miko into eternal service, and she had a feeling that there was more behind the bathhouse's current fairytale come true than any of them knew. "Sen," she cut the younger girl off with a look, "I think that we should let Miko-sama relax while Haku-sama speaks to her."

Chihiro's smile fell a little.

"Alone." Lin felt like she needed to stress the point, as she began to inch away from the door. She had no desire to be knocked over by the dragon spirit should she accidentally startle him into the luxury bath. She gave the younger girl another look when she looked like she was going to protest, no doubt wanting to stay close to Haku, and said, "Whatever Miko-sama wants to talk to Haku-sama about doesn't concern us. We have other chores to tend to until Miko-sama needs us again, as well, and I don't know about you, but I don't want my hide tanned by Yubaba just because we look like we're slacking off."

"I guess that's true," Chihiro sighed.

The girl looked like she was going to say more to the spirit standing protectively in front of her, but Lin quickly grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away when she felt the miko's presence pulse in welcome once more. Haku's entire form shook with the feeling, the faint trace of scales forming along his cheeks, and Lin quickly wrapped herself around Sen as they were hit with a massive gust of wind that swept into the luxury bath and slammed the door shut on them both. She shook her head when Sen gave her a worried, confused glance, clearly wanting to make certain that Haku was okay. "We need to go, Sen."

"But, Haku…!" Chihiro almost did not know what to say. She felt conflicted suddenly, unsure if she should have allowed her excitement at the possibility of the miko knowing Haku's true name to lead him to her after she had seen the way he had lost control of himself in that moment.

Lin was already leading her away, her grip tight around her shoulders, as she felt the two massive auras begin to meld and clash against each other without hesitation. "This isn't something we need to see," she told her.

"What isn't something we need to see?"

Lin blinked then, looking down at the much younger girl, before she nearly sputtered with the realization that Sen had no idea how spirit's enticed miko they discovered. "Uhhh, well…" Lin felt her tongue grow heavy with those curious eyes staring up at her. "Um, I'll… um, tell you when you're older."

Chihiro made a face, asking, "Why can't you tell me now?"

"Uhhh…"

It just figured she would be left in this mess. She would have to thank the dragon spirit properly later if he was doing what she suspected he was behind that door. This kind of questioning deserved at least a couple bags of roasted newts for saving his hide from having to answer such embarrassing questions later.

Feeling his power wrap around her after so many years of searching the modern era she had been forcefully thrown into, the pure white scales lovingly brushing against sections of skin that had been long neglected, the miko known as Higurashi Kagome could only sigh in contentment. Her very soul shivered with the feeling of her other half finally freed from the enchantment that had trapped him beneath Yubaba's contract. She would have to thank the witch later for weakening the pull between them to find one another, but for now she was thankful just to have a moment to relax against him. A moment to breathe him in. A moment to know that she had finally found him after so long.

"Kohaku…" she sighed lovingly, feeling the dragon spirit rumble with the sound.

She was never going to let him out of her sight ever again.

Who knew where he would end up next.