I could feel a lump stick in my throat, Makoto turned the brass handle and opened the door to an office with a large fireplace. There was a large exotically patterned throw rug in the middle of the floor with a desk on top of it which was covered in papers, pens, and other decorative assortments. A burning wick of incense sat on the desk filling the room with a distance smell of sweet orchids in full bloom. A man sat behind the desk, dressed in a white and black traditional kimono. His long dark hair was tied in a formal ponytail which flowed down his back. The warm glow of the fireplace illuminated the dark room and his handsome chiseled features. Even though he was sitting, his broad shoulders made his posture intimidating. He was too focused on what he was writing and hadn't looked up yet. He looked exactly the way Makoto had described him, a natural born leader, shape-shifter, merciless, mysterious, rich, and ruled with an iron fist. He's dressed for power, a dragon. There's no question about him, and I can't breathe.

"You're late." He said coldly.

Makoto bowed deeply and gestured with his hand that I should too. The room was deathly silent, the only noise was the crackling and popping of the flickering fire.

"My apologies Milord. I was disrupted by some minor inconveniences on the way." Makoto reached into his pack and pulled out a small parchment folded neatly, sealed by a wax stamp with a Jasmine flower pattern in it.

"If they were 'minor' you would not have been almost an entire day behind on…" He looked up at Makoto and immediately noticed me standing next to him causing him to pause mid sentence. He was caught off guard by my presence, his ice blue eyes piercing into my very soul. I gasped with sudden instinctual realization.

"Haku" I whispered under my breathe in disbelief, there was no mistaking him. Did I really just say that?

I can't believe I just let that roll out my mouth! Where did that even come from? It was impossible to hold my tongue when he looked at me with those sterling blue eyes of his. I know him! Yet, it feels like we've only meet in some sort of dream, nothing more… Makoto couldn't believe I said that either, now I have two pairs of eyes staring at me confused, the silence was killing me. Did I say something wrong? Why couldn't I have just kept my mouth shut?! Feeling held in place by the dragons gaze. He looked me up and down slowly, it's making me uncomfortable. Why is he looking at me like that? Did I really just piss him off? Oh god I'm sorry Makoto…

Makoto looked between the dragon and myself repeatedly, trying to make sense of the situation. I peered up at Makoto with pleading eyes to see his questioning glance and shrugged lightly in response.

"I see you have company, will she be sharing a room with you tonight?" he asked. Why does everyone keep asking that?

"Oh not at all milord! She is merely an acquaintance of mine, she has been aiding me in my routes. Nothing more, you see, being a messenger can be quite tiresome and…." Makoto rambled on a nervous rant. The dragons and I never broke our gaze. I'm starting to feel a flurry of mixed emotions, my throat feels tight from building anxiety. I wasn't sure how I should act in this situation. Should I look for the nearest exit to escape? Or should I tell this creep to quit staring at me like I was dinner? I was so overwhelmed that I didn't notice Makoto had already walked to the desk to hand him the message.

"Milord? Are you well?" Makoto asked concerned.

"Yes, you may take your leave. Send the Jasmine Emperor my regards. You and your company are welcome to stay as long as you need to recuperate for the journey back" Makoto bowed once more and turned to head out the same door we came in through. I quickly broke the stare we shared to follow Makoto closely on the way out.

"Wait." The lord said. We both turned to see him stand quickly.

"A moment please?" He held out his hand open towards me, not knowing how to react I looked at Makoto nervously, he looked at me with a blank stare clearly not sure what to do either. "Yes Milord?" He started to walk back into the room.

"Not you" He quickly said, Makoto stopped in his tracks.

"Her."

Really? he wants to talk to me alone? What is this guy thinking? I want to run past Makoto and out the door just to get out of here but my legs are frozen. I looked at Makoto screaming 'help' in my head.

"If you'll excuse us?" Haku held out his arm gesturing for him to leave. Makoto bowed then turned to me and gave a slight wave which I returned. The door clicked behind him and I turned to look at the Dragon Lord for him to make the next move, he sat back down in his large Victorian chair and with a wave of his hand everything on the desk organized itself, papers folded into drawers, pens lined up and stuck themselves back into a holder and decoration moved from the center of the desk to the edges. I don't think I'm ever going to get used to real magic, he did that so effortlessly it was amazing.

"Please, won't you have a seat?" He held his hand out in front of the desk, and a small but comfortable chair appeared out of thin air. Realizing I hadn't moved from the spot since Makoto shut the door I quietly walked over to sit in the chair that was provided.

The room was awkwardly quiet, when I took a leap. "You wanted to talk to me sir?" I asked uneasily.

"I did, why don't you tell me about yourself, what's your name onna?" Oh god not another pet name, is it like a law for anyone who meets me to come up with a pet name? He seems to be trying to lighten the mood. I am pretty tense about the meeting I didn't know my name so I said the first thing that came to my mind.

"Little Bird." I said confidently, looking him in the eye. He shook his head 'no', "your scent has betrayed you, that's not your name." He raised a brow, shit I've been caught. "Well, no it's not, but that's what I'm called." "Never mind what your 'called', I would like to know your real name, you know, the one that was provided to you by your parents?" He asked again, his voice was calm. "My parents?" I repeated. The echo of pigs squealing played in my mind, but I thought nothing of it. That's strange I haven't even considered my parents. If they are out there, they must be worried about me, wondering where I am. Makoto was right, he can read my scent and apparently whether or not I am telling him the complete truth.

"I'm not sure what to tell you sir. I don't remember my real name." I said apologetically while looking down at my hands.

"Really?" He didn't seem very surprised by that answer, which in turn ended up surprising me instead. Did he predict that I wouldn't know my name? His gazed peered into my very soul once more. Strange, I don't feel like I am in danger, he's so familiar.

"Where are you from onna?" Here we go again, another interview that I don't have any answers too. Might as well try to answer them to the best that I can, I don't have anything to hide anyway.

"Well, I woke up in a field a few days ago. Before that I don't recall." I said

"How did you find this bathhouse?" He asked

"I traveled here with Makoto, he found me when I was lost."

"How did you know my name? Did Makoto tell you?"

"No, he's always called you the 'Lord of the Bathhouse"

"How old are you?"

"I guess I'm in my late twenties by the looks of it."

"Are you and Makoto more than just 'good company'?"

"No, we're not. I don't know him that well, we've just met recently. He seems nice enough."

"Hmmm." He hummed contented by the truthfulness in my answers, he thought about my responses for a moment and he turned his chair slightly to stand and look out the large window behind him with his hands behind his back.

"Are you Human?" He said, that was kind of a weird question to ask.

"I don't know, but think something tells me I am."

Now his scent hit me, he smelled like fresh pine and rain. I'm sure Makoto knew that all along since his sense of smell is five times better than mine. It's nice, very soothing.

"Yet, you are unsure?"

"That's correct sir."

He made a small almost unaudiable gasp with a speechless look on his face, wow I didn't think my words were going to affect him so much. His reaction made me nervous, what did he know? He remained silent, obviously in deep though. He peered down to look at the guests arriving on the bridge.

"How you know my name?" He asked quietly, I almost didn't catch his question.

"What do you mean? Don't allot of people know your name?" I asked

"Yes I am well known in these lands, however everyone addresses me as 'Ko-haku', they always have..." He paused for a minute and looked over his shoulder at me.

"Except you." He said sternly.