Haku pretended yet again to be asleep when Yubaba came into the room. He preferred not to talk to her now, he felt far too feeble to bother needling her and she seemed happy to leave food for him and let him rest. Only once a week did she check him over and comment on his general health. He was sure she knew that he was getting rid of his food somehow; perhaps that was why she did not bother to stand over him and make sure he ate anymore. It was obviously doing no good. He did not need to growl and snap at her anymore either. He had better things to think about, like his impending fatherhood.

There was no denying that the news Chihiro had been hiding from him had been earth-shattering. He had not been prepared for it at all. First, he was terrified, how could he possibly be a father already? He had hardly had any time with his mate; he had planned on children at some point, but in a few years at least! He was a bonded spirit, he had never really had any family ties; he had no idea how to be a father! He did not even know if he had been fathered or if his mother had just decided she needed to have a child. A partner was not strictly necessary for a bonded spirit female to conceive, but more often than not a male was involved. He had grown up alone; he had neither needed nor wanted family.

That was until he met Chihiro; she had changed him. He could think of nothing more wonderful than having their children filling his home, swimming in his river, building sandcastles on the beach and generally getting into mischief. He had wanted all those things, but not expected them quite so soon. He had been shocked; shocked and angry at Chihiro for hiding the news from him.

Then he had looked at her face. Her big brown eyes were wide and more than a little frightened. She was worried about how he would react. His heart had melted. How could she think that he was anything less than ecstatic? True it was sudden, but they were going to have a baby together. How could that ever be a bad thing? He did not remember exactly what he had said to her but he had done his best to try and reassure her that she and the child were more than wanted; they were loved, both of them.

Haku still felt terrified that he was going to be the worst sort of father. But as long as he had Chihiro he was sure she would guide him. His little one must be scared too, she was travelling the length of the spirit world to try and rescue him while at the same time dealing with pregnancy and the separation symptoms that she would be feeling from the mating bond. He was surprised she could even wake up in the morning let alone lead a quest.

He frowned; Yubaba was still in his cell. He could hear her heavy breathing.

"You have little to smile about, dragon," she said, her cracked voice almost irritating Haku.

"Oh, how wrong you are," Haku thought. "Captive, I may be, and my mate and child may be in danger but I have MUCH to smile about. I'm going to have a daughter!"

He smiled to himself again. He felt like he had in the first few weeks when he and Chihiro had been courting. He could not keep the stupid grin off his face. He wondered if the elemental part of him knew about the pregnancy. It probably did. Chihiro had been at their home the first time he had spoken to her.

"Are you feeling lonesome, Yubaba, or are you gracing me with your presence for a good reason?" Haku asked glibly.

He slid his heavy eyelids open. The witch looked a little different. Her hair was not as neat as it normally was; untidy grey wisps were haloing her face. She had dark circles under her eyes as if she had not been sleeping and her complexion appeared more sallow than it usually did. Haku at first thought that Kenshin must be working her hard; his goal was close and he would be getting weaker. The witch would be required to use her power for his needs. Well, that was a kind of justice; the witch may drop dead of exhaustion if he was lucky. But his nostrils told him a different story. He could smell worry and anxiety in the air. She was hiding it well, but she could not lie to his nose. He frowned, curiosity aroused.

"What is bothering you, hag?" he asked sharply. "You reek of tension." Yubaba stiffened. She recovered quickly and smoothed out imaginary creases in her frilly blue dress.

"If I seem tense than it is your fault, dragon," she said absently to the fabric under her hands. She looked up and he saw something in the witch's plate-sized eyes that he had thought never to see; fear. Yubaba was afraid of something. As if sensing his deduction, she became angry.

"This entire mess is your fault!" she shouted. "If you had not interfered... If you had left things as they were then I would have never have been driven from the bathhouse!"

Haku blinked at the witch owlishly. Now he was intrigued. How the witch could blame the situation on him was beyond him.

"The bathhouse had no custom, Yubaba," he said evenly. "It is a vital service and many spirits have come to rely on it. Your greed and self- indulgence drove them away. I was ordered by the Old Ones to step in." He held his head on one side and peered at her from beneath the green hair that had fallen in his face. "I may have no love for them now, but at the time I would never have dreamt of questioning their judgment. I did what I was ordered to and the bathhouse prospered under our joint management." He shifted, sitting up slightly. "So how is all this," he gestured to the cell around him, "my fault, hag?"

Yubaba's lips thinned as if she had bitten on a particularly sour lemon.

"It's your arrogance that has brought you here, dragon," the witch spat. She slammed the cell door shut, stalked across the claustrophobic room and perched herself on the stool in the corner opposite him. "Your arrogance will be the end of you!" she growled. "Do you remember the day you came back to the bathhouse? You strolled into my office without invitation and demanded half the premises as your own."

Haku shrugged.

"I was being fair," he said evenly. "I could have demanded it all. But I did learn a considerable amount from you while I was apprenticed to you, even if you did use me as a thief. I thought leaving you with half would reflect that."

"I WOULD HAVE SHARED, YOU IDIOT!" Yubaba roared. Haku was taken aback; he was so surprised by the witch's words that he was struck dumb. Yubaba gritted her teeth and her face contorted with anguish. "I knew the situation I was in, I was going to be broke. I was looking for a partner, someone to help me pull the place back together. Someone the staff would respect and trust." She glared down at him. "But you walk in and threaten me, threaten to take the place I had worked for centuries to build and maintain. That bathhouse was my life, dragon, and you stole it from me!" Yubaba clenched her hands to her chest. She looked lost for a moment. "I built that place up from nothing; it's my home and you invaded it like a virus. You gave me no choice; with the Old Ones backing you I could not refuse you. Soon you were changing contracts and routines that had been established for generations."

"The changes were needed," Haku said softly.

"But you did not ask me!" Yubaba hissed. "Soon I was totally obsolete. I kept accounts and helped with orders but..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "I knew I was no longer in charge anymore. What was the point in staying if every decision I wanted to make about what went on in my own home was taken by you?" she said softly.

Haku stared at her. He had never once thought about how his actions had affected the witch. He hadn't cared. The bathhouse was his original reason for staying in physical form and not choosing to idle away the next few centuries with his river. Yubaba had just been an annoyance, someone to be tolerated. She had used him in the past and he had made her pay by taking one of the most precious things in her life from her. Only taking her child would have been more painful, and Yubaba's sister was there to provide that humiliation already. Bou loved to visit his aunt, which no doubt was seen as a betrayal by Yubaba.

"Because of you, I left my sister to care for my beloved child so I could go and find someone to help me take back what is mine," said Yubaba softly. She looked around the cell. "I may have made a mistake," she murmured. "I was so blinkered by Kenshin's promise to get my bathhouse back I did not stop to think what he would ask of me in return."

Haku sighed. He still found the witch nauseating but he supposed he could have handled the situation at the bathhouse more diplomatically. He was going to have to force himself to apologise. Not because he felt sorry for the witch particularly, and he certainly did not hold himself responsible for her actions, but because she was starting to think that her alliance with Kenshin was unwise. He could possibly drive a wedge between them.

"I..." he cleared his throat. "I am sorry if you feel you have been mistreated, Yubaba," he said quietly. The words were hard to say but he forced them out. It was worth it for the look on Yubaba's face. Her jaw literally dropped. She gaped at him for over a full minute, eyes wide and uncomprehending. Haku was not sure he should be complimented or offended by her reaction so stayed silent.

"Water bull," she whispered softly.

"What?" asked Haku, thinking Yubaba had finally snapped.

"Kenshin brought a water bull to the fort. He's going to use it on Chihiro," said Yubaba, all in a rush.

Haku's brain took a moment to digest this piece of information; Yubaba was wringing her hands nervously. She obviously expected this news to have an impact on him.

What was a water bull used for again? He paled when the answer rose from the depths of his mind. The mad air spirit planned on taking his little one's memory from her, permanently. It did not work like Yubaba's name stealing spell; it did not lock the memories away. The memories in this spell were deleted entirely; washed away, never to be regained. The object of the spell was left with total amnesia and would trust utterly the one who had cast the spell.

Kenshin was going to take Chihiro away from him. Not only her but their unborn child too.

Panic gripped Haku. His tired body was suddenly filled with the energy only pure terror could provide. He jumped to his feet. Yubaba squeaked in fright and scuttled away from the suddenly very lively dragon. She stood by the door, ready to bolt if she needed to. But Haku had already forgotten about her. He first tried pulling at the band on his waist, but he was still not thin enough to get it off. It did not stop him trying. The ring of metal bit cruelly into the flesh of his hips. He hardly noticed when the blood started flowing, but even with that as a lubricant, the band of metal remained in place.

With a roar of frustration, Haku attacked the chain that was connected to the band. He yanked at it over and over again, looking frantically for any link that appeared weaker than the rest. There was one, slightly thinner at one end of the link where it rubbed against the wall. Haku put his hands just above and below it and pulled. His finger joints popped with the strain. The chain squeaked with protest.

He kept pulling, but it was not enough and the chain held. He put his foot against the cell wall and used his leg as leverage as he pulled. His arm and thigh muscles burned and complained. His body was weak; it could not keep up. Haku howled as the muscles in his thigh tore. But he kept pulling, despite the pain. He had to get free! That was all that mattered. His little one was about to be snatched from him. His damaged leg seized up entirely and he was forced to drop to his knees.

He looked at his hands. His palms had been shredded by the chain, the blood making them too slippery to pull effectively anymore. He yanked at the chain again, this time bringing the almost indestructible links to his mouth.

He bit down hard.

Enamel crunched against metal and shattered. The pain was too much and Haku spat out the chain. Blood was filling his mouth and his shattered teeth throbbed with almost blinding agony.

He looked at his bloody hands and forced himself to calm down. He could not get free. He was weak after months in the tiny cell and his self imposed starvation. He could not get free! Blood trickled down his chin onto the sand below. But not just blood, saltwater was mingling with the viscous red liquid.

Haku realised that he was sobbing brokenly. He hadn't even noticed. He clenched his teeth, focusing on the pain. It helped him concentrate. He could not help his mate in such a state. Panicking was not going to get him out any quicker. He raised his eyes. Yubaba stood at the door still. Her hand was covering her mouth and her eyes were wide with disbelief. Haku pulled his scattered wits together and swallowed his pride along with the blood in his mouth.

"Please help me," he begged. Yubaba's eyes got even wider. "You told me about Kenshin's plans because you dislike them," he declared, hoping he was right. "What he will do to her is very wrong," he whispered. He bowed. His body protested but he forced his forehead down into the sand. Yubaba gasped. Dragons did not make gestures of supplication; a dragon would normally bow to no one but the Old Ones. Haku kept his forehead against the sand and spat to clear his mouth of blood again.

"I beg you, Yubaba," he whispered. "Set me free; allow me to save my mate and my child." There was a noise, like a confused whimper. Haku looked up slightly to see Yubaba clenching the skirt of her dress, her hands balled into fists.

"I...I can't, Haku," she whispered. Her face wrinkled up in distress.

"Kenshin would never know," murmured Haku, pressing the witch, sensing she was wavering. "We could make it look as if I freed myself."

"I can't," repeated the witch.

"Please, Yubaba," he hissed. "You can have anything you want; the bathhouse, my wealth, everything. None of it is important to me!"

"You don't understand!" wailed the witch. "He will suspect me and he will only have to ask me and I will tell him everything!"

Yubaba freed her hands and pulled at the collar of her dress. There, sitting just below her collar bone was a small obsidian mirror pendant. Haku studied it dismally as the hope in his heart shrivelled up. There was a ruby eyed raptor, worked in silver, sitting on the face of the mirror. It was quite beautiful, or it would have been if it did not have such a sinister purpose. Yubaba was deeply under Kenshin's control, the Tac' Tal would ensure her loyalty to him. Unlike the pendant Haku had given to Chihiro, Haku was sure that Kenshin would utilise the Tac' Tal Yubaba was wearing to its full potential. She would not be able to lie to Kenshin if he asked her directly if she had helped him. Haku decided that when he got back to his mate he would destroy her pendant. It was not necessary with the bond they now shared and it was unfitting for her to wear it. He did not own his little one, he loved her. But it seemed Kenshin owned Yubaba.

"I have my own child to consider, Haku," Yubaba hissed. "I have to conform to Kenshin's wishes or I may never see him again!" She turned around and swept out of the room, locking the cell door behind her.

Haku slowly lay back on the sandy ground. His face throbbed; the leg with the torn muscle would not stop twitching. He was a mess, but he knew he would heal. His mind was empty; he had no idea what he should do next.

At that moment, Kenshin's spell siphoned off more of his energy. He moaned and the cell swam before his eyes. He did not even have time to cry out in pain before he fainted.

Yubaba's lip trembled. She used her power to help her practically fly down the corridor. She had to get away; away from Haku and his pleading eyes.

"He deserves it," the witch muttered. "He deserves all this and more! I took him in when he was lost and friendless and how did he repay my kindness? He's a greedy, arrogant snake that deserves everything he gets!" But the image of the dragon on his knees, shaking from head to foot, tears pouring from his jade eyes as he pleaded for release would not leave her mind. She gritted her teeth. It was no good; her resolve was weakening and that was something she could not allow to happen. She needed to stay true to Kenshin; if he suspected her of even thinking of betraying him she was sure she would find him to be painfully unmerciful. No, she had to attend to her own concerns first. It was not her fault the human was involved in all this. If this whole mess was anyone's fault then it was the Lady's. She should have taken better care of her son.

Course of action decided, Yubaba headed to the throne room. With luck, Kenshin would look favourably on her honesty. Her heart quailed at the prospect of confessing a failing to him. She knew he only tolerated her because she was of some use to him in his waning condition. She still had not forgotten the day he had struck her. It had been a rude awakening, to know that the spirit thought so little of her.

Finally, Yubaba was at the throne room doors. She smoothed a hand over her unruly hair and attempted to calm herself. She put what she thought was an expression of supplication on her face and sighed. This deal she had made with the powerful spirit was getting more and more troublesome by the day. Humility came no easier to Yubaba than it did to Haku, but she was learning rapidly how to bow and scrape. Pride was not an issue when she was technically Kenshin's property.

She pushed open the heavy doors and winced. The sun was directly overhead and was beating down upon the roofless hall. The azure blue sky did not even contain a hint of cloud and Yubaba immediately began to sweat. The sun bouncing off the white marble, of which the hall was composed, half-blinded the old witch. Kenshin was easy to locate, however. The black stone throne he sat upon appeared to almost suck the light into it rather than reflect it, just like the spirit's long, jet black hair did. He had his hair unbound and it had fallen about his face and shoulders like a silken death shroud. He was resting an elbow on one of the throne's armrests and his cheek was resting against his long-fingered hand. His skin was deathly pale and almost appeared translucent in the strong sunshine.

Yubaba moved closer. She was surprised to see that the ancient grey eyes were closed. He was sleeping; resting peacefully in the afternoon sun. She hesitated. Should she really be disturbing him? He was exhausted from the energy the spell was taking from him; he should be sleeping most of the time. Instead, he visited the local colony of shadow sprits every night to ensure their needs were met. He frequently apologised to the heads of various clans for asking so much of them. The shadow spirits, however, were happy to help him; their debt to 'the night wind' could never be repaid.

Yubaba eyed the spirit warily. He was a complete contradiction; so kind and gentle for the most part, but distant. However, she knew he could be completely ruthless; his plans for Chihiro appeared to be designed to exact perfect vengeance on his mother. The human she had taken under her wing and nurtured, her tool to defeat him, he was going to make that tool his own. In doing so he would rip the defiance from her mate. Haku would be unable to even think about escape, not with his mate totally under the control of his captor. Yubaba suspected though that Kenshin was intrigued by Chihiro. He hungered to meet her and make her ally rather than an adversary. After that, he could take his time to find out what it was about the human that had captivated a dragon and made his mother go against the rules of the spirit world to allow her to live at the bathhouse.

Yubaba knew she shouldn't care. Chihiro was a human and a very annoying one at that. But Yubaba did feel sorry for her. She had been watching the girl in her crystal ball long enough to learn of her pregnancy. Kenshin had smiled when she had given him that particular piece of information. Yubaba did not want to think about any plans the ancient spirit may have for Haku's child.

"You appear to be pondering whether to wake me, Yubaba," said a low, crisp voice. Yubaba jumped. She realised she had been looking at the throne and not its dozing occupant. Her eyes snapped up to meet the bleary gaze of the air spirit. "I can smell your anxiety; it was enough to rouse me," he said a little more gently. He yawned and stretched, then sank back into his throne as if the activity had been too much for him. Yubaba frowned.

"You are not taking your medicine regularly enough," she accused.

"It interferes with my thinking," he replied evenly. "I need a clear head for all the things I must do. When I can hardly stand the cramps then I take it." He treated the witch to a chilling smile. "It works wonderfully but I also dislike the mood swings it subjects me to, and it's almost like being intoxicated if I take it too often."

"Well, I could replace the poppy juice with southern ocean willow bark and see if that is still a strong enough pain killer," mumbled the witch thoughtfully. Kenshin raised a black eyebrow.

"Poppy juice?" he queried. "You've been dosing me with opium?"

"Only a tiny bit!" the witch protested. "Not enough for you to get addicted to! It's a very fine pain killer and it's gentler on your physical form than the willow bark."

Kenshin shrugged.

"I trust your judgment in this; medicine was never something I took an interest in. I would, however, be grateful if you told me if you were giving me an addictive substance," he said mildly.

Yubaba bowed in answer. She was a fool; of course, he would want to know! Spirits as well as humans could become dependent on certain substances. While spirits were unlikely to die of unpleasant physical side effects, they could be affected mentally. More than one spirit suicide Yubaba had heard of had been conducted under the influence of alcohol or some mind-altering compound. Yubaba knew she herself was completely addicted to nicotine, though Kenshin would not allow her to smoke anywhere in his fortress except her own rooms. He hated the smell.

"What is the matter, Yubaba?" he asked softly, almost enticingly. "You appear distressed." Yubaba felt the pendant around her neck grow a little warmer, compelling her to tell the one who had given it to her the truth. She did not need compulsion, she was perfectly ready to tell Kenshin everything.

She bowed low. Another image of Haku prostrating himself before her filled her mind for a moment, and she shoved it away with an internal curse.

"I wish no longer to have contact with Haku," she said quietly. "He is starting to worm his way into my sympathies and ask me for his freedom." There was silence at her words for a long moment.

"And... you have thought about... helping him?" said Kenshin, choosing his words with deliberate care.

"Yes," replied Yubaba in the smallest of voices.

"Good," said Kenshin with a delighted laugh.

Yubaba straightened up so quickly that her spine cracked.

"What are you saying?" she hissed. "What twisted game do you play with me now?"

"No game," replied the spirit sternly. "It was an experiment on my part. I wanted to see if you were capable of compassion. It appears you are."

"What possible importance can that have?" spat the witch.

"I dislike your tone," replied Kenshin in a voice that was as hard as the obsidian ball behind his throne. His ancient grey eyes narrowed threateningly. Yubaba shrank back from him, the words to placate the spirit stuck in her now dry throat. "But I will answer," he said, glaring at her. "If you can feel compassion for the Dragon then that means you may feel compassion for my situation."

He held his head on one side. "Am I correct?" he asked. His voice virtually pulled the reply from her lips.

"Yes... yes, you are correct. I pity your situation; I would never have treated my child as your mother has treated you. She has made you what you are and I feel sorry for you." Yubaba said in a rapid monotone. She bit her lip; the Tac' Tal's influence was most disconcerting. She wondered if Haku had ever been tempted to use Chihiro's against her in such a way.

Kenshin slumped in his chair a little and relief was clearly written on his face.

"Forgive me, Yubaba, but I had to be sure that this was not all about the bathhouse for you. I need you to perform a few errands for me, sensitive ones. I needed to be certain that you would not play me false while you were so far from me."

"Wh-where are you sending me?" Yubaba stammered.

"To reunite some star crossed lovers," he said with a smile. "But you must make it very clear to our hero that he must not harm the others in the group. His wayward concubine will be his again if he lets Chihiro continue as planned."

Yubaba did not have the slightest idea what he was talking about.

"Why not just have this person let Chihiro go on alone? You want her separated from the others don't you?" she asked.

Kenshin smiled at her; it was almost a warm smile.

"There is a dangerous country between here and my domain, and while I will do my best to slow the group down I do not want Chihiro alone until she crosses onto my land. I do not want to put her in unnecessary peril. I think letting her fall down a cliff has been traumatic enough for now."

Yubaba shook her head. She did not understand; he wanted to win but he did not want Chihiro hurt? He should just lock her up until his spell was complete. Kenshin laughed loudly as if he had heard her thoughts.

"Now where would be the fun in that, Yubaba?" he asked, confirming her suspicions.

A/N- I have the internet again! True, because I work away from home it is only once a week... but I can post again! Enjoy.  Hope you are all happy and well.