A/N: Hello! Some people from the 07-Ghost fandom probably know me but let me introduce myself and this story. I'm called AngelaStoneWoodLaurant and this story is an Alternate Timeline that continues my 07-Ghost story Kanon. (first you readers have to ignore the things that happened in Doppelgänger and Hämnd since in this AT Kanon indeed died in the end of Kanon) You don't necessarily need to know what happened in Kanon but I advise you to find out who she is :P Since she is kinda the main character... (I'll explain to you later why she's called Mari in the beginning)

As I always do, I'll give you theme songs for this story. (not for only this chapter but the whole story) The theme songs are Akiko Shikata's Ta ga Tame no Sekai, Ricordando il Passato (Kanon's theme song) and Inori no Kanata

Please go on and read ;) For the ones who're wondering, the name of this story means Red Windmill in German (I wanted to use Moulin Rouge but everyone would have thought about the musical :P There's no deep meaning to that name, though...)


I have no idea where I came from but I really want to get away from that man…


Tokyo, December 7th, 2013

It was a chilly day in early December when everything started. Kimihiro Watanuki had barely managed to go to Yuuko's shop from his school and make some light snacks for Yuuko when his friend, a lavender-haired girl stumbled inside the shop. Watanuki dropped all the light snacks from his hands when he saw the condition the girl was in. She had various bruises on her face and arms and there were even fresh cuts on her wrists. Watanuki didn't bother to ask about the cuts when he went to the girl and started fussing about her light dressing in the winter.

"What has happened to you, Mari-san?" he exclaimed. "Why aren't you wearing a coat in that freezing weather?"

"I ran away", Mari answered. "I couldn't take very much of my personal belongings…"

"Who is it?" Yuuko's steady voice interrupted. "If a person entered into this shop, they must have a wish."

Mari looked into the space where Yuuko's voice had come from. Her expression was almost desperate and it was very clear to everyone that she indeed did have a wish. Watanuki looked at her with sadness clear in his expression while he slowly started collecting the light snack from the floor. Surprisingly, not many of them had fallen out of the tray he had been carrying. When he finally was ready, he took Mari's hand and helped her to stand up.

"Let's go", he murmured. "Yuuko-san will grant your wish."

"But I don't have more than 700 yen with me", Mari muttered. "I don't think that it's enough to pay in a shop that grants wishes…"

"Don't worry", Watanuki said with a sad smile. "The payment won't be money. She takes other kind of payments…"

Mari lowered her gaze when she and Watanuki entered into a small dining room where a beautiful woman sat in a Chinese-style dress that had butterfly patterns all around it. The woman looked at Mari and her torn sweet Lolita dress that included a military-styled vest with a bright red rose.

"Welcome, dear child", Yuuko said with her calming voice. "You must have a wish since you came here?"

"Yes", Mari said and gulped. "I want to get away from my adaptive family…"

"In what way do you mean that?" Yuuko asked. "I'd like to hear a bit of a backstory, if possible."

Watanuki nodded reassuringly at Mari who finally sat down at the round table. She squeezed her hands into small fists before opening her mouth and starting to tell her story.

"Well, as Watanuki already knows, I can't remember anything from before I was six years old", Mari told quietly. "When I was thirteen, I found out that I had been adopted from the Shinozaki family since they had found out that if I would stay with them, a curse would activate over me. My adaptive father was always afraid of that curse, so he would abuse me in every way possible…"

Yuuko's gaze visibly darkened and both Mari and Watanuki could see that she was thinking about something. Few times it looked like Yuuko was writing something on the table with her finger and Mari could swear that Yuuko's lips formed the word Kanon.

"What is your full name?" Yuuko asked suddenly.

"It's Mari Akai", Mari answered. "Uh… Is there some special meaning to that?"

"Not yet", Yuuko said. "Do you have any special abilities?"

"I can from ice", Mari answered and bit her lower lip. "I realized that when I was around ten. I can also make fire listen to my will, which I've always been aware of." She took a shaky breath after continuing. "And also… I can read people's memories if I look at their eyes for long enough…"

"That is interesting", Yuuko said with an unreadable smile. "They were same the last time too…"

"Eh…?" Mari asked and looked at Yuuko's eyes. She immediately regretted that since she saw all kinds of memories of a certain long-haired wizard whom Yuuko had once loved.

"I have a suggestion", Yuuko said. "I can send you to a different dimension for some time. More specifically, it will be the dimension where your previous life took place. I will also give you changes to remember your past, both from this life and your previous life. The price will be your name, your ability to read people's memories and one of those earrings."

Mari's eyes widened when she heard the price. She couldn't imagine a life without being able to read people's memories even though she would be far away from her abusive stepfather, which would probably make her life far more peaceful and happy. She also didn't want to leave either of her real mother's precious earrings.

"Don't worry about your name and earring", Yuuko said with a softer smile. "You will get your original name in the place of the name you use now. Your earring won't stay with me all the time; it will just be a pant and a communication device for us since I want to see how you are doing in the dimension I will cast you into."

"That is fine", Mari said. "What will my name be?"

"You will be called Kanon Shinozaki", Yuuko said. "Let us proceed outside so I can send you there."

"Yes", the newly-named Kanon answered and stood up. She took out her earring and handed it over to Yuuko. Suddenly she seemed to have a new kind of energy bubbling inside her. The three people walked outside just when it started snowing lightly.

"I will receive the payment while you are being transported", Yuuko said and started forming the dimension-crossing magic that would transport Kanon to the world of her previous life. "I will also fix your pretty dress as a sign of our friendship."

"Thank you", Kanon said and bowed before the dimension-crossing magic embraced her gently.


The Houburg fort, December 7th, 1807

The snow had started to fall early in the morning in the first district of Barsburg. The Blackhawks were doing their work as usually when Konatsu suddenly noted that the ceiling seemed to melt at a certain point. He couldn't help but stare at the strange melting point which – oh God, Ayanami-sama will be angry, Konatsu thought – started to fall. Even Kuroyuri seemed to notice the weird behavior of the ceiling and she started giggling. At that point, the remaining three Blackhawks looked up from their papers and reacted differently: Hyuuga shrieked and tried to hide behind the desk, Katsuragi simply stared with wide eyes and Haruse raised his left eyebrow.

"What in the world is happening?" Katsuragi managed to mumble before the melting point exploded and revealed a familiar-looking lavender-haired girl who was wearing a frilly sweet Lolita dress with a military-styled vest that had a bright red rose on the chest pocket.

"Hello", the girl greeted. "Where might I be at the moment?"


So, what do you think? Any thoughts are happily welcomed ^^