Part 3

When the door to the household opened, I expected the usual servant to greet me. I didn't expect to see him standing at the door.

"Impeccable timing, Milady," he complimented good-naturedly. "I've been expecting you."

"Thank you, Lord Cronqvist." I suddenly felt a little nervous as he stepped aside and motioned for me to come in. I couldn't explain it, really. My first trip into his home without an escort had been a nervous experience as well. However, my visits were now so very common. We met at least one a week, twice if the timing was right. There was no need to feel unease, right?

He led me to his study, as per our usual routine. As I followed him, I was overcome with a sense of solitarily. He lived without family, but it was not uncommon to hear the occasional servant hurrying about.

But it appeared that no one was about the place but us.

His study had the usual cozy and comforting atmosphere to it, but there were so many peculiarities about the current situation that I found I could not be at ease. I took my usual seat at the small table before the fire, watching him closely. "So what volume might you like to show me, Lord Cronqvist?"

He did not answer me right away. Though he appeared to be calm, I could sense he was hesitant, almost unsure of himself. It was very surprising. "Are you all right, Lord Cronqvist?"

"…Yes," he said after a long moment of silence. "Milady, I had in mind something different to present to you today. Do you mind?"

"Of course not," I said evenly. "What is it that milord had in mind?"

He hesitated again, further adding to my confusion and unease. He began to pace nervously, rubbing his chin with his hand without looking at me.

"…Milord?" I offered again, trying to keep my voice steady.

He stopped pacing and chuckled to himself. "I look like a right fool, don't I?" He walked over to me, his hand in his coat pocket. It remained there as he stood right in front of me. He knelt down, lowering himself to the floor until he poised on one knee. I felt a flutter in my stomach and my hands clenched in my lap.

"May I see your hands, Milady?" he asked.

My hands were trembling, but I held them out. He pulled his own hand out of his pocket and produced a box that was slightly larger than his own palm. He carefully placed it in my hands. "I hope it is to your liking."

"I…thank you." It came automatically, but my fingers were already opening the box before I finished. I peaked quickly inside. "Oh!!"

It was a brooch. A beautiful brooch with an image of the Madonna embroiled on its surface. It was a large brooch too, and it shined like silver…oh, it must be real silver!!

"I hope this would be a pleasant gift," he began slowly. "And that my intent to marry be evident."

I gasped again and my heart started racing. I looked at him with shock. "…Marry?"

"Yes, Milady. I would like to marry you, if you would have me."

I was so shocked by his words that I was struck speechless. It took me a long time to answer. "I…are you certain? My father—"

"I will of course do a proper public proposal and ask your father for your hand. But I would rather hear from you, Milady, if I might have you for my wife."

It was beyond anything I could've imagined…anything I could've dreamed of. Tears stung my eyes, but I looked at him as I spoke. "I would be honored to be your wife."

"Nay." Suddenly he grasped my hands in his and looked at me very intently. "Do not marry me for honor. I would rather you marry me for love."

I couldn't help but stare at him for a long moment. Marry for love? That was very simple; for I knew in my heart I loved him. I knew not how long I had, but I was drawn to him because of it. "I understand, Milord, and I shall marry you for this reason."

He relaxed then, and his handsome smile returned. "The Lord is gracious to me, for He has blessed me with a lady I can see through this life happily."

I blinked away my tears. Nobody has ever spoken to me this way before, and it was truly a blessing that such a man, that I loved so much, spoke me like this. "Thank you, Milord—"

But he shook his head at me. "Don't. Don't defer to me. I will be your husband, but you're not my servant. Don't address me like one."

"I-I-I see," I stammered. I didn't know how to take to all of this. He asks me personally for marriage before asking my father, and now he wishes I speak to him as an equal? "Then may I…"

"My given name," he confirmed, his smile broadening. "Please…say it now."

I swallowed thickly before I spoke his name. I knew his name well and I said it to myself many times, but this was the first time I spoke it aloud. "…Mathias."

My head was throbbing horribly. My whole body ached. What happened to me?

I groaned heavily, my body moving feebly. My head hurt so badly that I was sure I was going to be sick.

"So you're awake."

I finally lifted one of my arms and raised a hand to my head. My fingers brushed through my bangs and my eyes squeezed shut.

Even through my pain, I managed to get my mouth moving. "…Mathias?"

"No, that's not my name."

My eyes snapped open at that voice. It took a moment to adjust to the bright sunlight flooding my bedroom.

Wait…bedroom? How did I get back inside? I turned to my right to see a familiar face sitting there, staring back at me blankly.

"Arikado-san!!" I cried out in surprise. I launched up into a sitting position, but all the little pains everyone grew worse. I whimpered and hunched over, feeling the nausea grow stronger.

A cup with a red, smoky liquid inside of it was presented in front of me. "Here. Drink this and you'll feel better."

I didn't bothering asking what it was. I grabbed the cup and started chugging it.

"Um—" Arikado began slowly.

The nausea came back in full swing. I coughed some of the potion back up and started dry-heaving. "Ugh—augh!! A-Arikado-san, that tastes terrible!!"

Arikado shrugged neutrally. "I tried to warn you. But in any case it will heal you."

I drank as much of it as I could, despite the horrible taste. Little by little my head started to go away and my head cleared. Once the cup was drained, I was feeling marginally better. Not completely better, but better than before. "So what happened? What are you doing back in Japan? I thought Soma and you were still in France."

"We eliminated our target," Arikado said matter-of-factly. "There were a few loose ends to tie up, so I flew in ahead of Soma while he took care of them."

"What?!" I cried excitedly. "You're finished?! Soma's all right?!" Soma's okay!! Soma's okay!!!

"Of course he's all right. He has his hands full with wrapping everything up, but he'll catch up with us soon."

I stared at him, my elation decreasing. "What? Soma took care of the results instead of you, Arikado-san?"

"We each do it interchangeably. This time was his turn. Is something wrong, Mina?"

"I…" I sounded so rude talking to Arikado like that, especially since he helped me. But it didn't help with how upset this news made me. I'd been waiting to see Soma for a long time. Even though I liked seeing Arikado, I wanted to see Soma more.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry for being rude, Arikado-san. And please, don't tell Soma I complained like this to you about your work."

"It's really no problem," said Arikado. "Soma asked me to check in on you once I landed. I was very surprised at what I found, though."

"…What did you find?" I asked warily.

"I expected to see you greeting the New Year's sunrise. I didn't expect to see you hanging upside down from a tree, and the property damage—"

"The gutter!!" I suddenly cried. I threw back the covers and ran to my window. I looked all up and down the length of the house, even though I didn't fall on this side. "Oh no, the gutter collapsed!! My parents are going to kill me!!"

"That's all right," said Arikado, walking over to stand next to me. "I took care of that."

"Eh?!" I gave him a sideways glance. "You fixed my gutter, Arikado-san?!" I glanced at the clock. It read 8:47. "In less than three hours?! How did you do that?!"

"I have my resources," he said simply, and left it at that. "But it was very surprising for me. Do you mind telling me how that happened? You suffered quite a few broken bones, but I used some potions to heal you."

"I…" I looked back out the window, as though expecting the winged skeleton to pop out again. "Something attacked me while I was on the roof."

"What did?"

"…A winged skeleton," I said quietly.

Arikado grabbed my shoulders and turned me around to face him. I didn't like the look on his face. He looked completely frazzled, and I wasn't use to seeing him like this. "Are you sure, Mina?"

"Y-Y-Yes," I said uneasily, leaning away from his intense stare. "He tried to kill me and I slipped off the roof."

Arikado shook his head. "This temple is sacred ground. More so, the site in which Dracula was sealed. A demon should not be able to trespass here freely."

"I don't know anything," I said miserably. "And somebody's been stalking me, too!!"

"Who has?"

"I don't know if it's a man or woman, but I saw somebody with silver eyes yesterday when I went shopping."

Arikado was silent for a long moment. Then, he let me go. "I'm going to check into this. In the meantime, put up some wards and keep to the shrine—"

"The shrine?!" I shrieked suddenly. I grabbed my alarm clock and looked at it again. "Oh my God!!! It's the New Year!!! Today most of Tokyo will be by for their first shrine visit!!!"

"We have to—" Arikado began.

"You don't understand, Arikado-san!! The Hakuba Shrine receives over a thousand visitors every year!! Some of the patrons might be waiting outside right at this moment!! Oh…" I clutched a hand to my head. "I need my robes and I have to set everything up!!!"

"Mina—"

"Arikado-san." I grabbed his sleeve imploringly. "I have to do this. Please understand. I doubt another demon would show up with the amount of people coming today."

"Mina," Arikado said again. "I have to leave the shrine to investigate this. I'll send word to Soma, Yoko and the others, but you'll be here alone. I won't be able to help you if something happens until I get back this evening."

"Like I said, I'll be fine. There'll be plenty of people here today. I doubt some creepy monster will attack me. Just be sure to be back before the shrine closes, okay?"

Arikado reluctantly nodded. "With any luck there'll be more people here to figure out what's going on."

It never ceases to amaze me just how many people turn out to the shrine for their first visit of the New Year. They all seemed to be in wonderful moods and the children were usually happy and everyone was polite to me.

Only…dealing with thousands of people in one day can be tiring.

After Arikado left, I threw on my shrine robes and greeted the waiting patrons. From that moment, I didn't stop running around the shrine. There were people looking to be blessed, looking to ring the bell and say a prayer, looking to have their fortune read.

Fortune…I had the most difficulty leaving that booth. Helping people shake bamboo numbers out of cylinder containers to have their fortunes read, some of whom were displeased by what their slip of paper said. But there was only so much I could do.

I got tired very quickly, but my body was in good shape and I was able to keep myself on track. I was more than thankful to Arikado for his help. I didn't want to think of what would happen if I'd been left hanging upside down in that tree.

But where did that winged skeleton come from? And why did it attack me?

I freaked me out, and I didn't like thinking about it. The other encounters I'd had with monsters I'd been with Soma, and they were primarily attacking him. But Soma was still in France. And that monster was deliberately trying to attack me.

It was easy to keep it from my mind, though, as the day's task kept my mind more than occupied.

"Mommy, mommy!!" I heard a girl cry. "Look at my brooch!!"

I stopped in my tracks at that. Brooch?

"Yes, grandmother gave you a lovely brooch," said the woman, smiling down at her toddler daughter.

"I'm gonna wear it forever!!!" the girl cried, holding out a heart brooch proudly.

I watched them silently. It was a cute scene, but my heart was beating rapidly. Brooches…it's been a long time since I owned one.

Maybe it's that dream that got my attention about this. But then why do I feel so weird by it?

I shook my head. There was still a lot of work to do and I couldn't do it just standing there.

The end of the day. It was dusk before the final patron left. I knew this was only the tip of the iceberg though, and more would come tomorrow…and the day after that.

"Mom and Dad had better be home by then," I complained to nobody in particular, stretching out my arms. I was standing in the fortune booth, getting ready to clean up. I took my time though, as I unwound the bamboo screen cord and started winding it down, bringing the roll down to cover the window.

Inches from the countertop, a black gloved hand caught the screen, making it stop. "Excuse me, but is it too late to have my fortune read?"

"No, of course not!!" I spoke with an enthusiasm I wasn't feeling. I wound the screen back up. "I'm sorry for that, sir!!"

"Oh, it's no problem missus. I'll be out of your way shortly."

"It really is no…" My voice involuntarily trailed off as the screen rose back up completely. A man wearing sunglasses and a heavy white winter coat stood there smiling at me. But…he was a foreigner. Dark blonde hair was tussled all about his head and falling into his face. Maybe he was American or Northern European.

"I've never had a Japanese fortune read," he said to me. "But I like the thought of a new learning experience." He spoke absolutely perfect Japanese, without even a slight accent. I'd thought a Japanese man had been standing there. It was impressive…and unnerving.

"I-I'll get you started then," I stammered slightly, turning away from him. I'd resorted the bamboo numbers and put the cylinders away, but I was sure I could get it back together again. I was sure the man wouldn't mind. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye as I prepared it. He was looking at his gloved fingers as though he were examining his fingernails.

"So you're a shrine maiden now?" he asked suddenly, his voice oddly curious.

I was finished with my preparations and quickly straightened to face him. "Excuse me?"

"Hmm?" the man glanced at me. "Did I say that aloud?"

"……Yes," I said uneasily. What the hell kind of question was that? A shrine maiden now?! I'd never met this man before!!

It would probably be a good idea to ask him to leave. But I said nothing more and held out the cylinder. The man took it enthusiastically enough and shook it a few times. A stick popped out and he quickly read the number. "Twelve."

"All right," I said evenly. I knew what fortune it was, having repeatedly given it out today. I drew out a slip of paper from the 'twelve' slot and handed it to him.

The man held the paper high and read it aloud. "Experience is what causes a person to make new mistakes instead of old ones." He threw back his head and laughed. "Oh, what a true statement!!"

I didn't think the fortune was that funny, but the man was completely tickled by it. He laughed for several moments, seeming to enjoy himself very much. I just stood there in silence, waiting for him to finish and leave.

Finally, he stopped laughing. He shook his head and grinned toothily at me. "Thank you, missus, for your help."

"…You're welcome," I said quietly.

But the man wasn't done. He raised a hand up and fingered his sunglasses. "I wanted to see what type of person you were like. I've heard stories, lots of them, and you just sound so proper and boring. But I guess there's always more than what meets the eye."

"…What?" I asked quietly, stepping back from the window slowly.

"This has been fun. But…" he took his sunglasses off. He had a very handsome, youthfully middle-aged face, but his eyes were closed. "Life is life, isn't it? And some things are meant to be."

He opened his eyes. I squeaked and backed further into the stall. His eyes…they were silver. The same silver eyes I saw yesterday!!

"Enjoy the rest of your…day," he said, bowing slightly to me. He slid his sunglasses back on and walked away. I couldn't help it…I ran to the window and looked out. But he was nowhere to be found.

What just happened? And who was that?!

"Hammer's flying in from America and Julius will be flying in hopefully in a couple of days. Soma told me he's wrapping up everything and will take the first flight out of France he can. And Yoko's already in Japan; she should be in Tokyo around ten tonight. I'll be back at the shrine around 7:30."

Arikado left me that message on my home answering machine sometime during the day. It was now 7:22.

I sighed heavily and picked at my dinner. I'd made enough for Arikado and Yoko in case they were hungry, but I'd started eating mine because I was hungry. Or at least I thought I was. Now I couldn't even swallow a bite.

I looked at my cell phone at the corner of the table. I flipped it open and checked my messages. None. None from Soma or even my parents. Arikado had no problems contacting Soma and get updates from him, but Soma couldn't call me?!

At least he'll be back quickly. He's coming home, and it's definitely for you.

That certainly made me feel better. Soma was all right I was going to see him again.

I looked up his number in the directory. I was seeing him again very soon, but it still wanted to talk to him. I still wanted to hear his voice.

I was still looking at my phone and contemplating calling Soma when my front door opened sharply and slammed shut. Heavy footsteps trod over the hallway, but I looked up casually as those footsteps stopped in the dining room. "Arikado-san, did—"

My voice died abruptly. It wasn't Arikado who stood on the threshold. It was a stranger, a giant of a man, just taller than Hammer. He was largely built too, and was shirtless and simple gray pants, despite the cold weather. His head was shaved and his dark eyes were…crazy. That's the only way I could describe it. They were wide and scary and they looked right at me, his mouth grinning so widely that his face was twitching.

Most notably, he held a jagged axe in his right hand.

I stared at him dumbly from where I sat, my mouth hanging open. I was in so much shock at this intrusion that I didn't know what to do or say.

"Hakuba Mina?!?!" He thundered, his voice oddly shrilly for such a large body.

Panic gripped me fast, too quickly for me to react. "Um—"

The man raised the axe up to his torso area. "Time to DIIIIIE!!!!!!" Quick as lightning he lunged at me, swinging that horrible axe at my head.