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Thanks for your reviews; you really know how to make a girl smile! You wanted another chapter, so here you go! Hope you'll like it! And don't forget to tell me every little thing that comes to your mind while reading this, every idea you might have! It really helps me to know what people think about my writing!

The next day came sooner than I wanted it to. I woke with the first ray of the sunlight, just like I did since I became a traveler. There were times when I would sleep in, but that was long ago. I was supposed to meet Fujino-sama in the garden, but I didn't know when, or how to get there. I slowly got out of the futon and threw my torn, bloody, dirty tunic over my body. Compared to the softness and warmth of the sheets, it was rough and cold. I really needed new clothes.

I slowly walked to the window, looking out, into the garden. It really was beautiful, although it looked sad. The branches of trees without leafs slowly danced in a light winter breeze, the grass looked cold with a thin layer of frost over every blade. I saw some birds in the cherry-trees and a cat with orange fur with black straps, that reminded me of a tiger. I smiled at that, wondering what it looked like when the spring came.

A sound of knocking threw me back into reality. I didn't know what to do, apart from turning around, but it seemed that whoever was outside didn't mind my lack of response. The door opened after a while and a girl with shoulder-length orange-hair came into the room with a tray in her hands. She was tall, but not taller than me and definitely not taller than Fujino-sama. She had a white tunic with few violet straps, which, although it was loose, didn't manage to hide her quite outstanding breasts. The girl had a smile on her face and she looked me up and down with unhidden interest in her light-violet eyes.

"Good morning, traveler," smiled the girl. "I have your breakfast here-whoa!"

Some black thing came running into the room. It looked like a cat, but it was way too big to be an ordinary cat.

"Mikoto! How many times did I tell you not to run around like that!" the girl lectured with a strict look on her face and the black something stopped. I realized it was a small girl, with a short black hair, clad in a black tunic.

"Hummm, but Maaaiiiii! It is no fun that way!" the girl whined. She was settled on all fours, next to the futon on the ground, looking at the carrot-headed girl with stubborn, almost cat-like look on her face.

"You are not here to have fun. You aren't even supposed to be here!" the orange-haired girl said, frowning slightly. Then she turned her attention back at me, as did the girl on the ground. "Anyway," the carrot-head smiled warmly, "Here's your breakfast. Hope you'll enjoy it, I made it myself."

I slowly came a bit closer. The girl on the ground crawled in front of the carrot-top and sat there like a cat, eyeing me with something I could only describe as bored interest.

"I-… thank you…" I said quietly, my husky voice scratched me in my throat. I could use some warm honey and milk.

"You're welcome, traveler. By the way, I am Mai…," the young woman smiled, then she pointed at the girl at her legs, "…and this is Mikoto. If you ever needed anything, feel free to ask me, I'll be happy to help."

"Well… actually, there is one thing I would like to ask you," I said quietly, looking down, at Mai's knees.

"What is it?"

"Eh… F-Fujino-sama asked me to meet her in the garden, but she didn't tell me when…"

"Oh! Well, I assume she will be there after her breakfast, which is probably now. She is a morning person, wakes up before the sun," Mai smiled. "If that's everything you need, I'll be on my way."

When she and the little cat-like girl left, I took the tray with food and sat down under the window. I didn't really pay attention to what I was eating, I only knew it was delicious.

I couldn't stop thinking about the red-eyed goddess. How did she manage to get me in here, just by looking into my eyes? I was the most strong-willed and stubborn person I knew, so how could she make me do what she wanted just by one glance? Was it because she came from a noble family?

All of the questions made a real mess in my head. I couldn't think straight. That's probably why I almost bumped into someone right after I left the room that was given to me for the night. I quickly bowed, muttering an apology. Laughter in a deep, low voice made me look up. It was a woman, high, with a good figure, quite beautiful face, short black hair that seemed messy and eyes in the color of mead. She was dressed in a gray and white tunic with violet hems on the sleeves and collar.

"Don't worry about it," the woman smiled, scratching the back of her head awkwardly. "It's probably my fault, anyway. I do have a slight problem with my eyesight… so, sorry, I guess. By the way, I'm Chie! You must be the traveler Mai and Fujino-sama were telling us about in the kitchen! Is it true that you want to leave for winter? It doesn't happen often that someone new comes in here…"

I just stood there, in front of her, like a total idiot, unable to say anything. My mind was still at the words 'Fujino-sama' and the meaning of all of the other words just kept running from me. After I finally caught on, I nodded my head. It wasn't hard for me to keep my cool mask up around people, so I was sure she didn't notice the momentary absence of my rational thinking. Only Fujino-sama had that weird effect on me, that my mask just came off and I was at her mercy.

"Yes, I do want to leave. I don't want to bother Fujino-sama or anyone else in here," I replied, nodding my head slightly. I didn't dare to look in her eyes, instead I chose the safe area of her forehead. "I'm sorry, but I should be going."

"Going? Does Fujino-sama want to meet you? I can show you the way, if you want," Chie smiled. She then, without waiting for my answer, started heading down the hall, nodding for me to follow her. "You won't be a bother, trust me. Actually, everyone who is in this manor happened to appear here one day, out of no-where, without the past and without the future, just like you. Fujino-sama took us all in, without a word. She gave us all work, money, a place to stay, and, eventually, friends."

I only nodded my head as I followed the woman through the corridors of the mansion. I was glad she offered me help, I would be lost in here if it wasn't for her.

After a short while, we got out of the corridor, into the garden. From the window that was in my room, the garden seemed quite small, but now… I've never seen a garden as huge as this. I heard a quiet chuckle from my right, where Chie stood.

"Impressed?" she asked with a grin on her face. "I was too, when I first saw this. Fujino-sama called me here to offer me the job of her maid. I remember how scared I was back then."

"How long are you here?" I asked, eyeing the woman. She couldn't be older than me.

"Five years. I was only fifteen when I met Fujino-sama. She was eighteen then and she had this whole mansion all to herself. I and my friend, Aoi, were the first ones to get here, into her services. And I'm glad we did."

"Is she… a good person?"

Chie half-smirked and lowered her head. "Go there and see for yourself. But I can tell you, everything depends on how you act towards her." With that, the girl left and I had to step into the garden, because I no longer had an excuse to not to do so. The grass was stiff from the slight morning frost, stinging me gently into my feet through the worn-out leather of my boots. The cold air warped itself around my body like a second skin and my torn tunic and boots didn't help me to get warmer.

After a while of walking around under the trees, I spotted her, sitting on one of the benches, under a big cherry-tree. She looked straight in front of herself, as if she was deep in thoughts. She held a steaming cup in her hands, which were now settled in her lap. She had a sky-blue kimono on her, her sandy hair was pinned up into a loose bun on the back of her head. She looked absolutely calm, absolutely normal and absolutely breath-taking.

I didn't realize I've been standing there, watching her, with my breath caught in my throat until I felt the burning sensation in my lungs from the lack of oxygen. I finally took a deep breath and forced my freezing legs to move forwards, to her.

When I was just a few feet away, she lifted her head and looked right into my eyes. I stopped, quickly getting on my knees and bowing, ignoring the pain that shot through my body mainly from the wound on my left side; although my eyes didn't want to leave her crimson stare just yet. I saw a gentle smile that broke on her lips.

"You may stand up, Kuga," she said quietly, tapping the spot on the bench next to her. "And sit here."

I didn't know what to do. One part of me wanted me to stay where I was, on my knees, in a formal distance from the goddess in front of me. The other part wanted me to sit next to her and take her in my arms, to protect her from anything and everything bad that might happen.

I stood up and sat next to her, as I was told. I had to suppress a hiss of pain as my wounds stretched again.

"Are you alright? Your wounds still hurt?" she asked with a concern in her voice. I didn't know why should someone like her care about someone like me, but I didn't point it out. As Chie said, everything depends on how I act towards her and being rude or cold to her wasn't an option.

"I am quite fine, Fujino-sama," I nodded my head slightly, looking on the grass in front of me. She shifted, I felt her warm gaze on my skin, as if sun itself was shining brightly at me. She was checking me, but I didn't know what exactly she was searching for.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked before bringing the cup to her lips and taking a sip from the liquid. A scent of green tea hit my nose.

"Yes. But I doubt that my sleep is the reason for the two of us to be out here," I muttered.

A chuckle came as an answer to me and I couldn't help looking at her. She had her eyes closed and her lips were curved into a smile, a sincere and happy smile. Her head hung just a little bit lower, her neck seemed longer that I remembered. The skin there was pale and looked soft and smooth. A sudden urge to lift my hand and cares the skin caught me off-guard. I quickly turned my head away from her.

"Ara, Kuga-san is really forward, isn't he? Well, I should probably get on the matters at hand. I'm sure Kuga-san isn't exactly warm in those clothes he is wearing," Fujino-sama said quietly and brought the cup to her lips again. Never in my life have I wanted to be a tea-cup more than now. "Well, I called you out here because I wanted to ask you something. The winter is coming and I have a feeling this will be a long and cruel one. I don't like the idea of you traveling alone through it, somewhere gods-know-where. That's why I wanted to ask you to stay here for the winter."

I looked at her with wide eyes. She had her gaze fixed on the tea in her cup, her face looked calm. "I-I-…" I tried to speak, but I couldn't find words. I licked my lips nervously, not caring about the kiss that I received from the cold air as soon as my tongue slipped back into my mouth. "I-I am sorry, my lady, b-but… I-I don't want to bother you more than I already had. I actually thought of leaving today, after this talk-…"

"If you don't want to stay as my guest…," she cut me off, lifting her head to look at me with determination and stubbornness. "…than stay as my guard. You proved to be worthy of that post and capable of protecting me. I would use someone who could protect me, after what Kanzaki Reito tried to do. And until I find someone else, you are the only one I can think of, who is able to fight. You won't be a bother. You'll work here. You'll have your own room, new clothes, warm food whenever you like and you'll get money for your services. What do you say?"

I couldn't keep myself from looking into her eyes. I couldn't breathe or move, my thinking had shut down. I was suddenly there only to grand any wish of this goddess with crimson eyes. It was the only goal in my life.

Before I knew it, I found myself nodding to her offer. "Only for this winter."