Hey, guys!

I'm sorry, this will be a really short one. I really don't know why it's this short; I just… kind of didn't know what else to write here.

Well, tomorrow's the last day of Easter holydays, and that's why I don't know when I'll manage to write another chapter and post it. So, please, be patient! My school's going to kill me one day…

Anyways, let me know what you think! Enjoy!


I stayed in the kitchen with Mai after lunch. I helped her with the dishes, just to keep myself from thinking. The carrot-head didn't seem to mind my presence. She started a small talk over the work, asking me about the places I have been in through my journey and innocent stuff like that.

"It must be great to travel the whole realm up and down," Mai smiled with almost dreamy look on her face. "I've never traveled. I was born in here, together with my brother. But my parents passed away soon and I had to take care of Takumi. It wasn't easy, especially not with his sickness. Eventually, I couldn't earn enough money to pay for his treatment. That's when Fujino-sama came to our lives. She saw me and Takumi with doctor Sagisawa. She heard about our problem with money and she offered to pay. I didn't like that idea; she didn't even know me or my brother, why should she pay for us? When I didn't accept money, she offered me a job. She gave me and Takumi a place to stay, money, everything we needed. And it was just in exchange for me cooking for her and people in here. I accepted it, and I'm glad I did. Takumi is well here and so am I."

I was quiet for a while after she ended. I felt as if some weight just dropped on me. I knew she wanted to hear my story as much as I had wanted to hear hers, but I wasn't sure what to say. It was different from when I talked to Fujino-sama. This time I could think straight and there wasn't that weird feeling that didn't allow me to lie. I just didn't want to reciprocate her sincerity with my webs of lies.

"It must have been hard for you to take care of Takumi," I muttered quietly, looking into the sink, on the plate I was just washing, just to avoid her gaze.

"Yeah, it was. But now, everything is changed. Everyone here had a rough life. Aoi had been abused by her father, and Chie, being Chie, had tried to save her by taking her away. They'd got lost in the woods. They would have died, if it hadn't been Fujino-sama. She had taken them here and offered them jobs. After half a year, she found me and Takumi. Then she took Mikoto in and after that Akira came. There are few others in here, but we don't see them much. They are in the back of the house, mostly taking care of animals and dojo."

"Dojo?" I asked, unable to hide my interest. It's been too long since I last trained fighting and although I wasn't easy to beat, I wasn't in my top shape either. And now, that my job was to protect Fujino-sama, I needed to get even better at fighting.

"Yes, it's in the back of the house. Chie can take you there, if you ask her," the red-head smiled.

We finished the dishes soon after that and with a quiet 'thank you' I left the kitchen. I went straight to my room, hoping that Fujino-sama won't be there yet. Whoever ruled this world decided to ignore my wish; when I got into my room, the crimson-eyed goddess was already there, sitting on my futon, waiting for me.

I closed the door behind me and got on my knees, lowering my head in a polite greeting. I heard shuffling of fabric and then quiet footsteps, before two feet clad in only white cloth appeared before me. A gentle touch of soft, silk-like fingers on my cheek made me look up.

"Don't," she said quietly, looking straight into my eyes. "Don't do that when you see me. At least not in privet."

I opened my mouth to argue with her, but no sound came out. Every though I had left my mind, my breathing stopped and my heart started beating so hard I was sure she could hear it. But I couldn't bring myself to care about any of that. The only thing important right now was the contact between us.

"Stand," she commanded quietly. I automatically did as I was told, never braking the eye contact between us. She let go of my chin, I instantly missed the warmth of her skin, and took the hem of my sleeve between her fingers, pulling me forwards. I followed her blindly. My control over my body was lost, she had the power to control my every movement, and although I didn't like the feeling of powerlessness it brought up in me, I couldn't fight it. I felt like a dog, a small puppy gladly obliging every command from its master.

She led me to my futon, where she knelt down. She lifted my tunic, revealing my belly and back. A shiver run down my spine as the cool air of the room hit my skin. A gentle, feather-like caress went down my belly, the feeling of warmth followed closely behind it. It shouldn't be like that. She shouldn't be on her knees in front of me. She shouldn't touch me and make me want her to touch me. She shouldn't be evoking this weird, warm feeling of nervousness in me. Her voice shouldn't sound like the most beautiful sound in this world. Her eyes shouldn't shine so brightly. Her body shouldn't be so breathtakingly desirable for me. Her touch shouldn't be gentle, silk-like and hot against my skin. I shouldn't be enjoying it.

And yet everything that shouldn't be happening was happening right in that moment. Why? I was a girl, so why did I desire the body of another woman? Did I want it because I forced myself to act like a man? Did I forget how to be a female? Was this all the 'me', Kuga, I created?

"Hmm…" she humed, breaking my line of thoughts. Her face was dangerously close to my side, I could feel her hot, wet breath on the skin of my hip. I gulped, gripping the fabric of my tunic tightly in my hands. "It seems to be healing. I didn't expect it this soon, to be honest. The ointment doctor Sagisawa gave me really did wonders to you."

I couldn't bring myself to say a single word. My throat was tightened; my thoughts seemed like small shatters of broken glass. My jaw clenched and my muscles tightened when her soft fingers touched the sensitive skin near my wound, applying the substance. I had to bite back a groan that threatened to break out of my chest.

"It's been three years since your village was destroyed," she remarked suddenly, partly taking my mind off of her gentle touches. "Were you travelling all around the Namae since then?"

"Yes," I said quietly, afraid that if I said more, my voice would break.

She looked up at me, I felt her gaze on my hot cheek, studying me as if I were just a book, opened up on a table for her to read. "We don't have to talk, if you don't want to. Just say so."

"I-It's not like that, Fujino-sama!" I said quickly, taking a slight step back. Her hand gripped my hips with force I didn't expected her to have and she made me stay on the spot.

"Than what is it? Because to me, it seems that you don't want to talk to me."

"It's just…" I paused, searching for the truth or a half-truth that I could tell her. "It's just that… it shouldn't be like this, my lady."

"What shouldn't be like this?" she asked with interest burning in her voice. I didn't allow myself to look into her face. I knew if I did, I would tell her everything, every single feeling that was raging inside of me. And that was something I couldn't do.

"You shouldn't be healing my wound. It's just that… I feel uncomfortable with you doing it," I managed to say after a short pause. I let out a breath of relief when those words left my mouth.

"Ara… well, I think you'll have to get used to it, because I won't stop treating your wound."