Hey, guys!

Thank you for your reviews, fellows and favorites! It really makes me happy to know that you like my story! I just hope it won't get boring now!

I'm sorry for the delay, I really wasn't in the mood to write this past few days. Hope it'll get better soon!

Well, enjoy and let me know what you think!

I stopped dead in my tracks. The melody of the song, the words, the voice, it was all too familiar, though I wasn't sure why. The last time I've heard the song was when I had sang it to my little sister the day before I had lost her forever. The song was known to be from north, no one else in Namae knew it and I would bet both of my swords Atarians didn't know about it, either. Before I knew it, I opened the door from which the song came.

I stepped into the small room. The walls were garnished with dark wood and the rough floor was covered only by a small, thorn rug. There was a small bed that looked more like a chest made out of thick wood and on that bed sat a girl. Her back was turned to me, she was sitting straight. She wasn't older than four years, but I could already see the stiff way in which she held her body. She wasn't treated well here.

Before I realized it, I opened my mouth and sang with her, the words forming on my lips out of a pure memory. She quickly turned towards me, her dark-blue, almost violet hair was messy and her amber eyes shone with alarm. Her face reminded me of my mother, but the shape of her eyes was the same as my father's.

Singing, I stepped deeper into the room, closer to her. She didn't move, she just listened, her eyes widening with emotion I couldn't quite read with every step I took. I felt Fujino-sama behind me, her hand landed on my shoulder and gripped it. She thought of what I hoped for. This girl might be my little baby sister.

As the song ended, I stool almost right next to her bed. She still didn't move; she was watching me closely. Her eyes sometimes shifted to Fujino-sama, as if to make sure we didn't want to hurt her. Even if this wasn't my sister, I would take her away from here. She was suffering, I could see it in the way she held herself, in the way her eyes gazed upon us with such distrust it broke my heart. Gods know what they did to her here.

"Hello there, little one," I said, smiling a bit. I kept my voice down, not to prevent being heard, but to soothe her. I knelt down and put my hands on the bed, it really was hard. I didn't know how she could sleep on this.

Fujino-sama knelt down next to me, so close our shoulders were touching. She was smiling too, as she watched the girl. "What is your name, dear heart?"

The girl watched us for a while, before her lips parted and she whispered: "N-Nina."

I smiled, but it was a bitter smile. I found my sister, but because of my failure she had to live for three years in here, like a prisoner. I didn't doubt that Kanzaki hurt her and that thought only served to fuel my anger. When I get him in my hands, I'll make sure he will suffer so much he'll beg me to kill him.

"That's a beautiful name, dear heart. I am Shizuru and this is Natsuki. Do you like it in here, Nina?" Fujino-sama asked; her voice was again that soft, honey-like sound that could make my heart pound. It probably had its effect on Nina, too, because the girl leaned in a little bit closer and shook her head to say 'no'. "Then come with us, dear heart. We can take you somewhere where you'll be safe and where will be lots of fun."

As she said that, Fujino-sama stretched out her hands towards the little girl. Nina looked us both up and down, then she crawled into the embrace of Fujino-sama, who picked her up and pressed her tightly against her body. The girl clenched her hands around the woman, grabbing the fabric of her kimono, gripping it tightly in her small hands.

I looked at Fujino-sama, frowning slightly. But before I had a chance to say something, she shook her head.

"I'm not letting her stay here, Natsuki, and it's not just because she is your sister. She deserves a better home and once we get out of here, we can give it to her."

We can give it to her. She said it like it was an unmistakable fact that I am staying with her, as if we were already a 'we'. I thought it was impossible to blush in a situation when you were running for your life, but my cheeks now proved me wrong. And the way she said my name… it sounded a lot better than 'Kuga' that I was used to now. It sounded almost promising. I liked the taste of that promise in her voice.

I nodded my head, trying to clear it out. First thing is first, we need to get out of here.

"Nina?" I said quietly, making the little girl look at me. "Do the soldiers come to you often?"

Instead of answering, she only shook her head, clinching to the kimono of Fujino-sama even tighter. I nodded my head, turning around the room. I looked out of the small window that showed the sky. It was now covered by clouds, but I knew the sunset will come soon. That might be our chance to escape. Every person with as much as a bit of rational thinking in their heads would make guards change four times a day: at sunrise, at noon, at sunset and during the night. Waiting till night was safer, the darkness could cover us up and it might be easier to escape. But I didn't know when exactly the guards change at night, I couldn't risk getting caught just because the bad timing.

"What do you want to do now, Natsuki?" asked Fujino-sama after a little while. I clenched my jaw and my palms curled into fists. What did I want to do? I didn't have a plan and I couldn't risk their lives just because I'm not smart enough. If it were just me, I would try sneak out without a plan and I wouldn't care if anyone finds me or not. But with the woman I love and my little sister, I couldn't just run around and hope for the best.

And so we waited. Nina was constantly clenching to Fujino-sama, who was sitting on the girl's bed. I, on the other hand, was restless. I couldn't keep still, my muscles just didn't allow me to sit down and relax. Even though my body hurt and I could feel every one of my wounds burning as I moved, I didn't stop walking around the room. It made the tension in my body loosen up a bit, I could think clearly, or better said, clearer.

I knew that get around the guards will be tough, but with a bit of luck we should be able to make it. And what then? I didn't know where exactly we were, making it on feet with Fujino-sama and Nina will mean a suicide, because if Kanzaki was as stubborn as I thought he was, he wouldn't just let us go. He would send his soldiers after us, he would have my head and Fujino-sama's hand. We needed a faster way out of here. We needed horses.

I looked up into the window. It was almost dark thanks to the clouds, the sun was setting.

I looked over at the two girls that meant the world to me and nodded my head.

"We need to move fast," I said, looking at Fujino-sama, then I looked my sister in the eyes, "And we need to stay quiet."

They both nodded in understatement and I quickly opened the door. Just the thought of going out there and getting caught scared me, but the thrill of the action cleared out my head. I felt no fear, no pain. I ran through the corridors, hoping I would find a way out.

Finally, after what felt like eternity of running, I saw the entrance hall and the big door that lead out of the house, onto the grounds. Two men were standing there, one on each side of the hall. I quickly stepped back and into the safety of the corner. I pressed my back against the wall and looked out, frowning. Both men seemed bored out of their mind. The sun was setting, but they didn't seem to move. Maybe they weren't changing at sunset. And maybe they were waiting for the other guards to come.

I cursed under my breath. Maybe it would be easier to just kill them. I gripped the handles of my swords, but right then, the men looked at each other and shrugged. They said something in Atarian language, then they both, slowly, went out.

I waited for a few seconds, then I quickly ran out of the house. The clouds were providing at least some sort of darkness, which could keep us protected, a little bit. There was the smell of a sea in the air and the ground wasn't covered by snow. We were somewhere near the south coast. That only played our cards.

We ran out of the house before someone could see us. The grounds weren't as large as I thought they would be, there was about five hundred yards separating us from the front gate. The ground was covered by trees and small bushes that could serve as a hiding spot. I picked the thick one for our hideout and I lead Fujino-sama there.

When we got to the bush, I pushed both of them into it. They would have scratches, but they won't be seen.

"You two wait here," I whispered.

"Where are you going?" Fujino-sama asked, grabbing the hem of my sleeve. She looked into my eyes and for a second, I forgot what I wanted to do, I forgot that we were in danger. I forgot I needed to get both of them out of here without being seen. All I wanted was to feel her lips on mine. I wanted her to kiss me and hug me and hold me close. I wanted to just lie down into her lap, just like I had used to when we still were in her manor. I wanted to feel the safety I had been feeling back then.

"I'll be back, don't worry. I will help you get out of here, my lady, if it's the last thing I'll ever do," I promised, still looking into her eyes. Her lips parted, but before she had a time to speak, I managed to summon every last bit of my will and made myself turn around and quickly run away.

It took me long enough to cross the grounds. The night finally overtook the land and I was thanking gods for this veil of darkness. Though it was difficult to see my way through it, it also gave me the much needed protection.

I don't know how long it took for me to find the long building that smelled like sweat, dirt and animals. I allowed myself a small smile. I knew Kanzaki was an arrogant jerk, but he wasn't stupid. Surely enough, he took the horses we were traveling with and with a bit of luck, they were in the stables with other animals. I just prayed to whoever ruled this world for that to be true.

I don't know what kind of a miracle helped me to get into the building. It was longer than I'd expected and it smelled even worse than I thought it would. It was cold there, way too cold for animals to spend their days and nights there. The anger I felt for the Atarian got even more heated.

I found a leather saddle on one of the walls. I took it with me, throwing it over my shoulder, then I grabbed the harness that was hanging off of the same nail in the wall as the saddle was. When I was younger, my father trained me to ride a horse without a saddle and I just hoped I still could do it, because there weren't any more of the harnesses.

After a while of walking around the stables, I found the chestnut-brown mare and the black stallion standing in one of the booths, close to each other to keep their warmth. I smiled at both of them, patting both of their foreheads gently. I opened the booth and got the brown mare ready for the ride, saddling her.

I thanked every power that ruled this world for the horses and their perfect behavior. They followed me out of the box and out of the stable. The grounds were covered by darkness of the clouded night sky, which I was more than thankful for. I let the horses in the direction of the small hideout I had picked, though I was a bit worried I wouldn't be able to find it in this darkness.

Fortunately, I did. Both Fujino-sama and Nina were still safely hidden in the bushes.

"Come on, we need to get closer to the gate," I whispered. Fujino-sama stood up, still holding my baby-sister in her arms, and quickly followed me. We managed to find another good spot, covered by bushes and small trees. It was big enough for horses to hide in there and I found myself good spot to watch the guards in front of the gates. They were both drinking something from a leather sack. I hoped it was wine, it would definitely help us to get out.

Fujino-sama came closer and sat down next to me, still holding Nina in her embrace. I couldn't help the smile that appeared on my face. Nina was asleep in Fujino-sama's arms with that peaceful look on her face. I couldn't believe that my little sister was already this big. And she didn't even know me. It was surprising that she knew the song, though I've heard that sometimes, when an impression or an experience is strong, a person is able to remember it even in the age she was in when she was taken away.

"Ara, Natsuki… It's a really beautiful name," Fujino-sama said suddenly, drawing my attention from my baby-sister back to her.

"Thanks," I said back. As Kuga, I was always the stumbling idiot, the cute, strong guard. But I wasn't Kuga anymore. I was Natsuki, for her and for myself as well. The ewight of the realization made me shiver. The confidence, the smartass remarks, the stubbornness, everything I had buried together with my birth name, it all came back together with the thought of me being myself again. "You didn't look surprised when you found out, though."

"I wasn't. Or, at least, not as much as Kanzaki would want me to be."

"You knew?!" I asked, turning my head to her, looking at her calm face with a surprised look.

"Ara, let's say I… guessed. You went with your family name, though the reason you gave me was believable. Your face, body and skin are way too feminine, even for en eunuch. The way you acted when I mentioned your real name, the fact that you know Nao, the fact that your hair is midnight-blue and your eyes are emerald-green… I just noticed those things and put them together. It all made perfect sense."

"For how long have you 'guessed'?"

"It crossed my mind right before I first asked you about Natsuki. But I started to really guess when you claimed that you were sick. I know it was your cycle now, am I mistaking?"

Shaking my head, I turned back to the guards.