The next day I was awakened by Lilith who brought me a tray of breakfast with sausages, eggs, and white rice. The eggs were scrambled similar to those back home but cut into pieces so that they could be picked up with chop sticks. What was most amusing though was the sausages. They were slit halfway up and had the appearance of a peeled banana. When I asked about it, she called it tako-san uina a dish more commonly meant for children. It was a wonderful meal, reminding me of the big Sunday breakfasts my mother cooked back home.

After eating Lilith invited me back into that parlor room and we sat on the couch like last night. The fire was still going the same as I left it. Rejuvenated from the breakfast I was in more of a business mood about expectations for the next few days.

"How are you on supplies? Do you have enough food for the next few months?"

"Mmm? This isn't my first winter, I won't be forced to leave until May at earliest." She stretched before sitting up on the couch.

"Well, are you sure no one will find us here? I'm sure the Chinese are coming up the mountains looking for survivors like myself right now."

She shook her head. "I told you they won't find us I'm positive of that."

"But those villagers, once they talk to…"

She placed her finger on my lips. "Hush now. Anxiety will make you sick."

I felt quite insulted at first, it was like she saw me as a child, but I was quick to dismiss my feeling of annoyance. "What can I do to help you? I don't want to live here as a leacher."

"I'll show you a few chores you can do while you're here but not now, not until you recover."

"But I feel fine I…"

"You may have recovered from hyperthermia, but you are still weak just wait a few more days." She said with a yawn.

"I'm a soldier I'm used to straining myself. I'll have no trouble sweeping the floors or washing the dishes."

She looked at me annoyed. "Why so hasty? It's the wintertime I eat, sleep, and once a week I clean to keep things sanitary but otherwise I sit around and wait for spring there's not much else to do."

I wasn't quite sure I could do that. Even when I was a civilian, I was always working, doing chores, or going to the ocean and bar during my spare time. It would be agony to sit around for the next few days. "Do you want to walk around outside?"

She once again shook her head. "It's snowing outside maybe tomorrow."

"So, we're doing nothing today?"

She leaned up against me. "Do you have a problem with that?"

My heart fluttered and I swallowed. "Well, no but…" I relaxed a few minutes taking in her warmth and comfort. It had been so long since I was with a girl like this. I began to dose again wishing that I could be with her forever. I still had a hint of worry because of breaking into the shrine, however. "Is there anything I can do to make up for breaking into the shrine?"

"I told you it's nothing to worry about its not like its sacred anymore anyway."

"What do you mean?" I asked confused.

"Well, the Goddess left the shrine soon after the people fled."

"What do you mean? She's in there I saw her."

She sighed. "The belief of Shinto is quite different from what you would think of with a typical religion. It is not the worship of one God like where you're from, nor is it the worship of idols like other beliefs in the east, no. It is the belief in spirits or Kami which use physical objects as a vessel. They can be in the mountains, the water, the shrine, the fire, this couch, even you and me could be harboring spirits. The statue in the shrine formally held the Kami Yuki, but her spirit departed once the worshippers left. I tried in vain to care for her, but it was not enough."

God she actually believed this nonsense. I was under the assumption that she was just into Japanese culture, but she seemed to actually be a believer in their religion. Still, I did not want to offend her by saying it was hogwash. "How do you know that she left?"

There was a pause as she thought a moment. "It's difficult to say, but simply put while she was here, I could feel her energy giving me strength and happiness. Then one day I woke up and I was weak and sad, that's when I knew she was gone."

It sounded like some sort of placebo effect. Maybe there was a way to make her feel better. "Can we perhaps bring her back?"

"No." She said in a gloomy voice. "I think she's gone back to Japan like everyone else. With the destruction of most shrines in Korea I wouldn't want her to come back anyway it would only lead to suffering."

With that we said nothing else to each other for a long time. I was satisfied just leaning back and hearing the crackling of the fire. Lilith later got up to prepare dinner and after we ate, she began to make small talk again.

"What else do you like about living in Hawaii?"

I thought a moment, I never really considered what I liked about it. I did like surfing but not much else. "Well, when I was a kid, I did a lot of hiking. There's a lot of nature reserves just outside the city where I lived. After my high school graduation, I went with a group of friends to the main island and we climbed to the summit of Mauna Loa. It was like being on top of the world."

She nodded. "That explains how you were able to climb all the way up here by yourself. Did you ever climb Mount Fuji?"

She may as well have asked if I climbed Everest. I liked hiking in nature parks and dealing with high elevations was inevitable when exploring in Hawaii, but I was no mountaineer by any means. "No. I was in the army in Japan. The few times I was off duty I would spend my time at bars. I didn't really want to exhaust myself with any climbing."

"I see, well there's a number of places to hike in Korea too."

"I know. I've done my fair share of hiking out here." I said with a sneer.

She leaned in close and we looked each other. Her emerald eyes were enticing, and I began to lose myself in them. "Well perhaps you'd find Jeju island more interesting for sightseeing.

It was a place I heard of, but I had no idea where it was. "What about it?"

"It has a volcano called Hallasan. It has a number of beaches and hiking trails too, its often described as the Hawaii of Korea."

I appreciated the gesture but thought little of going to a place similar to home. "That sounds interesting, maybe after the war I'll go there."

Her expression changed, she seemed disappointed almost upset. It was as if she could read my thinking. I felt bad, perhaps I should have shown a little more enthusiasm.

"If you could go anywhere where would you go?" She asked.

"Well like I said before the Azores would be nice." I scratched my head. "Maybe Australia, I don't know some place warm."

She smiled and her face lit up again. "Good to know."

With that the conversation ended. She seemed like a strange woman but perhaps I was being unfair, after all I was giving her little to work with. Back home I didn't really have deep conversations with girls. When I wanted to impress a girl, I often just told her a few jokes and took her shopping. Then later I would take her to the beach and show off my surfing skills. She did not seem to mind the silence though, willing to lay by my side for hours.