When you woke up, the sky was still dark. The fog outside the house was so thick that you couldn't even see your hand in front of your own eyes.

"Nobu?", you shouted into the fog.

A redoubt answered. A black outline rose up between the white swathes. The stallion shook his head, long strands of his black mane cutting through the air.

"Are you hungry?", carefully, you put one foot in front of the other.

Water splashed as you took the first step off the stairs. The smell of decaying wood and mould plagued your nose.

Nobu snorted delightedly when he finally got some food. There wasn't much for horses to eat in this place, it would be better to move on soon.

Still tired, you yawned while the horse calmly ate from your hand and allowed you to stroke its nostrils. Lost in thought, you looked around.

Even if it was difficult to recognise anything, you could understand that this place was the best place to hide at that moment. No one would be able to find you and if they did, it would only be by chance.

In this fog, you would be able to strike quickly and unnoticed. Although your stomach cramped at the thought of having to fight.

"Good boy.", with a pat on his neck you said goodbye to Nobu and returned to the house.

The mist made your hair frizz, sticking the fabric of your clothes to your skin. Inside the house it was still relatively dry and warm.

The fire had burnt long enough to keep you and Jin warm through the night. Now there were only small coals left that were glowing. You threw in some wood and then lit a small flame with the flint. Smoke rose up your nose and filled your lungs. The wood was still burning well even though it was damp.

Your gaze wandered through the house. The walls were old and rotten. Some of the load-bearing beams would not last much longer. As was customary in Japan, they had stretched paper into a wooden frame to build a door.

For this type of weather, such a building was not meant to last. This place had not been made to last forever. It was probably just an outpost of a larger village. For hunting or to guarantee the safety of the people. This also meant that civilisation could not be far away.

Flames flared up. Warmth caressed your face. You warmed your hands for a moment before your gaze wandered to Jin.

He was still sound asleep. It was hard to tell from the sky whether he was just sleeping late or you had woken up too early. But every minute of rest would do his wounds good, so you let him sleep on and set about exploring the few corners of the house.

If this was a place where people came by from time to time, they had to bring things with them. Sometimes they left something behind. Empty bottles or old weapons and clothes. They would all be of use on this journey.

You looked down at yourself at the thought of clothes. Yuriko had been kind enough to give you some of her kimonos, but they didn't fit like they should. In some places it was too big, in others too small. You could run in them, but in fog or rain and cold, the loose fabrics didn't help protect you.

At that moment you longed for the armour of the Mongols again, but you couldn't risk running around in Japan like the enemy. Nobody would help you.

And Jin probably wouldn't either.

Your gaze returned to the samurai. His eyes closed tightly, he snored quietly to himself. Strands of his hair hung in his face.

You hadn't paid attention to it all night, but the way he was lying there, he really was a good-looking man. And this was not due to the fact that he was completely unclothed down to his waistline.

Despite his average height, he had broad shoulders with muscular arms, probably from training with the sword and bows.

His neck had something wiry and smooth about it and the beard he wore made him look battle-hardened. Unlike when you first met him, he was no longer wearing a headband.

Now his black mane had free rein and fell over his shoulders, down his neck and into his face. On closer inspection, you recognised a birthmark directly under his left eye.

It was a perfect circle.

Tiny scars were occasionally visible on his pale face. He had regained some of his colour over the night and now looked much less like a ghost.

"Hm...", lost in thought, you moved closer to him and let your fingers wander along his round nose.

Full lips puckered at the touch. Suddenly you wondered if they would be as soft to the touch as they looked.

He had a strange beauty about him, masculine like any man but also gentle, calm.

You noticed two more spots on his right eye, just below the eyebrow. There was so much about him that could have been seen as a flaw, but everything seemed to belong in this particular place.

So it would define him, mould him as a person and make him special. Even his name felt like it had been handcrafted just for him.

"Jin...", you breathed as your fingers travelled along his chin.

All at once, his eyes opened. It wasn't a startled awakening like a nightmare, but a gentle one. As if the sun had kissed him awake.

A long breath squeezed out from between his lips. His eyes wandered round the house for a moment before they fell on you.

Slowly you pulled your hand away, not because you were embarrassed to have touched him, but in a natural way. You smiled. His eyebrows rose at the sight. He finally woke up completely from his sleep.

"Where... are we?", his voice was stronger and he could speak better than the day before.

Words still took the breath out of his lungs, but he could speak.

"Still in the same place as yesterday.", you said. "How are you?"

His eyes were literally glued to your lips. It seemed as if he was waiting for something. When the answer was too long in coming, you smiled again. This time, the corners of his own mouth twitched upwards a little.

"Better.", he finally said and heaved himself up a little, leaning on his arms.

"That's good. Are you hungry?"

His stomach growled. Yours replied.