Tired, you awoke from a dreamless sleep. The light that fell through the small window above the room was dull and cold.

The sky that appeared was grey and cloudy. It smelled of rain and thunder, but it was still dry. Goose bumps ran down your arms.

Suddenly the memory of last night returned.

"The samurai...", your head turned to the side.

Breathing calmly, the man lay next to you, his eyes tightly closed. His lips were parted and he seemed to be breathing in more deeply than before. Sweat glistened on his forehead.

He was visibly exhausted from the long night, the circles under his eyes were deeper and his skin was ashen. He looked a bit like a corpse.

Carefully, you reached out to him. His cheek was flushed with fever but felt cold. With a grunt, you rose, the blanket falling over your shoulders into your lap, stretched out over him and reached for a new cloth to dip into the water.

A soft sigh escaped his rounded lips as you wiped his forehead. But he didn't wake up. You frown in confusion.

Was it all just a dream?

He had looked at you, spoken words. But now his condition seemed unchanged.

"Strange...", your hand carefully lifted the blanket.

The bandages had soaked up blood over the last few hours. Red flowers bloomed on the white. When you felt over the particularly dark areas with your fingertips, you could see swelling.

His skin had turned blue and green around the bandages. The paleness of his body made the colours seem to shimmer all the more. Slowly, your hand travelled over his chest.

You couldn't feel any broken bones. At least that was good news. You put the blanket over him again and got up to get new bandages.

"Is he awake?", Yuriko raised her head as you stepped out of the pantry.

She was cooking. Unlike you, she didn't seem a bit tired, not sleepy. It was hard to tell what time it was, but it was still a long way from midday. She must be used to getting up early. You frowned and rubbed the back of your neck.

"I'm not sure.", you mumbled, yawning.

"What do you mean?"

"He... maybe I was just dreaming it, but I think he was awake very briefly last night."

Her eyebrows lifted.

"You spoke to him?"

"Only briefly. He was exhausted."

"Did he say something important?"

You sat down next to her by the fire and stretched out your hands for the warmth. It crept into your bones and drove away the tiredness.

"Something important...", you thought for a moment. "He asked for his sword. And who I am. But otherwise... his name is Jin. That's what he said."

She moved closer, excitement and a grin on her face.

"Sakai?", she asked in a whisper, glancing over her shoulder.

You put your warm hands to your cheeks.

"Huh?"

She bumped your shoulder.

"Sakai. Did he say his name was Jin Sakai?"

You thought for a moment. Flames played in the (E/C) of your eyes.

"No I don't think so.", when your bones were sufficiently warmed you got up to look for fresh water and new bandages. "Can you help me turn him? By the way... where's Tanaka?"

Yuriko rushed to your aid as you tried to take everything you needed in one go with your arms full. She took the bandages and another cloth, but this one was not smeared with blood.

"He looks around the forest to see if the Mongols have advanced.", she sat down at the samurai's head to change the water in the bowl.

You took a seat on the other side. An uneasy feeling spread through your stomach.

"Isn't it dangerous to stay?", you went through all the ointments and medicines you still had.

Yuriko took the cloth from his forehead to dip it into the new water. Small drops fell onto the surface and created perfect rings.

"Maybe. But this is our home... Where else should we go?", she looked up at you. "Where is your home?"

Suddenly you stopped, your fingers tightly closed around a small bottle.

"I don't have one...", you whispered. "I don't think there ever was one. I don't remember."

"Your family?", she wiped the samurai's forehead clean with the cloth.

A soft sound escaped his lips but she didn't seem to notice. Again you shook your head.

"The land I come from, the people I share blood with... They fled from the Mongols, if they weren't enslaved or killed first. They have supposedly found a safe place."

"The strange place. Do you believe my husband's stories?"

You shrugged your shoulders and popped the cork from a bottle.

"There is nothing to lose. If it's just a myth then I've wasted my time. But it's not as if there's a better option."

A soft smile appeared on her lips. Lost in thought, she continued to clean the samurai's face.

You turned your attention back to your supplies. Something tingled in the back of your head. There was a soft noise, as if something was moving under a blanket.

Suddenly Yuriko gasped in shock.

As if struck by lightning, you spun round, your hand slipping to where the knife lay hidden. You hesitated at the sight.

The samurai had awoken from his sleep. His face contorted in pain, but his hand gripped the woman's wrist tightly.

"Who... are you...?", his words were heavy, his breath almost caught in his throat.

Trembling, Yuriko sucked in a sharp breath and shook her head.

"Kind Sir...", she tried to reassure him, but he only bared his teeth.

"Who..?"

"Jin.", his name slipped naturally over your lips.

He frowned in confusion. His eyes wandered disorientated through the room, seemingly unable to focus before they finally found you.

"You...", he gasped.

Your lips lifted into a gentle smile.

"Do you remember?", you asked, bowing your head.

His grip on Yuriko's wrist loosened. He took a deep breath, his lungs rattling.

"We... don't know each other...", he finally said.

You snorted. So he remembered last night.

"Please lie down.", you pressed him gently back onto the futon.

"I... have... questions..."

"I will answer them for you. If you let me tend to your wounds."