“It’s no dream. I will take you home.” Shizuku whispered softly, but she already knew the girl on her back was sound asleep again. 

“You will need to do the contract.” Ange stopped Shizuku, causing her to frown slightly. 

“Is it really necessary?” Shizuku asked. The last thing she wanted to do was enslave her best friend.

“If you wish to keep the church from getting their hands on her, then yes. That is if you wish to keep her safe.” Ange replied with a smile.

“Then I guess we have no choice. Bring me to an area where no one can see. Miyumi is from my world and not used to being exposed to others.” Shizuku was firm on this. Ange only shrugged and showed them to a curtained area.

Shizuku put Miyumi down gently on the floor so that she was standing up before lifting her shirt. When she saw the horrid marks on her body, she knew Miyumi must have run into some serious trouble. She bit her lip to hold back her tears as she exposed Miyumi’s chest. Having done it before, Shizuku knew the process of putting a slave mark on people. She did as she did before, and soon Miyumi, too, had become her slave.

“I will be leaving then. Good luck on the road.” Shizuku said as she lifted Miyumi up on her back and turned to leave. 

    “Be sure to visit the next time I am in town,” Ange said with a teasing grin.

“I will probably be moving on soon. So I will not be around. This city…. The people here, except for a few, are not good people.”  Shizuku replied without turning around. She kept walking forward with Mei at her side until she disappeared out of sight.

Ange shook her head and then weighed the coins in her hand. “That girl really is different. No one would have paid so much for a scarred up girl even if she was a hero.”

Shizuku ran back to the in using back alleys not wanting to be seen by the knights who were rushing back and forth on the streets. It did not take a genius to know who they were looking for.

“You are back…. This is?” Margret looked at the girl on Shizuku’s back.

“Margret, forget that you saw her. I can’t let you get involved with this.” Shizuku had already accepted too much from Margret. Until she understood the details, she did not wish for Margret to get involved.

But it seemed Margret was much more in the loop than Shizuku realized. “Is she the missing girl from the church?”

Shizuku froze. She turned and looked at Margret and backed up a few steps. Mei noticed Shizuku’s reaction and stepped in front of her defensively. Margret sighed, seeing this. “Am I that untrustworthy? Why would I turn her in if my daughter wishes to protect her? Shizuku, you do not need to worry. I will not tell anyone. I was just wondering. I have heard many bad things about the church. And looking at her current situation, something bad must have happened. So relax and just do what you always do. I will support you one hundred percent.”

    Shizuku’s eyes began to water up as she nodded her head. “Th-Thanks.”

“No need to thank me. I am your mother of this world, remember? If a mother does not protect what her daughter cares for, then she can not be considered a good mother.” Margret replied. “Go give her a good washing. I will make some food. Make sure to treat her wounds as well. I will send up a few potions later to wipe over the wounds. Nora might even have a spell to hide her face. I will ask her later.” 

“Mmm….” Shizuku couldn’t hold the tears back as they fell. She was lucky. She met so many who were willing to be kind to her. Even in a situation like this, she was getting help even though it would mean making enemies of the church for these people.

Shizuku took Mei and Miyumi upstairs and went straight to the bathroom. “Mei, can you get a set of my clothes out for me? Miyumi and I have always been about the same size.” 

    “Yes, Master.” Mei quickly ran off. She knew that Shizuku really cared about this girl. She did what she was asked to do and hurried back. When she walked into the bathroom and saw the wounds on Miyumi’s body, she looked down at her own and wondered if she was actually very lucky. 

“Miyu, wake up.” Shizuku gently shook Miyumi. The sleeping girl slowly opened her eyes in a haze. 

“Shizu….?” Miyumi’s eyes shot wide open as she hugged the girl in front of her. “Shizu, is that you!?”

“Yes. But you should first get into the bath. We need to clean your wounds.” Shizuku was worried that the wounds that had scabbed over would break open if she was not careful. “While I help you clean up you need to explain to me what exactly happened.”

Miyumi was still in a slight daze, but when she realized she was not dreaming, tears began to flow from her eyes. “Shizu! That place…. That place is like hell! They …. They….”