Mizuki woke up in the middle of the night. The fire had dimmed, leaving only darkness. Her ears twitched as she sensed someone nearby.
She quickly crawled closer to Garrett while he was still sleeping. She gripped his right shoulder and shook his body.
She nervously whispered, "Wake up!"
He stirred and groggily opened his eyes. "W-What?"
She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist in fear. Garrett lazily rubbed his eyes as he looked around. "Is this a joke? There's nothing here."
Right after he said that, Evan, hidden somewhere in the forest, dashed straight toward Garrett at the speed of sound.
Garrett sensed the approaching threat and immediately raised his hand. Evan's punch collided with Garrett's palm. The shockwave exploded outward. Trees snapped like twigs, launching shards of wood in every direction.
Mizuki hugged Garrett tighter as he began to stand up. "Seriously? A supreme warrior struggling against a nine-year-old?" Garrett pushed forward, twisted his wrist, and hurled Evan backward.
Evan skidded across the ground, his feet digging trenches in the dirt. Despite being thrown with immense force, he looked unfazed.
"Is that all you got?" He taunted, cracking his knuckles.
Mizuki released her grip on Garrett, taking a step back. Her ears twitched as she watched the tension escalate.
Before Evan could react, Garrett dashed in a blur. His punch collided with Evan's chest, sending him into the sky. Evan recovered as Garrett leaped after him, and they exchanged rapid blows in midair. Mountains and cities crumbled as they moved in a blur.
Garrett landed a punch on Evan's face, creating distance between them. He formed a hand sign, and instantly, hundreds of mouth-like void rifts tore open in midair. They shot out dark spikes, piercing and immobilizing Evan.
Garrett taunted, "Do you enjoy the 'Void Lances' deep in your guts?"
With a furious roar, Evan broke free and shot toward Garrett, catching him off guard with a swift kick to the head. Garrett gasped as he was sent hurtling to the side.
Garrett shot toward Evan and threw a punch, completely forgetting about Mizuki.
---
Mizuki wandered through the dense forest, her ears twitching at every distant explosion and shockwave from the ongoing battle. The trees shook, disturbing flocks of birds that scattered in panic. Despite this, she pressed on with Garrett's hoodie clutched tightly, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Garrett... please be quick; I'm so cold." She whispered, her voice trembled from the night breeze. She hesitated for a moment before putting on the hoodie.
The eerie silence unsettled her as she continued through the forest. Then suddenly.
A snap.
Mizuki's ears twitched. She spun around, her crimson eyes glowing faintly in the dark. "Who's there?" She demanded.
Silence.
She swallowed hard as a bead of sweat trickled down her face. Then, a pair of red eyes glowed in the dark. The low rumble of a growl sent chills down her spine as she slowly stepped back.
Then, it lunged. A black wolf burst from the shadow, its fangs bared. Mizuki barely had time to dodge as the wolf's jaws snapped shut just inches from her face, barely avoiding its lethal bite.
It lunged again. She barely had time to react as she threw herself to the side, rolling across the forest floor.
She hit the ground hard; pain and exhaustion weighed her down. With the last bit of strength left, she rose up to her feet and refused to get eaten.
As she weakly sprinted through the forest, the wolf caught up to her. It pinned her to the ground and bit her shoulder.
She screamed in agony as a cry ripped from her throat. The beast shook her violently, blood spilled down her arm, "Garrett!" As she desperately called out.
Mizuki's body trembled as the pain spread through her shoulder. She grabbed a nearby rock with one hand and swung it. "Take this!"
The rock collided with its left eye, and the beast reeled back in agony. Seizing the opportunity, she pushed herself away.
The wolf growled in fury, but before it could lunge, a void rift opened in midair and shot out a dark spike, impaling the beast.
Mizuki panted, pressing a hand on her wound.
The spike retracted as Garrett stepped out of the rift and landed gracefully. Without hesitation, he rushed toward her and crouched down. "Mizuki! A-Are you good?" His voice was filled with concern.
"I'm fine. Don't worry." She said softly. Garrett frowned, reaching out and grasping her wrist. "Let me see." His voice was softer now, but still filled with concern.
She flinched at the touch. "Garrett, it's fine—"
He didn't let her finish. Gently and firmly, he pulled her hand away, revealing the deep wound below. His index finger melted into the wound, dripping dark gel.
"W-What... is this?" Her face twitched in agony, but she didn't scream. She held his hand tightly as the gel went deeper into her flesh, closing her wound.
Mizuki's breathing slowed, the pain dulling. Garrett exhaled and lowered himself, sitting in front of her.
Then, their eyes met.
A faint blush formed up on their cheeks. Garrett cleared his throat, breaking eye contact for a moment. "S-So, uh... does it still hurt?"
She released her grip on his hand and looked away, her cheeks deepened in red. "Umm... n-not at all."
Garrett let out an awkward chuckle.That's, uh ... good. I mean, I'm glad it doesn't hurt anymore."
"Yeah," she replied softly, sneaking a glance at him.
For a moment, they sat there in silence. The sound of wind brushing against the trees was the only thing that filled the space.
"We should... probably get going." Mizuki's voice was soft, almost reluctant.
"Y-Yeah." Garrett nodded, but his voice wavered.
He stood up a bit too fast, stumbling slightly. He quickly steadied himself, hoping Mizuki wouldn't notice, but she did.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Y-Yeah," he muttered. "Just got up too fast."
Mizuki giggled. "Don't pass out on me now. It'd be funny if I had to carry you back."
Garrett scoffed. "But I'm way too heavy for you."
She tilted her head. "You don't know that."
They stood there in silence for a moment before Garrett cleared his throat. "Either way, give me back my hoodie."
Mizuki smirked. "Come and get it then!" She teased before spinning on her heel and dashing away.
Garrett groaned. "Oh, come on!"
Without thinking, he chased after her. Mizuki dodged between the trees effortlessly; her laughter echoed through the forest.
He could catch up to her instantly with a single dash, but he chose not to do that.
She glanced back, sticking out her tongue. "Bleh, you're not going to catch me!"
Garrett sighed. "Alright, alright. Playtime's over."
He sped up, his footsteps getting louder. Mizuki's playful smirk faltered when she glanced back again; Garrett was right behind her.
"Uh oh." She muttered, turning to the right, leaping over a fallen tree effortlessly.
He didn't bother dodging. Instead, he vaulted over the obstacle easily, his movement precise and fluid.
Mizuki continued to run until a whoosh went past her. She glanced back, her eyes widened. Garrett wasn't behind her anymore.
"What the—?"
Then suddenly, two arms wrapped around her waist, yanking her backward. She let out a startled laugh as they tumbled to the ground. Rolling in a mess of leaves until they finally came to a stop.
"That's not fair." She grumbled.
"I never said I'd play fair." He teased.
They rose up to their feet while the sun climbed higher, casting a golden hue over the forest. Mizuki unzipped the dark hoodie and tossed it at Garrett's face.
He barely had time to react before the hoodie smacked against his face, momentarily blinding him.
"Hey!" He yanked it off, his expression shifting to mild annoyance as his gaze landed on her smug grin.
"Isn't this what you needed?" She teased, stretching her arms above her head. Without the hoodie, she was left in a simple white tank top.
Garrett ignored her and put on his hoodie.
He shoved his hands into his pockets. "So, what now?"
She tapped a finger against her chin, looking at a rocky path in the distance. "You know, living in a forest is dangerous, right? How about we live in a town?"
Garrett raised an eyebrow. "Living in a town? I don't think-"
Before he could finish, Mizuki took his hand and pulled him forward. "No excuses~"
He sighed, letting himself be dragged along. "I'm sure that we will get rejected."
She turned her head slightly with a playful grin. "Who knows? But I'm sure that they will let us in."
They continued to follow the rocky path and out of the forest.