She gently took his arm and bandaged it, marveling at his sudden change of attitude. No matter how hard she tried, she still found it difficult to believe the connection between the wary person who had pointed his sword at her and the trusting teen who sat in front of her now, grinning. She had injured herself on impulse, tired of people telling her what to do. Perhaps it was in her nature, but Shirayuki was never the one to listen to anything that contradicted her personal beliefs.

He invited her to stay with them, and she was at a loss of words for a second. As he bickered light-heartedly with his companions, she couldn't help the smile that graced her lips. He stood, and offered her his hand. Hesitating a bit (after all, he did point his sword at her not many moments ago), she decided that the look in his eyes was trustworthy, and she allowed him to help her up.

The house that he had stayed in was pleasant, she decided. The furniture that decorated it wasn't fancy, but it gave her the feeling of home. The sun's glow shining lazily through the windows only added effect, and the small flaws of the walls did nothing to detract from the house's beauty. She gave a content smile, leaning back on the couch as the boy (whose name she now knew was Zen), asked her various questions.

"Why did you run away?" His eyes were filled with a small bit of curiosity, and she bit her lip gently, trying to think of a legitimate reason. When her brain failed to come up with any ideas that would qualify for a reasonable explanation as to why a girl such as herself was alone in the forest, she gave the best answer she could think of.

"It's a really boring reason." Unfortunately, this seemed to have the opposite effect, she noted, as the light of curiosity grew in Zen's eyes. Mitsuhide and Kiki (who Zen had introduced as his friends), were seated by the staircase, watching the conversation with interested expressions. Zen smiled, obviously intrigued by her too-obvious-attempt to hide her secret.

"Really? I think I'll find it rather interesting." He leaned forward, awaiting her response. She blinked, looking for a way to change the subject. Her gaze landed upon a window, and she could see the inviting forest beyond the slightly clouded glass.

"I want to go for a walk. To explore the forest," she said, purposely ignoring the curious boy and turning instead to his friends. She could hear his exaggerated sigh when she did so, and she felt slightly guilty for turning away.

"Fine. I'm coming too." The guilt immediately dissipated when he spoke again, a lazy smirk upon his lips. She said nothing, deciding to frown a bit in annoyance. Offering Mitsuhide and Kiki another smile, she set towards the door, hoping that Zen would get bored within the time span of 2 seconds and decide not to follow her after all.

Of course, luck was not on her side. As she gazed upon the scenery which she had ignored yesterday in her panic and worry, she was awed at the simple beauty of nature. Sunlight flooded through the layers of leaves which adorned the various trees, and small animals chirped happily to each other as they played among the forest floor. She took a deep breath, savoring the feeling of freedom that passed through her.

Zen said nothing for many moments, and when she looked back, his gaze wasn't focused. He was in a sort of daze, probably deep in thought. She was so taken aback by the simple, peaceful expression on his face that she forgot to watch the path ahead of her as she walked. As luck would have it, a small branch caught onto a piece of her hair, and she gave a sharp gasp as it pulled at her head. She stopped, and the expression of serenity upon Zen's face disappeared, indicating his return to reality.

He blinked in confusion for a second, before his gaze landed upon the lock of scarlet hair that was caught in the branch. "Why is the rest of your hair short?" She considered his question, before softly answering.

"I cut most of it off." Looking into his eyes at that moment, she was almost fell in a trance, before she remembered her hair's predicament. "Oh, can I borrow your sword?"

Zen stared at her as his mind comprehended the request. "…What?"

"Your sword," she repeated, slightly annoyed. "Or you can do it. Just cut that piece off." She gestured toward the single lock of long hair that was tangled in the tree. He quickly shook his head, and she added, "It's fine. It's my decision." She took the sword from him, cutting the lock without so much as a wince.

Shirayuki observed the sword for a second, tracing her fingers along the intricately carved patterns that adorned it. It was rather heavy, she realized. Zen came over and took the sword from her, taking extra care to hide the hilt. She briefly wondered what the design had to do with it, before making a decision. He was had a teasing personality, but it was obvious that he could give good advice. Besides, her mind longed for her to tell her predicament to anyone who would listen, and she felt as if she did not want to bear the burden any longer.

"Because of my red hair," she said, her voice soft and reminiscing. It seemed to reflect that very mood, because even the trees stopped the sounds of leaving swaying in the wind. Zen peered at her in confusion, and she continued. "Because of my red hair, I had to run away. Someone very powerful wanted me as his concubine because of it." She thoughtlessly twirled a strand of it upon her fingers, smiling wryly at the amount of trouble that such a thing caused.

Zen looked genuinely confused for a second, before he quickly recovered. "You must be brave then, to rebel against someone like that." His eyes had gained the same look, and he observed the still forest silently, pondering something beyond her knowledge.

"I just didn't want to be another doll to him. He doesn't control me, and I wanted to show him that. I don't want to be an object that is purchased at a store." It surprised even her, the bitter honesty mixed into her tone. Zen blinked in surprise, and she continued. "So I thought he would like it if he had an object. I cut off my long hair and left it behind."

Zen let out a surprised laugh, and she could tell that he was amused by her actions. She hadn't thought it funny before, when she had been running for her life. But now, watching Zen laugh so freely, she couldn't help but smile too, even as she reminded him that it was no laughing matter. He spoke, his voice serious now. "He must be angry, to be made fun of like that. But still, don't think that everything that happens to you will be bad." He offered her a true smile again, and confidence flooded through her. "After all, not all representations of the color red are bad. Some say that red is the color of fate."

My dear friend requested that this part of the chapter be written in Shirayuki's point of view, and I would like to say thank you to her for the idea. The chapter did come out rather well. Please review and tell me what you think of the story! I can do particular points of view if you request it.

-Lapis Moon