Deep within the forest, there is a clearing filled in abundance with various herbs and plants. It is here that Silvia spends the remaining days of winter with her father, picking medicinal herbs from the field. She is taught which herb is which and how to differentiate them from one another. Some of them looked alike, but possessed different scents or flowers. Some were better for ingestion while others better for topical application.

Silvia learns a lot from Lucio as the two continue to pick herbs with each passing day. The field is rather wet from the morning dew and initially, Silvia is completely annoyed when her feet get wet. As the days go by, she adjusts and sometimes, she likes the dew. It's chilly, but Silvia finds it refreshing. But there are still those days where the wetness just annoys the utter crap out of her.

Silvia also learns how to tend to the tiny sprouts that begin to grow from the seeds she and her father had planted, to replace the plants that had been uprooted a few days earlier. She's certainly busy, but there's nothing really boring about what she does. There's always something for her to do, which is great because sometimes, she cannot stay still. She gets into everything, much to her father's slight discomfort.

Lucio mostly worries Silvia might accidentally step on one of the sprouts. She doesn't…but he still worries. On the bright side, at least Silvia returns home smelling nice enough to drown out the strong scent that comes from the medicinal ointment that is applied to Cecelia's injuries. It probably helps that Silvia likes to run through the field of plants that possess a rather pleasant fragrance that clings easily onto her clothes and hair.

Amongst other things that cling to Silvia's hair are leaves and petals from the plants. Lucio has no idea how the hell it happens, but he may have seen his daughter napping from time to time in that particular patch of plants. She wasn't the only child sleeping in the patch, as Lucio could make out other children sleeping nearby.

Lucio is reminded of when he was his daughter's age, back when both of his parents were still alive (accidents happen—it was just terrible luck that it was such a huge accident…). He can't help but laugh when his daughter finally wakes up and returns to his side. Her hair is all over the place, stray curls here and there. She says nothing when he ruffles her hair, entangling his fingers into her thick hair. He notes that her hair is getting longer and then takes a moment to look at his own hair. It, too, has gotten longer…much longer than he is used to.

Of course, Lucio doesn't mind—not when it gives Silvia something to do, while he is organizing the herbs he's picked. He pays no attention to the flowers that are messily braided into his hair until he and Silvia arrive home. Because that's when Cecelia usually laughs from the sight she is greeted with, when her husband and daughter return. Later in the evening, Cecelia could usually be found combing out Lucio and Silvia's hair—it gives her something to do and she appreciates it.

Even though Silvia soon memorizes yet another routine (there always seems to be a routine), she is not bored with this one. She finds comfort in the routine, instead… It is probably why, when the day that spring finally arrives comes, Silvia is beyond confused and even distraught when her father leaves her with a group of children around her age. She is distraught, because she has no idea why her father is leaving her behind. She even starts to cry once he's completely out of sight, much to the distress of the eleven-year-old boy who was named after the color of his long hair—Rojo.

Rojo is not one to like being left around with so many children. Too bad he has no say in who it is that is left behind to watch the children who couldn't go into the forest with their parents. So here he is, trying his best to calm the crying two-year-old girl in his care. He really wants her to stop—because her crying is distressing the other children. They are just so easy to influence when they are between the ages of two and four…

Fortunately, stories always seem to be the solution to distracting children (course, the same could be said about him or anyone else, for that matter). So when he starts talking about the cool things he has seen being sold by middle class shopkeepers, the crying stops instantly. There are a few sniffs here and there, but they eventually stop as he continues.

It takes Silvia not that long to recognize Rojo as the same boy she encountered last summer. His hair is rather distinctive, being so long and of a rather brilliant color when the light strikes it from a certain angle. Even though Silvia hasn't interacted with the boy much, she still remembers him. And it is because she remembers him that Silvia realizes she could potentially learn more about the outsiders from him.

So, as a result, Rojo finds himself being pestered by a two-year-old girl as he tries his best to teach the children about managing crops, using one of the many empty fields in the area for practice. He is only fortunate that the children quickly pick up on it because he is quite terrible at explaining things with words (he is much better at showing, than telling). It probably helps that there are older children within the group who have experience from last year and the years before still fresh in their minds.

He's not that surprised that the seeds have all been planted by midafternoon. It really doesn't take that much time, with so many children around. It's not that difficult of a job to begin with, either. It's just practice for the future, when the children are old enough to venture into the forest to manage the crops that are thriving in the many clearings that are scattered about.

With nothing much to do, Rojo decides to indulge the two-year-old girl's curiosity. And, as a result, the other children soon gather around for an impromptu story time of some sort. Rojo feels he should be annoyed—but he's not, which is honestly a first.

By the end of the day, he learns Silvia's name and decides…she's not that bad. Though, as the days go by, Rojo's opinion begins to change when the two-year-old refuses to leave him alone. Verde is a green-haired boy with a small mole under his left eye, about the same age as Rojo. Like Rojo, Verde is also stuck watching over a group of children, so when he sees Rojo getting pestered by a two-year-old girl, Verde laughs and begins to tease the red-haired boy because he's got nothing better to do. This earns the green-haired boy a handful of mud thrown at his face—courtesy of Silvia, who acts completely on an impulse.

It is only after Silvia has thrown the mud that she regrets what she does…until Azul, a blue-haired girl around the same age as Verde and Rojo, jumps in and instigates a mud fight that instantly gets the children's attention. Silvia just goes with the flow and has a fun time, despite how much it irks her to have mud in her hair. Rojo's opinion of Silvia changes once more by the end of that day and within a few weeks, Rojo becomes completely fine with the idea of the two-year-old girl sticking by his side.

It probably helps that most of the other children prefer to stick with Azul, who teaches them how to steal. Verde does a better job at ensuring the children learn how to manage crops correctly, by making use of the children who already have experience. Everyone has more free time, as a result. Really, managing crops isn't that hard of a task—though, it helps that everyone works together, but the point still stands.

Rojo tries his best to tell Silvia as much as he could about the outsiders, but he really doesn't know much besides the items he sees in the shops. Verde only confirms as he sits down next to Rojo, who doesn't appreciate the sudden proximity as he deliberately places Silvia in between them. Silvia blinks a few times and laughs.

This isn't so bad.

And really, it isn't. Because now Silvia isn't alone—she ends up making friends with the preteens by the end of the month. She learns a lot more, since Verde notices how quick she is to pick up on things. He teaches her how to steal, because that's what Azul is doing with the other children and it's what Silvia wants to learn. Rojo insists on helping out and without his way of providing visual examples to Verde's explanations, Silvia wouldn't have learned so quickly.

Unfortunately, Azul soon figures out what is going on and being as competitive as she is, she makes it her goal to find out who, out of the three of them, is the better teacher. Silvia quickly finds herself shoved into a competition of sorts against children Azul has taught—just to find out who the better thief. At first, Silvia doesn't mind and she thinks Verde and Rojo are overreacting with the way they try to persuade Azul to back down and groan when she refuses. Then she realizes she's dead wrong when Azul demands a rematch immediately after the first three losses.

One would think Silvia would pull out the instant she experiences her first loss after five consecutive wins, so as to put an end to this. That would be a smart decision to make—one that flies over Silvia's head, because she's just as competitive to a fault and too stubborn enough to listen to reason as she demands a rematch until she wins. And it is the exact moment that Silvia wins that Azul demands a rematch, continuing what appears to be the start of a never-ending cycle.

It goes on for an entire week, up until a ten-year-old girl by the name of Amarillo steps in and puts a stop to it all. For someone whose name means yellow, Amarillo possesses the strangest hair that is just so orange. Silvia finds herself distracted with this thought as Amarillo lectures Azul, who may or may not be embarrassed with this. Meanwhile with Verde and Rojo, they are absolutely relieved and hope it never happens again—and it doesn't, because Amarillo refuses to leave now that she has gotten involved.

The days pass by almost too quickly, now that Silvia has something to do. It's never a boring day whenever these four preteens are involved, after all. No one even thinks twice of her, for how precocious she usually is. Everyone takes it in stride without any question and Silvia can't help but feel relieved.

Her speaking improves out of spite, in reaction to the many times Verde teases her for mispronouncing a word. She's speaking more than she would have ever done in her past life. Of course, it helps that Silvia has nowhere to isolate herself from others nor a computer with functioning internet to distract her. Even so, it's still exhausting for someone as introverted as her to interact as much as she has.

So it's not that much of a surprise to find Silvia fast asleep by the time her father comes around to pick her up. Lucio finds it endearing that Silvia is not alone, as she sleeps comfortably in the lap of a red-haired boy who has dozed off not too long after she had. He thinks it's nice to have friends, despite the age difference that exists—because Silvia isn't alone.

Come summertime, when the stifling heat makes a return for the season, Silvia has to part ways with her new friends. She is back to fishing with her father and while she is still too small, she's not as small as she was the year before. The fish no longer pose that much of a hassle to her, but she still has a few moments where the fish put up a fight before she deals the finishing blow.

Lucio laughs more often than he'd ever expect as he continues to throw fish after fish for Silvia to collect and place in the basket. He tries to make a game out of it as soon as he feels Silvia is strong enough to keep up. He deliberately keeps the fish alive for Silvia to kill—just to see how long it takes her before he throws another fish her way. And for two weeks, Silvia finds herself chasing after fish as they flop all over the ground. Quite a comedic sight to behold—but Lucio steps in when he feels he has to.

Eventually, Silvia starts to catch each fish before it hits the ground, eliminating any need for her to chase after the damn thing. She still struggles to keep the squirming fish in her arms, but it's nothing a nice body slam can't fix!

It's super effective!

Silvia doesn't think much on how disturbing she should consider her actions. She is aware that what she does now is nothing she would have ever done in her past life (as far as she knows). But that was back then—this is now and really, she doesn't mind.

It's just fish…

At the end of the day, someone is going to eat it. Otherwise, Silvia wouldn't have killed any fish. That's just how it is and Silvia sees nothing wrong with that.

People need to eat, after all.

As the end of summer approaches, there comes that one day where everyone works together to make food and tells stories under the starry night sky. Silvia's hands are balled up into tiny fists as she shakes with happiness. She's smiling so hard, that her cheeks are starting to hurt. She's been waiting for this day to come, because—because!

I can finally get some answers!

But before night falls, Silvia decides to remind a certain red-haired boy of how much she's missed him by giving him one hell of a greeting. On that very day, Rojo receives a grim reminder of what friendship truly is as he is tackled to the ground by a two-year-old girl. And like the self-proclaimed friend he is, Verde ensures that Rojo will never forget this day…starting by laughing his ass off at the red-haired boy's misfortune.

Amarillo laughs awkwardly, not knowing whether to be concerned or amused with what she has just witnessed. Azul solves the issue by reassuring Amarillo that Rojo's been through worse.

"I'd worry more about your cousin instead of him," Azul says as Rojo grabs Verde by the ankle and causes the green-haired boy to lose his balance.

Thud!

Now both boys are on the ground and within each other's reach. Amarillo barely manages to pull Silvia away, just mere seconds before Verde and Rojo start to fight. Amarillo clutches Silvia to her chest, panting heavily as she tries to calm her pounding heart.

"Too close!" Amarillo really resents her cousin's tendency to pick fights with Rojo.

Azul laughs it off as pats Amarillo on the head. "You worry too much!"

"I do not!" Amarillo insists as she pouts, suppressing the urge to blush when Azul calls her cute.

Silvia blinks as she listens to the two girls go back and forth with their conversation. While that happens, Verde and Rojo continue with their scuffle on the ground. They manage to attract quite a number of nearby children who find the entire spectacle entertaining. It helps pass the time and by the time Azul separates the two boys from each other, Silvia is amongst the children taking Rojo's side.

Silvia tries her hardest not to laugh that evening, when Azul tells the story of how it is that Verde obtained his black eye, while Rojo tries to hide his swollen left cheek. Laughter fills the air and adults start to recount the times when they were Verde and Rojo's age. The elders within the circle around the fire begin to smile, their hair of faded color billowing in the light summer breeze. To them, they appreciate the fact that people continue to remember and share their stories.

It's something that Silvia notices as well and finds that maybe…next time will be better. Next time—she'll get her answers. For now, she decides to enjoy the moments as they come—just like everyone else is.

Rojo and Verde do not hold any grudges—they see no reason to and it is why the two, despite what has happen, sit next to each other. Some say that's friendship, others say it could be more. The elderly woman with faded blue hair begins to chuckle, saying that it may be too early to judge. Even so, life goes on and whatever happens now may eventually become a story to tell, years from now.

I'll remember this…

Because Silvia doesn't ever want to forget this day—she just doesn't. For as long as she possibly can, she wants to remember. She still wants to learn more about the outsiders, but for now—this is fine.

It's fine.

Weeks pass, the season changes, and once more, the forest surrounding Historia appears as if it's on fire. Silvia is now three years old and her hair now falls down to her waist. It's been quite a long time since her hair has ever gotten this long—at least, when she takes her past life into consideration. Her hair's length gives her a sense of comfort, despite how often she has to remove the leaves that get stuck in her hair at the end of each day.

She likes the way it feels against her finger, when she twirls her hair. She has a habit of doing that now—a habit that seems to have carried over from her past life. It gives her something to do and honestly, it's better than biting her nails. That nasty habit met its end when Silvia was months away from turning fourteen in her past life—courtesy of her recently obtained braces getting in the way.

I miss my braces…

Silvia also misses everyone from her past. It's why she doesn't think too much about it, because of how overwhelming it can get when her memory lingers too long on a life that is no more. Really, it is better for her to live in the moment, just watching the leaves as they drift to the ground.

Like embers raining from the sky…

Autumn is not that bad of a season, Silvia thinks, as she helps her father collect mushrooms, berries, and roots. She especially loves it when it's windy, despite how chilly it can get. Because when the wind blows, the falling leaves begin to dance. It is a sight to behold.

It is also a very peaceful time, which is a nice change of pace after dealing with so many fish. The weather is also much more bearable, much to Silvia's relief… Frankly, anything is better than the stifling heat that summer brings.

…

…

After autumn, comes winter. The weather becomes quite chilly and the forest seems quite barren throughout a certain distance (after a certain point, there are trees that refuse to lose their leaves at all). Cecelia is much more proactive with hunting than usual. Silvia wonders what it is that her mother hunts—all she ever sees, after all, are whatever gets cooked for dinner that night. It's usually Lucio who cooks, because Cecelia is so exhausted.

Silvia just starts to count down the days when she can see her friends again and ask about the outsiders. She's quite impatient this time around and makes a beeline for Rojo the instant she sees his distinct red hair. Unlike last time, Rojo is prepared and he catches Silvia before she even has a chance to throw her body at him. Silvia needs a few moments to collect her thoughts, blinking when she finds herself held up in the air.

"N-Not today," Rojo tells her with a small smile.

Rojo is no longer eleven, but twelve. His hair has gotten even longer, though his height hasn't really changed. He looks so confident, because he's avoided a repeat of summer's events. He's standing tall as he holds up Silvia, who stares at him with the blankest expression she can make. It really boggles his mind on how it was that this three-year-old girl had tackled him to the ground, but he's learned his lesson.

"Excuse me." Azul is grinning when she drops by to take Silvia out of Rojo's hands. Like Rojo, Azul is no longer eleven, but unlike him, she is taller than before. It is to Rojo's annoyance, as Silvia notices when his left eye twitches slightly when she points out that he is shorter than Azul.

Rojo silently fumes as Azul calmly walks away with Silvia sitting on her shoulders. Silvia looks back at Rojo, trying her hardest not to laugh because she's never seen the boy like this. She laughs anyways when a certain green-haired boy tackles Rojo to the ground. It's so easy for him to do, while Rojo is so distracted.

Mmm whatcha say…

Rojo looks absolutely done with the world as he lays on the ground, pinned underneath Verde, who just laughs and laughs. Verde is not only the same age as Rojo, but also, taller. The height difference is extremely noticeable when both boys are standing next to each other. And when an eleven-year-old Amarillo runs up to see if Rojo is unharmed, Silvia laughs even harder because they're the same height.

I shouldn't be laughing.

But Silvia can't stop. She laughs and laughs, because it's just too funny. Tears stream down her cheeks and her stomach hurts from all that laughter. She has her regrets, though—because with intense laughter, comes…

Hic!

Fucking hiccups!

It is now Rojo's turn to laugh, now that the tables have turned—and ohhh, how they have turned. Silvia is in hell.

Hic!

She is in fucking hell.

Hic!

It hurts.

Hic!

It's annoying.

Hic!

Make it stop!

Hic!

Verde ruffles Silvia's hair as he gives her a sympathetic look she did not at all ask for. Her eyes narrow when Azul comments on how cute her hiccups are. Silvia did not ask for Azul's opinion—

Hic!

Silvia scowls as Rojo continues to laugh. Karma is certainly a bitch when it wants to be…

Hic!

But what comes around, goes around!

Because now Rojo has a bad case of the hiccups and Silvia is having the time of her life, watching the boy suffer. She points and laughs at the red-haired boy as he continues to hiccup.

Hic!

And though her hiccups have yet to subside, it doesn't matter much to her now that Rojo is suffering alongside her. It's all the more glorious when Amarillo lightly admonishes Rojo for laughing so hard—he should have known better, after all.

…

…

It's late in the evening, when everyone gathers around the fire to tell stories, that Silvia finally gets her answers. It starts when she asks a question that she absolutely has no idea how to word (she's so eager, impatient, and nervous—oh god, why is everyone staring?!), so everyone is confused with what it is she is asking…but Rojo knows. So he repeats the question Silvia has asked—only with much more clarity.

"How did the outsiders get here?" It's such a simple question, but it gets the ball rolling.

The very first thing Silvia learns is that the outsiders are strong—it's a requirement. Otherwise, they'd never step foot in Historia. There's a reason why no one even discusses what goes on beyond Historia, and it is because there's not much to talk about when no one can leave. They couldn't, even if they tried—the forest is dangerous when one travels far enough and leaves the area that has been marked as a safe zone.

There's a fucking safe zone.

And the scary part is that it didn't always exist. This is exactly what the old woman meant when she told her story of how dangerous Historia used to be. There's more to it, but the main point still stands is that leaving Historia is a damn near impossibility in the same way it is to enter. So for the outsiders to have even step foot in Historia, alive, is something worth noting.

As for how it is they got to Historia—it was all an accident. It was a freaking accident, because up until the moment that the outsiders step foot in Historia, they didn't even know it existed. Historia is not only so difficult to enter and leave, but it's also well hidden from the world beyond it. Basically, Historia is isolated and because of said isolation, it was really a matter of dumb luck that the outsiders even found the place.

Unbelievable…

Silvia has no more questions to ask—not now, at least. She needs time to process the information she has received. It's a lot to take in and though her mentality may be that of an adult's, her body is still that of a child's. She has her limits, so she decides that she's good…

For now…

…

…

…

A/N So like, I was hoping to get some more done for this chapter, but THEN HUNTER X HUNTER UPDATED BECAUSE IT GOT OFF THE HIATUS AND I DECIDED TO COMMEMORATE THIS OCCASION, HAVE THIS CHAPTER!

Colores is Spanish for colors (plural), which can refer to the names of Silvia's friends, who are named after colors. Amarillo is yellow (give it some time—you'll find out why she's named after the color yellow eventually), Azul is blue, Rojo is red, and Verde is green. Oh, and just as a reminder, with the exception of Amarillo and her extremely orange hair (again, give her name some time), Rojo, Azul, and Verde—their hair is pretty dark with colored undertones that refer back to their name. In the case of Verde…well, I'll give you an example of how his hair would look and basically, think of Midoriya Izuku (AKA, Deku) from My Hero Academia, which I have now started reading.

You can blame kurobook for that and while I'm on the subject of my writing buddy, send her lots of love for making this story's AWESOME cover! Like seriously, SO AWESOME and just—yeah, it's so pretty and ahhh…JUST SEND HER SOME LOVE! Maybe even check out her One Piece SI OC, Barrel of Fun! Also, do send some love to Plouton as well, because, like kurobook, she's also helped me out with the world building for this fic and just…send them both love (and also check out her One Piece SI OC fic, Murphy's Law).

ANYWAYS, Azul is pretty much like that one anime character with dark hair that looks black, but is blue. And I don't know if you guys haven't caught on, but the focus on their hair is intentional—I'll go into it later, but it's something to keep in mind.

So yeah, here I am, trying to progress with this fic, WHEN SUDDENLY THE OC INQUISITION POPS UP (NO ONE EVER EXPECTS THE OC INQUISITION!) AND…yeah, so now you have these surprise OCs who I have gotten too attached to, so they're here to stay as well. You got some more world building here for Historia and some conditioning methods shown through Lucio and Silvia (the fish game). Oh, and Silvia continues to go without any spoken dialogue, while the others have managed to say a few words themselves. That's a bit intentional for reasons I won't say now, except…just keep that eventual language barrier in mind. Once it kicks in, that is.

So let's get on with the shout outs, now that this story's reached over ten reviews and holy crap, thank you guys so much for your kind words!

Reviewer #10: Vegolasify

Honorable mentions: applesofiddun, Plouton, CarlaAether, Madin456, anonymous reviewer AnonPerson Thing, deletrear (GO AND CHECK OUT THEIR FICS, LIKE REALLY), kylC

Seriously guys, thank you so much for taking the time to read and review! It means so much to me and just for the hell of it, I'm gonna ask again: Is there anything you're looking forward to from me when it comes to this fic?

I'll keep asking, just in case anyone has anything to say. I wanna keep an open mind, since there's so much that can be done in this fic! After all, we're just getting started and there's so much more to come! That's about it for now, so until next time! KD out! XD