"Why not?" Aika piped up, Guzma turning his head towards her with slight surprise. His eyes suddenly narrowed and he was walking quickly towards her, his neck craned downwards in a menacing way while he lost his temper.

"Yer kiddin' right? Look at me, kid! I'm a nobody, remember?! Yeah, I used to be the Boss of Team Skull but it's been two years already since that ship sank. I ain't a Champion, I ain't a Professor, and I ain't friendly so why the fuck would anyone come up to me, let alone bother with someone like me?!"

Guzma's brows quirked and suddenly he found himself embarrassed and aggravated, pinching the bridge of his nose with a long sigh. The self-hatred and anger that was welled up inside of him had reared its ugly head, and to her no less. Guzma couldn't have felt like a bigger idiot in that moment. As stated previously, emotions weren't his forte, so the fact that this girl was able to get anything out of him was astounding.

"I mean… would you?" Guzma whispered awkwardly, his eyes locking onto Aika's brown ones as he itched the back of his head.

In that moment Aika's opinion of him solidified. He wasn't the tough guy that everyone thought him to be- or perhaps he was on the outside, but not on the inside. He was rough around the edges and he had a hideous set of morale but he wasn't an entirely bad guy. He was still just a young man, scared and lonely in this vast world. He was damaged, scarred even. He was human.

"I didn't think so." Guzma said bitterly, a hint of sadness in his voice as he turned around and threw up his hood. He was only a few steps in when Aika's loud footfalls came and went, her form passing his own as his eyes widened slightly. A few feet away Aika was standing triumphantly, her body half turned towards him while she grinned.

"If you don't move faster we're going to miss our ferry." Aika said, Guzma's brows shooting up.

"The hell you talkin' about?" he asked.

"I'm taking the ferry too. It leaves in ten so if you don't stop shuffling like an old geezer then we're going to have to spend the night on a park bench. And you'd best believe that if it comes to that you're giving me your jacket to sleep with." Aika winked playfully and then took off running, Guzma smiling from behind her with a warm feeling in his chest that he hadn't felt in a very long time.

Aika's heart pounded in her chest as her feet hit the concrete rhythmically, Guzma close behind her despite their starting distance. Damn his long legs! Careful to not run herself off of the ledge Aika kept a brisk but cautious pace, eyes always forward to check her surroundings. She didn't need to see Guzma to know where he was behind her because his footfalls were so noisy, which made her heart race more than usual. Knowing that he wasn't exactly chasing her but was running after her made her feel strange… as if anticipation had swelled up inside of her core.

Aika felt her feet hit the wood of one of the many bridges that led to the Battle Tree, her crossing over the water without looking at her reflection. She did imagine however, that she looked somewhat graceful as her reflection zipped past the moon. Not that she gave a shit how she looked in the moment. She had pinpointed the feeling inside of her chest by now, it panning out to be the warmth of joy. Her running in the middle of the night as the cool air hit her face made her heart soar, and knowing that someone else was right behind her lifted her even higher.

From behind her Guzma ran as well, eyes watering slightly from the wind whipping into them so ferociously. Aika was fast. Sure, his legs were much longer but she weighed much less and could get around a lot faster than he could. His eyes were locked onto her back as they ran through patches of tall grass and over bridges, winding around the bends and curves of the mountain with ease. This was strangely enjoyable for him, but his enjoyment factor increased suddenly when he watched Aika put her arms out as if she were flying.

Her laughter met his ears and brought a smile to his face, Guzma laughing under every few breaths that he could get into his lungs. He really was out of shape. Drinking and partying will do that to you he supposed. His breathing almost stopped for a second suddenly, him almost stopping in place as the girl in front of him threw him off. All she had done was smile over her shoulder. All she had done was look at him.

With Guzma right behind her Aika took a turn straight into a tree, her face smacking harshly against the rough bark that bounced her back and in the dirt. From Guzma's standpoint he saw a cloud of dust kick up. She hadn't been watching where she had been going.

"Wipe out!" He laughed, still running towards her while laughing at her misfortune.

As he got closer he was given the view of Aika laying on her back while covering her face with her hands, legs kicking in agony as she wove the most vicious tapestry of obscenities that he had ever heard. The angry woman soon stood up and started to kick the tree, still cursing in a strained voice- as if she were trying not to cry.

With tears in her eyes Aika turned around, having lost her battle against the tree. Everything was somewhat blurry and her ears were ringing, a dull pain turning into a splitting ache that wrapped tightly around her forehead. If she wasn't concussed, then everything that she had learned from that medical course she took before leaving for her journey was bullshit.

"Yo, you alright kid? That was a pretty nasty spill you took." Guzma stopped and stood before her, Aika putting her hands on her knees as her nose dripped blood onto the ground. Aika heard Guzma's breath hitch suddenly, her looking up to see his face enveloped in horror. Aika however… was less than phased. Perhaps it was her coping mechanism to make light of everything.

"So… how do I look?" She asked cheekily, Guzma still lost for words as his stomach turned.

"Like your face met a fuckin' cheese grater. I've seen some pretty bad shit kid but this is... ugh. You'd better get some pressure on that." Guzma answered, Aika chuckling gently to herself.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. But I ain't holdin' it with just my hands." She answered, Guzma now looking to the side as he thought he had heard some rustling from some grass.

"Whatever, just don't go grabbin' for my jacket. Find somethin' in ya bag or- "Guzma cut his sentence off when he turned to look back at her, Aika in the process of balling up her bloodied shirt before she pressed it to her nose and craned her neck up to have the blood flow down her throat.