A few days had gone by. Things were still complicated. Arisa was slowly recovering, but it was very slowly. There wasn't much improvement at all. It was worrying, to say the least. Who knew what to do if things went wrong for her? They couldn't just go into a town and take her to a doctor. They had no money.

It also didn't help that the organization was still nearby. They hadn't left the destroyed camps yet. Despite how much they spied on them, no one was able to learn more about their motives. It was frustrating.

Arisa was the setback. With her being so injured, they couldn't risk going out and relocating. Not if the organization was that close by. If they got spotted, there was no way they'd manage to escape. Arisa would hinder whoever was carrying her from being able to sneak through narrow places.

They had found a suitable new home. It was just a matter of getting to it. They hadn't made their group official yet. They wanted to wait until they were at the new home before doing that. Just in case somehow the organization was able to find them easier. They really weren't sure what happened when they made a group.

"Hey, I caught wind that the organization might start searching the area for survivors. They have all of our names. They know who isn't accounted for. We have to move out soon." Rimi announced one day after she came back from patrolling the area.

"Great..." Saaya sighed, "We better get ready then. We'll head out in the day. Hopefully they won't be as active."

"How far away is this new base?" Kasumi questioned.

"It's quite a distance. It has nothing around for miles."

"Is it safe to travel there now? Or, should we just get out of the search range for now?" Tae questioned.

As much as all of them would love to just go to the new base, they still had to take into consideration Arisa's condition. It may be too far for her right now. Especially when the organization could be almost upon them at any point.

"We will travel for as long as we can. Where that may take us, I don't know." Saaya decided.

"I guess we should get ready. It isn't too long until sunrise as is. We should rest." Rimi stated.

"Good idea, Rimi. Let's try and get some rest."

"Shouldn't we have a guard? Just to be safe?" Kasumi questioned.

The organization couldn't be trusted. Not even with this. Who was to say they wouldn't have anyone patrolling around during the early hours of the morning? They would assume no one would be up to see them.

"That might be a good idea, but we all need to be well rested." Tae pointed out.

"I can do it." Arisa offered, "It's not like I'll be walking."

"Alright." Everyone seemed to be in agreement with that offer.

With that out of the way, everyone settled down onto their makeshift beds. They weren't comfortable at all and would always leave them all feeling extremely sore when they woke up. But, it was the best they had at the moment. Once they got to the new base, things would be easier and they could hopefully make better beds.

Kasumi sat down beside Arisa, "Mind if I stay here?"

"I don't care." Arisa huffed.

"Alright. Um... if you need anything just wake me up, okay?" Kasumi smiled at her.

Arisa quickly looked away from her, "Y-yeah..."

Kasumi was satisfied with that and laid down. Arisa stared at her for a few seconds, before turning her attention to the entrance of the cave. She had to be alert and ready to yell at a moments notice. This was going to be interesting.

Everyone else was fast asleep. Arisa was finding the task a lot more boring then anticipated. There was nothing. Not even the rustling of leaves. It was silent. It made her feel uneasy, honestly.

She let out a sigh. This was going to be a long watch, wasn't it? She had nothing to entertain her. There was nothing to watch. It was silent.

Arisa would constantly glance over at Kasumi. She didn't know why, she just couldn't stop herself. Was there a reason? She wasn't sure. But, there may be a reason.

Arisa was surprised by the hospitality of the other three demons. She never expected to be cared for. Why should they? She was just holding them all back.

They could easily just toss her to the side and leave. So, why didn't they? Her fate was unknown. Would her other leg heal? Would she be able to use it again? What if she couldn't?

This world had no care or sympathy for those who are maimed. It has always been every demon for themselves, even in groups. If you couldn't contribute anymore, you were considered useless and tossed away like trash.

Arisa couldn't say she was surprised Kasumi was still be her side. They were pretty close, as much as she denied it. And, Kasumi didn't like the way the society worked. She always complained about the unfair treatment of certain demons.

But, perhaps there was a part of Arisa that believed Kasumi would abandon her. Maybe that was why she was constantly wanting to know where she was. Because of the fear that she may be abandoned by everyone.

Arisa sighed again. These thoughts were distracting her. She needed to stay focused. There would be a better time to think about those things. She had a job to do.

DIVIDER--

Dawn soon came. Nothing had happened. That was good. They didn't want to run into any trouble if possible.

"I guess we should get going." Saaya stated as she stood up.

Everyone packed the few things they had up and then they headed out. Kasumi was carrying Arisa. It was safer to hold her than to let her cling to her back.

"Alright. Tae, you lead the way. We'll try to head to the new base if we can." Saaya said.

Tae nodded and took the lead. She was the one who had scouted out the new base for them. She was the only one who knew where it was at exactly. They all could probably find it if they tried, but that could be very time consuming.

"How do you feel today?" Kasumi asked Arisa.

"It didn't hurt when you touched my leg this time." Arisa mumbled.

"I hope that means it healing and not that you're losing all feeling in it."

Arisa sighed as she rested her head against one of Kasumi's shoulder, "Yeah..."

"Is something on your mind?" Kasumi asked.

Arisa was hesitant to tell her about it. Especially in earshot of the others. She wasn't one to show her emotions like that. She didn't want them all to know her fears.

"I'm just... worried that I'll never be able to use my leg again... and what all that would mean for me..." Arisa twisted the phrasing so it didn't come off the way she truly felt. She couldn't mention she was afraid of being abandoned.

"I'm sure even without either leg, you would be able to do something." Kasumi was optimistic as always.

"What if I'll just be a burden...?"

"You won't ever be that." Kasumi protested, "No matter what happens, we're in this together. Okay?"

Arisa didn't say anything in reply for a long time. She couldn't understand how Kasumi could be so positive about all of this. Even she should've been effected enough to lose that optimism, right? So why did she still believe everything was going to be fine?

"How can you be so positive after everything that's happened to us?" Arisa asked.

"We're still alive, aren't we?" Kasumi replied, "We can't stay in the past. You know that. If we survived that, in positive we can survive anything thrown at us."

"This is only the beginning, Kasumi." Saaya stated, "We're fugitives now. Anything can happen."

"I'm positive we can do this!" Kasumi said, "Besides, I doubt they'll pay much attention to us. There is that rebel group they should be focusing on."

"Even if Roselia is threatening their plans, I'm sure they can find time to kill us too." Rimi said.

"Yeah. There's enough workers for them to focus on probably every group." Tae agreed.

Kasumi pouted, "Aren't you trying to be positive anymore?"

"You're pretty sheltered, aren't you?" Saaya stated, "This world is cruel. There's no reason to be positive. Nothing is ever going to go right as long as the organization is in power."

"Then let's do all we can to help Roselia take them down." Kasumi said.

"Do you know anything about them?" Saaya raised an eyebrow as she stared Kasumi down.

"Eh... I know they're a rebel group." Kasumi offered.

Saaya just sighed, "You have a lot to learn about this society..."

DIVIDER--

After hours of grueling travel, they came to a stop by a riverbed. They sat down to rest, making sure they stayed hidden incase anyone came through this area. Who knew what all was out here?

They couldn't start a fire. It was too risky. They did pack some food and water, but it wasn't going to last very long. This was definitely going to be very tough for them.

At some point during their journey, Arisa had fallen asleep. That wasn't unexpected as she had stayed up to guard the cave. Kasumi kept her in her arms even while they were resting. There was no saying they wouldn't have to run.

"Is it too much further?" Rimi asked Tae.

Tae thought about it for quite some time, "I think we could reach it by night fall."

"I wish we could fly there..." Kasumi sighed, "We could've been there by now..."

"Yeah. It sucks having to sneak around like this." The others all agreed.

Due to them being in a forest, they couldn't risk flying. They needed to stay below the trees, but the trees would make noise from the wind their wings produced. They had to walk. It was just too risky to fly.

If all of them were able to do that, it wouldn't be so bad, but there was no way Arisa was going to be able to fly. It would take a lot of practice before she could. Not having your legs to balance you was very difficult to overcome.

They couldn't rest here for too long. It was safest to be moving constantly. That way it was harder to track them down if they did find a hint to their location. But, they needed to rest for a bit. It was exhausting. The journey was very long.

"We'll rest for a little bit. We can't stay long, though." Saaya stated, "We have no clue what is around here."

DIVIDER--

They rested for half an hour. They would've liked to rest longer, but they knew they needed to move out now. It was too risky staying in this place.

So, they all got up and started walking again. Arisa was still asleep. There was no need to wake her. She could rest for as long as she needed to as far as everyone was concerned. Rest was the best for her.

"We still have quite some way to go..." Tae sighed, "The terrain should get a bit smoother soon, but not by much."

The ground was riddled with tree roots. It was hard to not trip. Everyone hated it. It was so much easier flying. They didn't need to worry then. But, they had no choice.

They pressed onward, keeping an eye and ear out for anything abnormal. They needed to be on alert at all times. Not only was the organization a threat, they didn't know if there were any other demon groups nearby. Or worse, if any rogues called this area their home.

So far, nothing had happened to them. They were very thankful. If they could get through this without running into trouble, that would be amazing.

But, just because nothing has happened so far doesn't mean they can let their guard down yet. They couldn't until they were safely secured in the new base. And that could take a while to happen.

DIVIDER--

Just as darkness started spreading around the land, they made it to the new base. It wasn't much. It was a run-down house. Thankfully, it wasn't too bad. It was still mostly together.

"Let's get inside. We can rest for a bit and then talk about claiming our territory." Saaya said.

They entered the house and found a suitable room to rest in for the time being. There was some furniture left, but it looked old and not very sturdy. They weren't going to even try with anything. They'd just have to replace it all at some point.

"I'll stand guard for now." Tae offered, "Just to be safe."

"Alright."

Everyone else sat down on the ground. They were all exhausted. It had been a tough journey. They weren't in the clear yet. They had to get their territory settled and all. And, they had to learn what was around this area.

But, that could wait for a little. What good would it do them if they were exhausted. They would need to be on their feet when they went out to mark their territory. There could be demons out there that didn't like their presence here.

Everyone found it hard to sleep. They were in an unfamiliar place now. They couldn't help but feel nervous and uneasy.

They didn't rest for long. No one felt safe enough to. All of them were awake now. Tae had come back in.

"I guess we should start by giving everyone a group marking. Any ideas on what the marking should be?" Saaya asked.

They needed to establish themselves as a group as soon as possible. It gave them a little bit more protection. They just had to decide on their marking symbol and then how much territory did they want to claim.

"Hmm... how about a star?" Kasumi suggested.

"A star?"

"Yeah. It's a simple design."

"Very well."

"Am I still being the leader?" Kasumi questioned. She still wasn't too sure about it.

"Like we said before, just becuase you're the leader, it doesn't mean you have to be in charge of everything." Saaya stated.

Kasumi started fiddling with her hands, "Okay..."

"Where should the markings go?" Rimi asked.

"Somewhere easy to see." Saaya shrugged.

"How about we all get them on one of our hands? It's pretty noticeable there." Arisa suggested.

"That sounds fine to me."

Kasumi winced as she felt the marking take form. She stared at it in awe for a little bit. This was actually happening. She was the leader of a group now.

"You can start with me." Arisa promoted as she held out her hand.

Kasumi took a nervous gulp before marking the place. She was a lot more nervous than she had thought she'd be. This wasn't the group she had been expecting to create. Everything was wrong. They were on the run. They weren't just a normal demon group.

Kasumi pushed those thoughts away. She could focus on them later. She had to finishing marking the others. She turned to Tae as she was closest. Tae nodded to her and held out her hand. Kasumi hesitated for a moment, before she did the marking.

Next was Rimi. Then Saaya went. And then they were all marked. They were a group now. A group on the run from the organization. This was not how anyone expected this to go for them. But, what could you do? You can't change the past. They would just have to move forward and deal with whatever came their way next.

Speaking of that. It was time for them to mark their territory. Rimi offered to stay behind to stay with Arisa. They couldn't leave her alone in this unfamiliar land, after all. No one had any objections, so that was what they did.

The other three left the house and started planning what territory they wanted. Kasumi would have liked to not go and instead be the one staying with Arisa, but she had to be the one to set the initial markers. That was something only the leader of the group could do. Once they were set, any member of the group could change their locations or remark them as they saw fit.

While they did that, Rimi tried to start up a conversation with Arisa. It was too quiet in the house.

"So... have you known Kasumi for a long time?" Rimi asked as she took a seat beside her.

"Yeah. We've been friends for as long as I can remember." Arisa nodded.

"She's an interesting one, that's for sure."

"Always has been. I've just learned to tolerate it at this point." Arisa said.

Rimi giggled, "Well, she's a good girl. It's kind of nice to have someone so optimistic around. It lightens the mood."

"She always tries to see the brighter side of everything. And will do anything to make it happen." Arisa sighed.

"Sounds like she's a handful for you, huh?" Rimi teased.

"You could say that..."

They fell into silence again. There wasn't a whole lot to talk about. And neither wanted to discuss the details about anything the organization had put them through with the attacks. That was one topic they all tried their hardest to avoid discussing unless it was necessary.

They had no idea how long it would take the others to claim the territory. They hoped it wouldn't be too long, but you never knew. What if something came up? What if there was a demon that didn't like them? Would they be okay?

It was nervewracking to wait for them, to say the least. So many things could go wrong while they were out there. It was hard not to worry about something happening to them.

But, they bother failed to consider that so.ething bad could happen to them as well. Just because they were in the house didn't mean they were safe from the dangers of the land either.

And what were the dangers of the land? For one, a hostile demong group who just so happened to have seen them moving in. And they did not like it at all.

Rimi and Arisa both jumped as they heard something crash into the door. That wasn't good. If it had been their friends, they would have just called for them if the door was stuck. That meant whoever was out there was trying to break in. That was bad.

Rimi quickly tugged Arisa into a hiding spot. Hopefully they could just act like no one was home and the threat would go away. They could regroup and think about it later when there were more of them that could fight. Rimi knew she wasn't going to be able to handle whoever was outside by herself.

The door was broken down. Both of them held their breath and watched in fear as three demons entered the house. They couldn't see much from their hiding spot, but they could see the demons were not friendly in the slightest.

"Search the house. They'll be here somewhere."

Rimi moved slightly so she was covering Arisa. If they were found out, hopefully they would only see her. That was hopefully just a caution and not going to actually happen.

They could hear the sound of things being broken. The demons were ransacking the entire house. It wasn't likely their hiding spot would go untouched. They were in big trouble.

Rimi could see another opening in the spot. She quietly shoved Arisa into it. She was more hidden that way. That was her main priority. Arisa needed to be kept safe since she couldn't fight for herself.

Rimi silently watched out of the crack in their hiding spot to see what was going on. The noises were drawing closer, meaning soon this room would too be destroyed in their search.

Arisa felt horrible. She didn't like having to hide. She would have liked to be beside Rimi, ready to fight if need be. But instead, she had to hide away like a coward because she couldn't fight.

"I haven't seen any signs of them yet."

"They have to be here somewhere. Search harder!"

The door to tge hiding spot was broken down. Rimi pressed herself into the shadows, but it was no use. They had already seen her.

"Found one." One of the demons grabbed her and pulled her into the open.

"Aww, how cute. A little girl all by herself here. You made a mistake coming here."

Rimi growled as she started clawing at the demon holding her. The demon retaliated harshly and sent her flying across the room. Rimi fell to the ground with a thud. She couldn't move fast enough now. They were on her again and beat her up.

"Don't kill her. She's going to be our prisoner." The demon who they could only assume was in charge yelled.

"Fine." The demon stopped their onslaught and gave one last kick to knock her out.

Rimi was roughly slung over their shoulders. Arisa could only watch in fear as they left the house. She couldn't do anything to help. She'd just get herself taken too.

Arisa tried to calm down once they left, but she couldn't really manage. Knowing Rimi was in danger and she could do nothing about it was hard.

"Rimi!? Arisa!?"

The others returned soon. They were sent into panic at the sight of the house. They immediately feared the worst.

Arisa barely managed to drag herself out of the hiding spot. Kasumi was immediately beside her, hugging her tightly.

"Are you okay? What happened? Where's Rimi?" Kasumi started questioning her.

"I-I'm fine... t-there's a group of demons around here... I don't think they like us being here. They came in and did all of this... They found Rimi and... took her as a prisoner." Arisa tried her best to explain.

"Did you see any marking on them?" Saaya asked.

Arisa shook her head, "I couldn't make one out."

"We have to get her back as soon as possible. Who knows what they may be planning to do to her." Saaya stated.

"But what can we do?" Tae questioned, "Three of us against an entire group? And then what about Arisa? It isn't safe to leave her here alone and it isn't safe for her to come with us either."

That was a problem. What could they do about that? It was true. Arisa would hinder their ability to save Rimi if she came along. But... they also can't leave her here alone incase something were to happen to her. But, they couldn't leave someone with her either. They needed all three of them to do this.

"Well, I guess now is the time to see if you can learn how to fly again." Saaya said.

Arisa was not ready for that. She had barely recovered from her injuries, but she knew she had to try. They didn't have the luxury of waiting around any longer.

"I guess we can try." Arisa agreed.