Disclaimer: See Previous Chapter.
Takeru held Hikari as she cried. "Shhh. It'll be alright angel. I think I know where they are."
Hikari looked up in surprise. "Y-you do?"
Takeru nodded. "My father spoke once of a safe house large enough to hold the entire Kingdom. They had to have gone there."
"Where is it?"
"Directly north of here. A 3-day journey by horse; it would probably take just over a week to walk."
"Directly north?" Hikari asked. "But wouldn't that take us into the arctic region?"
Takeru nodded. "One of the reasons it's so safe is that enemies have a very difficult time camping out, or even just riding in."
"But how can we make it?" Hikari asked, fresh tears welling up. "We have no food or arctic clothes or anything. Everything here is gone or destroyed. We'll freeze or starve if we go."
"We'll starve if we stay." Takeru reasoned. "And we might meet up with whatever, or whoever, caused the evacuation."
"I don't know Keru. I don't think I can make the trip. I'm not strong like you or our brothers."
"Yes you are." Takeru insisted. "Hika, you're one of the strongest people I know. Just believe that we can do this and we will. You can't give up hope, no matter what."
Hikari sniffled. "I guess we have to try. No point in staying here."
"That's my girl. I think we should leave now, just in case. We'll camp out tonight, and sleep then. Don't worry Hika, we'll make it. I'll carry you there if I have to."
Hikari smiled. "I know Keru, I know."
*
The two left immediately with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The first day of travel was pretty easy and quiet. The terrain was flat prairie, so it wasn't a hard walk. They camped out on the edge of a forest. The next morning they went into the forest.
"Takeru, the forest all looks the same. How can we tell if we're going north?" Hikari asked just after midday.
"Simple." Takeru answered. "The sun. It is leaning towards the west now, since it is past midday, and if we know that then we can figure out which way is north. Understand?"
"I think so. I hope we get there sooner than a week." Hikari commented hugging herself. "The temperature is colder already, and this wind doesn't help."
Takeru slowed slightly and wrapped his arms around Hikari as they walked. "Better Hika?"
She smiled up at him. "Much."
They walked this way until close to sundown, when they found a nice sheltered spot to sleep. They huddled together for warmth as the temperature continued to decrease until it was near freezing. Considering that the two were dressed for the spring-like weather typical of the Ishida Kingdom, this was very uncomfortable. However they both managed to fall asleep in each other's arms.
*
The next few days were strikingly similar to that second one. The forest seemed never-ending. They would walk all day, from sunup to sundown, before finding a semi-sheltered place to sleep. Though they both tried to ignore it, the hunger and cold was beginning to take its toll.
Both were extremely pale and weak, especially Hikari. However neither complained of the stomach pains felt most distinctly at night, nor of the dizzy spells that often occurred after nearly a full day of walking. They knew complaining would do nothing but shorten tempers, so they grinned and beared it silently.
*
It was on the sixth day of walking that they encountered their first great obstacle: a 25-foot wide river.
"Takeru," Hikari cried looking at the remains of a bridge that had been quite recently washed out. "How can we get across? The bridge is gone!"
Takeru thought silently for a moment. 'We have to cross, it's suicide not to. But the bridge is gone. The temperature out here is around 0 degrees, so swimming is out of the question; we'd freeze before we got halfway. Not to mention the strong current.' Takeru looked upstream and an old tall tree that had fallen across the river caught his eye. 'I guess that's our bridge.'
"Hikari," he said out loud, "The only way across that I see is by crawling over on that tree over there."
"A-are you sure that's the only way? I-it looks dangerous." 'and scary' she added to herself.
Takeru nodded. "Believe me angel, I would never ask you to do this if there was any other way. But you have to trust me Hika. I promise we'll get across, okay?"
Hikari nodded slowly; it wasn't as if she had much of a choice anyway.
Takeru smiled slightly. "Good. So do you want to go in front or in back of me?"
Hikari thought about it. "In front." she answered, "So you can catch me if I slip."
Takeru nodded and helped Hikari onto the log before climbing on behind her. "Okay angel, now we just have to crawl slowly and carefully to the other side. Don't be scared, I'm right here behind you."
Hikari swallowed the lump in her throat before moving forward slowly. 'I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid.' Hikari repeated to herself. 'I'm no--, oh screw that, I'm terrified! But I made it halfway, only one more half to go.' Hikari's thoughts were interrupted by a loud rumbling sound.
She looked up to see a huge surge of water coming straight at them. "Takeru!"
Takeru held Hikari as she cried. "Shhh. It'll be alright angel. I think I know where they are."
Hikari looked up in surprise. "Y-you do?"
Takeru nodded. "My father spoke once of a safe house large enough to hold the entire Kingdom. They had to have gone there."
"Where is it?"
"Directly north of here. A 3-day journey by horse; it would probably take just over a week to walk."
"Directly north?" Hikari asked. "But wouldn't that take us into the arctic region?"
Takeru nodded. "One of the reasons it's so safe is that enemies have a very difficult time camping out, or even just riding in."
"But how can we make it?" Hikari asked, fresh tears welling up. "We have no food or arctic clothes or anything. Everything here is gone or destroyed. We'll freeze or starve if we go."
"We'll starve if we stay." Takeru reasoned. "And we might meet up with whatever, or whoever, caused the evacuation."
"I don't know Keru. I don't think I can make the trip. I'm not strong like you or our brothers."
"Yes you are." Takeru insisted. "Hika, you're one of the strongest people I know. Just believe that we can do this and we will. You can't give up hope, no matter what."
Hikari sniffled. "I guess we have to try. No point in staying here."
"That's my girl. I think we should leave now, just in case. We'll camp out tonight, and sleep then. Don't worry Hika, we'll make it. I'll carry you there if I have to."
Hikari smiled. "I know Keru, I know."
*
The two left immediately with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The first day of travel was pretty easy and quiet. The terrain was flat prairie, so it wasn't a hard walk. They camped out on the edge of a forest. The next morning they went into the forest.
"Takeru, the forest all looks the same. How can we tell if we're going north?" Hikari asked just after midday.
"Simple." Takeru answered. "The sun. It is leaning towards the west now, since it is past midday, and if we know that then we can figure out which way is north. Understand?"
"I think so. I hope we get there sooner than a week." Hikari commented hugging herself. "The temperature is colder already, and this wind doesn't help."
Takeru slowed slightly and wrapped his arms around Hikari as they walked. "Better Hika?"
She smiled up at him. "Much."
They walked this way until close to sundown, when they found a nice sheltered spot to sleep. They huddled together for warmth as the temperature continued to decrease until it was near freezing. Considering that the two were dressed for the spring-like weather typical of the Ishida Kingdom, this was very uncomfortable. However they both managed to fall asleep in each other's arms.
*
The next few days were strikingly similar to that second one. The forest seemed never-ending. They would walk all day, from sunup to sundown, before finding a semi-sheltered place to sleep. Though they both tried to ignore it, the hunger and cold was beginning to take its toll.
Both were extremely pale and weak, especially Hikari. However neither complained of the stomach pains felt most distinctly at night, nor of the dizzy spells that often occurred after nearly a full day of walking. They knew complaining would do nothing but shorten tempers, so they grinned and beared it silently.
*
It was on the sixth day of walking that they encountered their first great obstacle: a 25-foot wide river.
"Takeru," Hikari cried looking at the remains of a bridge that had been quite recently washed out. "How can we get across? The bridge is gone!"
Takeru thought silently for a moment. 'We have to cross, it's suicide not to. But the bridge is gone. The temperature out here is around 0 degrees, so swimming is out of the question; we'd freeze before we got halfway. Not to mention the strong current.' Takeru looked upstream and an old tall tree that had fallen across the river caught his eye. 'I guess that's our bridge.'
"Hikari," he said out loud, "The only way across that I see is by crawling over on that tree over there."
"A-are you sure that's the only way? I-it looks dangerous." 'and scary' she added to herself.
Takeru nodded. "Believe me angel, I would never ask you to do this if there was any other way. But you have to trust me Hika. I promise we'll get across, okay?"
Hikari nodded slowly; it wasn't as if she had much of a choice anyway.
Takeru smiled slightly. "Good. So do you want to go in front or in back of me?"
Hikari thought about it. "In front." she answered, "So you can catch me if I slip."
Takeru nodded and helped Hikari onto the log before climbing on behind her. "Okay angel, now we just have to crawl slowly and carefully to the other side. Don't be scared, I'm right here behind you."
Hikari swallowed the lump in her throat before moving forward slowly. 'I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid.' Hikari repeated to herself. 'I'm no--, oh screw that, I'm terrified! But I made it halfway, only one more half to go.' Hikari's thoughts were interrupted by a loud rumbling sound.
She looked up to see a huge surge of water coming straight at them. "Takeru!"
