Thoughts whirled about in Kanae's head. Had Setsuko always been an Accursed? Or had she been recruited recently? How much had they learned from someone with such an intimate relationship with the prince? Damn it, this was bad.

The thin man suddenly looked in Kanae's direction.

Kanae jerked her head back out of sight. Shoot, what had been Reino's relic abilities? He could make portals, but what had been the other one?

Her heart pounded so hard it hurt. If they found her, there was no way she'd survive. She'd barely killed Naomi with Shin's help, and even then, they'd needed Kyoko's help pulling out the poison or they'd have had a rather pyrrhic victory.

Cold readiness seeped over her still racing heart. If they did find her, she wouldn't go down without a fight.

Setsuko suddenly spoke.

"Miroku, keep up."

The woman's voice was as commanding as always, but there was an extra lack of warmth here. She was cold. Sharp and deadly even to her colleagues.

The man, Miroku, responded, his voice smooth and calm, as if Setsuko hadn't just snapped at him.

"I thought I saw something," he drawled.

Kanae didn't breathe.

"Must have been my imagination."

The footsteps continued, and the three Accursed were soon gone.

Kanae peered from around the rock. There was no sign of them. Had she really managed to hide?

Twig suddenly bust into her vision. She swore, daggers out and ready to sail before she realized who it was. Twig didn't even acknowledge the daggers hovering near his throat, eyes blown wide and his whole aura quivered.

"We're dead," he whispered. "They were so close. We're dead!"

He let out a weak wail, stifled by a fist in his mouth. At least he was cognizant enough to keep it down. Kanae put her daggers away.

"Shut up. We're not dead." At least not yet. "I'm assuming those were three of the Accursed you were talking about?"

Twig managed a nod between his anxious meltdown, flitting in the air like an annoying fly.

"We need to get out of here," he said.

Coward though he was, this time Twig was right. Kanae had been pushing her luck, sneaking into the heart of the Accursed operations with no proper planning. She had been lucky to make it undetected this far. Very lucky, if this close encounter had taught her anything. She needed to get back to Mosall. Gods, but her head felt fuzzy from lack of sleep.

I need to tell Kyoko and Cain about Setsuko.

That thought more than anything roused her from her reverie and convinced her it was time to leave. While a part of her wanted to chase after the woman a put a spear through her heart, the rational part of her told her to be patient. The time would come for Kanae to face that witch.

"Do you know if there's a faster way to the surface?" Kanae really didn't want to spend hours winding her way back through the caves.

Twig sagged in relief. "There is. A tunnel starts near the base of the roots. 'Course I haven't been near it since these Accursed took over the area."

"Lead me to it."

All too happy to finally be leaving, Twig zipped off down the hall, Kanae following close behind. She really hoped this tunnel was still operational. The only enterances the city's researchers knew of were far from the city. That meant the entrance Twig was talking about was either gone, or well hidden. She was praying for the latter.

They were passing an entrance to another room when Kanae stopped dead. Someone was inside, moving about the room as if they were trying to be quiet. They failed with several bumps and frantic sputters.

Kanae walked inside the room, disbelieving.

"Mage Hiroaki?"

Hiroaki jumped, then whirled around, wilting with terror as he fumbled to try and hide something behind his back.

"W-who's there?" he said. "I heard you. I know you're there."

He shouldn't have survived the miasma, let alone bypass all the security. But other than deep circles under his eyes and a potent smell that told her he needed a bath, he looked fine. Kanae dropped her stealth spell.

The mage's eyes bulged.

"Kanae?"

Hiroaki had been praying nonstop for someone to come and save him. He hadn't actually thought anything would listen to him, but some deity had deemed him worthy of a miracle. Kanae was here. Here, in the Accursed's lair.

A part of him noted her fatigue and uncharacteristic surprise. Mostly he was too relieved to notice mush else. It was wonderful to hear the familiar edges on her tone and the bite in her words.

"I thought you were dead," said Kanae.

Hiroaki flung his arms around her middle.

"Wha!?"

"You came to save me." He was crying in relief. "It's been so terrible." *Sniff* "I can't do this. I'm n-not cut out for this like you or Kyoko. I-I want to go home."

"Control yourself," hissed Kanae. "Do you want the Accursed to find us?"

"They already know I'm here."

She gave him a confused look. "But they don't know I'm here so keep your trap shut before they come wondering why you're kicking up such a fuss."

Hiroaki didn't stop crying, but he did attempt to cry quieter as he detach himself from Kanae. He pushed his bangs from his face, noting the wet mark on Kanaes vest where he had planned his face.

"Sorry," he muttered. "It's been horrible. I've been really stressed out and alone. Gods, it's nice to finally see a friendly face."

Something came whizzing in the room. At first Hiroaki thought it was a demon monster, alerted by their noise to come kill them. But then the creature expanded.

It was humanoid in shape, its head coming up to Kanae's shoulder. Yet it couldn't be a human. Strange patterns of green wound their way like vine up its arms and legs, actual vines with twitching leaves overlapping it. Where the whites of his eyes should have been, black took over, surrounding a brilliant shade of green that focused on Kanae. Hiroaki jumped at its appearance, so shocked he stopped crying.

It couldn't be!

"You disappeared," said the creature with an annoyed huff. "I was halfway there before I realized you weren't following me anymore. I thought you wanted to leave."

Currently checking the halls, Kanae didn't seem surprised by its appearance. "You didn't pass anyone on the way here, did you?"

"The place seems empty so far." The creature finally looked at Hiroaki, giving him a contemptuous look. "Except for this human. But he doesn't look dangerous."

Hiroaki continued to gape. "This— are you a Dryad?"

"Are humans dumb and fragile?" sneered the Dryad. "Why do you find it so surprising? Or have you overpopulated the earth to the point that you think you're the only sentient beings left on the planet? Seriously, the audacity of—"

Kanae shoved her hand over his mouth. "Hiroaki, it's too dangerous to stay here. We need to leave now."

What Hiroaki really wanted to do was address the magical creature angrily batting away Kasnae's hand. But he put it from his mind. Now wasn't the time.

"I can't," said Hiroaki miserably. "I can't get past the Miasma. Not unless you brought an amulet and tincture."

"We didn't have any," said Kanae. "I was sent out because I don't need one."

"Then I can't get out." It was hard to say. He really thought he had been saved. Oh no, and the tears were back. "The miasma is held back by the tree. If I leave its protective sphere, I'll likely die instantly."

"Then how did you get here?"

"I was probably brought in before the tincture wore off. When I woke up though, the amulet was gone. It's why I'm in here. I'm looking for the amulet and trying to find the ingredients for the tincture."

Kanae tapped her lips in thought. Hiroaki stayed silent, even though fear wanted him to keep rambling. Kanae's ferocious presence kept the panic at bay, even if only just. Kanae would get them out. She'd come up with a plan. All he had to do was answer her questions and follow where she led.

"You said they know you're here," said Kanae. "What do you mean by that? Why haven't they put you in custody."

"I'm not really sure," he said. "But my dad has been trying to convince me to join their ranks."

That made Kanae's eyebrows rise. "Hirotaka? He's here?"

"Yes."

"That's the fourth one then." She spoke more to herself than to him. "At least we know what we're up against."

The spear-wielder gave a long exhale, eyes gleaming in what he hoped was a plan.

"What do you need to make the tincture?" said Kanae. "We'll help you find it then return to the surface."

"We'll what!?" sputtered the dryad. "Why in the 8 realms would we waste time doing that?"

Kanae gave the dryad a flat stare. "This man is the only hope of saving my friend. If I had to leave you to be eaten by the Accursed so I could get him out, I would."

She turned back to Him as the dryad sputtered incoherently.

"What do you need?"

Would he really make it out of this alive?

He fumbled for his pockets. "I have a list. Here. But the amulet we will have to find. I don't have the specifics to recreate it."

"I should have taken a look at the instructions before I left," she muttered.

Kanae took the piece of paper, showing it to the dyad who, beyond all reason, was still helping them out. Dryads were known for avoiding humans, but this one seemed to like Kanae. He'd never heard of a dryad liking a human before.

"I know what most of these look like," said Kanae. "Let's find our ingredients and get the hell out of here."

Hiroaki eagerly followed her, hope building every second.

Cain was a married man. It was incredible how one small thing could make all the difference, and yet none at all. Nothing had really changed. They were still struggling against the Accursed. Kyoko was still sick. But it somehow did matter. More than perhaps anything.

It was distracting him. He was supposed to be focusing on the inhibitor. The team had just finished constructing it, powering it up with light magic before it could be activated.

"You seem different today," said his scribe. The man stood at his side again today, helping him complete today's long to-do list. While still tentative, the man had gotten a lot better at speaking his mind.

"Do I?" said Cain.

"Yes, well, it almost looks like you're happy."

At that, Cain couldn't help a grin. The smiles were coming a lot easier now.

"Why shouldn't I be happy?" said Cain. "There have been a lot of good things lately."

The scribe appeared convinced. "When do you think the champions will arrive?"

The excitement was impossible to miss. Kuu's army should have camped across the mountains surrounding Mosall. Shin and some of the champions would be crossing right now to reach them. The whole city was excited to see the champions, but it did make for a long to-do list.

He was also not looking forward to the havoc his cousin would produce upon arrival. Or his incessant teasing. What, were they still twelve? He never knew when to stop joking. Cain really wondered how it worked between him and Kanae, but perhaps opposites attract.

He couldn't deny it would be nice to have another friendly face. The champions would also support him. No more of this second-guessing loyalties or constantly fighting for the people's approval. While he didn't plan to hand over all the control to Kuu's men, he did plan to make it seem like he had. It would put the people more at ease to have Champions overseeing the city, rather than an Accursed.

The mage finished the last inscription on the inhibitor. Cain gave him the go ahead, and the man powered it up.

Rings of gems lit up, spiraling around the pillar. It pulsed, pushing out wave after wave of light energy. With each one, something wonderful washed over Cain. He felt lighter. Heavier. Clear and free like he hadn't felt in ages while also seeing more clearly than before just how tarnished he was. It was amazing.

"Sir?"

The mage was giving him a strange look. But that was common, so he thought nothing of it, even if his secretary was staring at him as well.

"It's good," said Cain. "This should help protect the city." In more ways than one. "Make sure it's well protected."

"Yes, sir."

That would be the most important part. Making sure none of the Accursed's men came and destroyed it under their noses.

More importantly, Cain really wanted to see how his new wife was doing.

My wife. How good that sounds.

Would this inhibitor help her curse? Or maybe it would cure it completely. He needed to see. Stars, how could he miss her so much already? They hadn't even been married for a day.

"We're taking a detour," said Cain to his assistant.

He had every intention to see her and had almost reached her hall when they were stopped. A soldier came running up to Cain, out of breath and panicking.

"C-Cain!" he said. "Sir. I have a report."

"Then out with it."

The man took a second to take a deep breath. "There was a fire in the western district. General Kuresaki was handling it but… there was someone— something there. Like a man, but also a beast. He used dark magic."

Every bit of Cain's good mood dropped. Dark magic. A man who seemed like a beast. He'd heard reports of that appearance before. It was the Accursed that had attacked the catacombs.

Couldn't they have just waited a few more hours? Why attack now when the inhibitor just got up, right before the champions arrived. It made no sense.

"Put everyone on alert," said Cain. "The Accursed are making a move. I'll go to Kuresaki." He stopped his secretary before he could get away. "And make sure Kyoko's guard is alerted. She needs to stay safe; do you understand?"

The secretary nodded. "I'll make sure her guard is increased."

With that, Cain took off, following the soldier toward the western district.

"The inhibitor is up."

Kyoko hummed, closing her eyes as she let the effects flow through her. She didn't need to be told they had finished building it. The easing of her curse and the lightening of her heart were unmistakable.

Maru, who sat next beside her bed, scratched his head.

"Is it?" he said. "How can you tell?"

In answer, Kyoko pointed to the crystalline marks on her arm. The unusual glow they always had seemed dimmer than before. Maru stared at them for a full ten seconds.

"I don't get it," he said.

She rolled her eyes. "The inhibitor dampens dark magic Maru. And I have a curse."

"Oh!"

She giggled, then coughed. Maru's hand shot for a glass of water, but she batted it away.

"I'm fine," she said. "Just overdid it."

It was impossible to wipe the smile from her face. She couldn't stop thinking about her marriage. Her small ceremony. She had enjoyed watching Maru, Horiuchi, Yukie and Dorr's shock when she'd told them she had married Prince Kuon. She'd gushed for perhaps a bit too long about each detail, but they'd humored her.

For the first five minutes.

After that, Horiuchi got annoyed and left to join the guard outside. Yuki and Dorr had followed, leaving Maru here alone with her.

Kyoko swayed in her bed, prompting Maru to scramble back and forth, arms out in case she might fall.

"Be careful."

She gave a loopy smile. "Hey, Maru. Did you know I got married?"

His smile was strained. "Yes, you've mentioned it a few times and I'm happy for you Lady Kyoko, but I really don't want you hurting yourself."

"Oh posh, I'm fine." Not really. But with the inhibitor up it was only a matter of time and rest. "I've heard that they've started curing the people from the rot. Everything really is looking better, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's great," said Maru. "But for heaven's sake, could you stop swaying? I know you're doing it on purpose."

She couldn't help but laugh. She hadn't felt this great in a long time.

Horiuchi opened the door a moment later with a strange look on his face. "Uh, Lady Kyoko, are you up for a visitor?"

Intrigued, she stopped swaying in her bed. Maru wiped his forehead in relief.

"Who is it?" she said. Who would make Horiuchi give an expression like that? She found out a second later.

"It's one of Prince Kuon's old concubines."

Ah. That would explain it. While not scared, he was measuring Kyoko's reaction. She kept her expression muted, carefully smoothing the sheets of her bed as her mind whirled.

A concubine? Here in Mosall? Who was it, and why were they only now requesting to see me?

"I don't mind," said Kyoko. "You recognize her, yes?"

Maru tapped his neck. "She brought the old necklace you guys used to wear as proof. And I recognized her. She would have been hard to miss since she was, well… are you sure you want to see her?"

"Just send her in." Hopefully, it would be one of the concubines she was friends with. Like Yumi, or Utako. Oh, Risa would be worth a good laugh.

But when the door opened, it turned out to be the very last concubine Kyoko ever wanted to see again. Looking the same as always, Setsuko stepped through the door and burst Kyoko's bubble of happiness.

This wasn't good. Kanae and Hiroaki had found most of the ingredients for the tincture, but they still hadn't found the amulet. Each minute inside this maze increased their chance of being found and then killed. It didn't help that they had to calm down Hiroaki every two minutes. The man kept having nervous breakdowns.

"Pull yourself together," Kanae spat, as for the tenth time they had to stop. "If we don't hurry and find it soon, you can bet the Accursed will find us. And I doubt they'll keep you alive."

Hiroaki gave a lurch, nearly bent on all fours as his breath came in ragged gasps. Twig watched with measured disinterest.

"I'm not an expert with humans," he said. "But I don't think that's helping."

"I-I'm sorry," gasped Hiroaki. "But every time I think about it. About what's inside that room I—"

Kanae took a quick step back, wincing as she narrowly avoided sick getting on her boots. And that was the fourth time he had vomited. She was surprised he had anything left in his stomach.

Keeping her distance as far as possible, she patted Hiroaki with an awkward hand.

"The Djinn's body," she said. "I know. We won't go near there."

Hiroaki didn't respond, busy whipping his eyes and mouth. He'd told her about the Djinn's body and the encounters with his father. But after telling her, it was like all that had happened to him had finally caught up. He'd succumbed to his weak nature, leaving him in his current state.

She'd never seen someone so miserable. Not that she could blame him too much. He was right. He wasn't cut out for this sort of situation. Kanae herself felt woozy, though that was probably more due to lack of sleep and a good meal than anything else.

She rubbed her arm, thinking about their current path and time. It wasn't good.

"Hey," she said. "We've searched every room on this floor. We need to go to the next one."

Hiroaki shook his head. "It won't be there."

"How do you know?"

"A-already… checked. Before I found you."

"What? But then if it's not there it was destroyed." Or Hirotaka could have it on him. If he knew Hiroaki couldn't leave without it, it would make sense. If it wasn't that, the other alternative was that they had missed it, or it was in a room they hadn't looked in yet.

Wait a second.

Hiroaki heaved again.

Suddenly Kanae understood Hiroaki's panic.

"It's in that room, isn't it?" she said. "That's why you've been panicking. With each room we've searched, you've become more convinced it's in the room where the Djinn's body is."

Hiroaki's silent shaking was answer enough.

Kanae blew out a frustrated snort. Of freaking course it was. Because things just had to be as difficult as possible.

"No way!" Twig crossed his arm in front of him. "I'm not going near there. You can't make me."

"Then wait outside!" She was sick of this. Her nerves were hair-thin. "You've been a giant coward through this whole thing. I wouldn't expect you to start acting brave now."

"Coward? I showed you the way. I came with you into the Accursed's den and I've stayed with you during this entire crazy disaster!"

Kanae let out a long silent scream deep in her throat. Going into that room was their best bet in getting Hiroaki out of here, and there was no way she could leave him. Not like she'd had to leave those two light users trapped in that cage. Kanae hated leaving people behind. This was why it was so much harder to care.

"It's alright." Hiroaki pushed himself to his feet, wiping sick on his sleeve. "Y-you need to get back. To let them know what's down here. And to save Kyoko."

"What?"

Hiroaki flinched at her sharp tone. "They're after Kyoko. They know about Rosa."

Something dark and angry heated through her veins. "That should have been the first thing you mentioned."

She stomped away, only just remembering to put up a spell to keep her boots silent. Hiroaki stumbled after her, not caring a single bit about the sounds he made.

"Where are you going?" he called in her general direction.

"To that damned room," she spat. "The sooner we get that stupid bracelet, the sooner I can haul your ass out of here and go save those morons above us. Now. Show. Me. The. Way."

Face ashen white, Hiroaki took the lead without any more prompting. She wanted to pick him up and run to the location but decided that if someone saw Hiroaki floating through the air it would tip off the Accursed to their presence. Instead, she managed to keep her simmering anger at bay. But only just.

They took the switchbacks down to the lowest floor. The ground here was unnaturally flat, with little to no rock formations or stalagmites. It was sandy and clean, a scuffling of prints showing the path the Accursed usually took. It led to a heavy door sat embedded in the rock surrounded the tree, an obviously unnatural and man-made seclusion.

They stopped in front of the door, Hiroaki twitching uncontrollably. Kanae ground her teeth in disgust. The foulness of the air here was strange. Because the tree still radiated light magic, the contrast of dark magic seeping between the cracks more obvious. And wow, was it powerful. Every cell in her body wanted to run. It felt like death stood within and entering would certainly bring about her end.

Twig's cursing sounded from her side, surprising her.

"I thought you were going to be a coward," she said.

His aura vibrated in annoyance. "I'm not a coward."

"We'll have to see about that."

Hiroaki pushed the door open, stepping aside to let Kanae and Twig in. Crossing the threshold felt like jumping in ice-cold water. Goosebumps erupted across her entire body. The air was so thick with miasma that it would have been more helpful to close her eyes. She had to actively dim her senses to see anything else.

The miasma oozed from the center of the tree root where a strange sphere had been implanted. It cast shadows in the dimly lit room, the membrane shimmering as it contents shifted slowly. Then she saw a portion of what rested inside.

Kanae choked, clasping a hand over her mouth. She only just managed to stop herself from vomiting. It broke her concentration, making her cloaking spell flicker, then disappear completely.

"That is fowl," she managed out. "Gods, it makes me sick."

"Let's just find the amulet and get out of here." Hiroaki was already swaying dangerously.

Eager to be out as well, Kanae hurried to search.

She found more notes and strange devices like the ones she found throughout the caves, but no amulet. Damn, it had to be here. They needed it to be here. They still hadn't even made the tincture needed to make it work.

"Find anything yet Twig?"

When the Dryad didn't answer, Kanae stopped and looked around.

"Twig?"

The Dryad stood in front of the tree root, hovering level with the sphere. But it wasn't the Djinn he was looking at. It was the ring of wires and metal prongs sticking out of the tree.

"Unforgiveable," he snarled, his voice several octaves lower than usual.

Taken aback, Kanae paused in her search. She'd never heard such venom form his voice. Since his appearance, he'd made the impression of a vapid, self-centered creature with a strange sense of curiosity and not enough survival instincts. Objectively, she knew he had to be powerful. Now she was realizing just how true that had to be.

This was a dryad. That alone was a powerful light creature bound to the flora and fauna of the area, drawing power, but also giving it, living in a symbiotic relationship between the life of the earth and its own. But just as the fig tree was one of a kind, living and thriving in such a harsh environment, so too was Twig.

His face contorted, losing much of its human-like youth. Now it looked ageless, too alien to really be human. That soft light of magic that always outlined Twig had now deepened into bright streaks that left spots in her eyes as she blinked.

"Twig?" said Kanae. "What are you doing?"

"They're killing the tree," said Twig. "I always knew they were, but it's not a passive thing. They are actively killing it. Draining the energy from its soul and perverting it into some sort of dark nutrition for this— this thing!"

He flicked a wrist.

A root the size of Kanae's forearm split from the main body. It swung wide and knocked into the machines surrounding it. Magic sparks and metal flew. More roots grew from the ground, and through wooden benches, splitting metal and rock apart. The sounds was like nothing she'd heard before, the rasping of metal and roots deafening. The Dryad was completely trashing the place.

"Hey! Stop!" Kanae grabbed Twig. "Are you trying to alert every enemy in a ten-mile radius of our location?"

Twig threw off her arm. "I'm going not going to let them do this to my home."

"You'll kill us in the process, genius. Did you think about that?"

"What happened to your plan on killing the Djinn's body? What happened to all that bravery? I thought I was the coward."

Kanae grabbed his arm again, and this time he didn't shake her off. She pulled him closer, nearly nose to nose with his strange face. His eyes swirled with power strong enough to make her eyes water. But she didn't turn away.

"This isn't bravery, its stupidity," she said. "You don't know if this will kill the Djinn."

He met her gaze with the same level of ferocity. It was like she was finally getting a look at the powerful creature inside. "I'd gladly die if it meant saving my home."

"It's just a tree."

"It's not!"

His voice broke. All his sudden ferocity and power evaporated. The roots stopped flailing as they slumped to the ground, dimming back into obscurity. She spotted Hiroaki from the corner of her eye, peeking out from arms throw over his head in protection.

Nothing dimmed more than the dryad in front of her. The lively greens dulled to browns, leaves and vines wilting as if they were crying.

"You don't understand," he said. "It's a piece of me. A part of my soul. I… I can't believe I let it come to this. I was supposed to protect it. We were supposed to protect each other."

Shit. Twig had completely broken down.

"It's not dead yet," said Kanae, trying her darndest to be gentle. "We can still save it."

Twig shook his head. "Not at this point. The damage is too much. It's now a point of when, not if."

Kanae scratched her head. "Can't you— I don't know. Take a branch and graft it into a new tree or something? Aren't there trees that can do that?"

"Yes." Twig perked up, gliding over to the tree. Two roots effortlessly brushed aside a pile of rubble to expose a portion of the tree root.

Twig hovered his hands over the tree, palms glowing. The tree's root's split, shifting and groaning. It shook the very air around them, jittering Kanae's senses as she attempted to keep a hold of her stomach. What was Twig doing?

The tree's roots suddenly dulled. Color concentrated in one spot, humming with magic. Twig reached into this area. His hands fazed through the roots, then pulled back out. Resting on the inside of his joined palms was a seed.

As big as Kanae's fist, the seed wasn't the usual earthy color of a fig seed. This one shone a soft yellow, beautiful and pure. Kanae couldn't help gaping at the thing. Its aura was beautiful.

Twig pressed the seed to his chest, closing his eyes. It vanished inside, but Kanae could still feel the lingering purity of the seed.

When Twig finally opened his eyes, Kanae found herself unable to say anything. It was like being in Rosa's presence all over again. Few things were as purely beautiful as the demi-goddess and that seed.

"We can leave now," said Twig. "I think… the seed should provide the other human with a protective mask. Its why he can be in this room right now without dying, despite the miasma seeping from the Djinn."

"What did that do? To your home?" said Kanae.

"It doesn't exist anymore," said Twig. It was hard to say what emotion she saw in him. Or maybe attributing a human emotion to him would have been inaccurate. "I've taken its soul with me. I'll have to find a new home. Grow a new life to nurture and bond with, to put it in a way for you humans to understand."

And somehow, she felt like she did. Even if she couldn't understand what he was feeling, she could understand needing and finding a new home with someone, rather than somewhere.

"Let's get out of here," said Kanae. As much as she wanted to find a way to kill the Djinn, she knew it would be impossible right now. Standing here in its presence told her that much. It would take powerful light magic to purge darkness that strong.

She took a step toward Hiroaki.

The door handled turned.

Kanae threw on her advanced cloaking spell, darting to hide behind the large root. Twig followed, disappearing even as he shrunk and clung to her sleeve.

There was nothing she could do about Hiroaki. He was standing alone and visible in front of the door.

It opened, and someone entered.

"My, my. Just what have you been up to in here, my son?"

Thanks for reading!

Wow, lots of crazy stuff happening in the world right now with COVID-19. I hope you are all safe. My family is all safe and healthy. Work is canceled for a while… I just wonder how long it will last. Guess I get to write a lot more in the meantime.

AND Oh mY gOSH! That new skip beat chapter. Be still my beating heart as I fan myself with my hand. That is so not fair. Too much cuteness.

I have an insta and twitter. I usually put updates on twitter (And if I get sick, I'll let y'all know. Things like that). Insta is a mix of anime stuff including characters from this and other fics. Feel free to message me if you have a question. I may be awkward, but I'm nice!

Remember to reach out to your friends and family and make sure they're all doing alright. Wash your hands, don't touch your face, and OMG stop buying toilet paper like a doomsday fanatic. (For those of us in the USA, you know what I mean.) But seriously, take care of yourself!

Wishing you all the best from my little family in the USA.

-BW

Welp, Bushie said all the important things. Hope you are safe and secure!

-Im0ut0