Chapter 2

A/N: Hey everyone, I'm back with another chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Last Guardian!

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"Look out!"

The ball hit Tomi before he could react and fell on his side. Groaning, he sat up and rubbed the sore spot in his head.

"Are you okay?" One of the kids asked.

"I'm fine," he said.

"Are you sure? This is third time you spaced out today, Tomi." Another boy pressed on.

"Oh don't worry. I just have a lot on my mind." He shrugged with a smile, hoping that will be enough to convince them. The kids seemed to buy his excuse and began to walk away.

Tomi stood up and dusted his clothes. Well, that was no lie. He had been thinking a lot lately, about the mountain and most importantly about the beast. It had been three days since the incident and the boy couldn't stop thinking about what happened.

It just made no sense. Why did the creature let him go after chasing him like that? Why didn't it devour him let like the legends said so? This confused Tomi to no end. The more he thought about it the more questions he had.

Once again Tomi considered telling someone about it, but who? His parents? The Elder? Maybe one of his friends?

Well, he would have to scratch out the idea of telling his parents considering how worried they were when he came back to the village injured. He couldn't imagine their reactions if he ever told that he went to the forbidden mountain and got chased by a giant monster.

And the Elder was one who strictly warned them not to go anywhere near it in the first place. Tomi knew he will be in so much trouble if the old man found out about his little adventure.

The boy could trust one of his friends with his secret, but what if they don't believe him? Even Tomi found his own story hard to believe? Or worse, what if they tell on him. That could lead to something so much worse.

And that left him with…..nobody.

The boy groaned and buried his face in his hands. This was getting him nowhere. He had no idea what to do and no one to tell about what he witnessed. Sighing, he glanced all the way to the distant mountain before hurrying after his friends.

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What am I doing?

Tomi thought as he glanced around the room briefly. All the kids were sitting and eating lunch, but luckily no one was paying attention to him. He carefully reached into his bowl and took out a piece of meat before quickly hiding it in his shirt. He grimaced slightly, but still repeated this process a few more times without anyone taking notice.

Later, he went to find his mom. It didn't take him long until he found her near the women's' hut.

"Hi mom, can I borrow your satchel for a while?" he asked.

His mother blinked in confusion. "What do you need it for?"

"I'm going to look for mushrooms in the forest, if that's okay." He answered without hesitation.

The woman raised an eyebrow at the odd reason. "Oh, well alright. Let me go get it for you," she said and walked into the hut. Soon, she came back with the satchel, but she hesitated in giving it to him. "Don't wander too far and…and watch where you step and be sure to come back before sunset!"

Tomi's face flushed. His mother was the kind of the person to worry a lot and can be overprotective sometimes. That time when he came back from the forest with all those injuries had made her more anxious about letting him go outside of the village. "I'll be fine, mom." He muttered.

His mother sighed. "I know, I know….just be careful, alright?"

The boy smiled reassuringly. "I will, I promise!" he said before sprinting away.

Once he was alone, he put the meat he saved along with some apples for himself. If he was going to head into the forest then he wanted to be more prepared this time. Greeting some hunters coming back from a successful hunt, he made his way out of the village and took the same path towards the daunting mountain.

On his way through the forest Tomi's mind was a chaotic mess. The closer he got to the base of the mountain, the more nervous he became. What was he thinking? Why was he coming back here again? Hadn't he barely survived the last time? Every instincts in the boy was screaming at him to turn around, to run away and never come back. Move on, forget that encounter ever happened.

But he couldn't. The questions, the confusion. Tomi couldn't stand it anymore. It's been five days and the boy can't stop thinking about that incident. He had to get some answers. Even if it meant going back to the forbidden place.

But what about the beast?

The thought made Tomi stop in his tracks for a second. He honestly didn't know what he'll do when he faces the beast again. Well, it didn't attack me before. Maybe it won't this time either.

It could've been not interested back then. What if it decides to finish you off when it sees you agai-

Tomi quickly marched down the forest path before he could change his mind. Now was not the time to be scared. He had to get there.

He soon walked through some shrubs and stepped into the clearing. The sight of the cave sent a shiver down the boy's spine and made him take a step back as he recalled the first time he had been here.

Steeling himself, the boy walked quietly towards the cave, his heart hammering in his chest. Now he needed a way to draw the beast's attention without having to enter the dark cave again. Looking around for a moment, the child picked up a rock and tossed it into the cave entrance.

Tomi waited for the creature to come out, but when nothing happened, the boy threw another rock deeper into the cave. He heard it hit the ground and the sound echoed through the walls of the cave, but there was still no sign of the beast or anything.

Just when he was starting to assume that the cave was empty, the boy gasped when two pair of violet orbs flashed brightly in the dark. They glared at him fiercely before a loud growl vibrated through the walls of the cave.

Suddenly, the beast burst out of the cave causing the boy to fall on his back in fright. The beast growled as its massive form loomed above the human child, its bright eyes flashing dangerously down at him.

Beyond terrified, Tomi covered his head and braced himself for what would come next.

But nothing happened.

Tomi slowly opened his eyes and looked up to see the beast staring at him in confusion. Its eyes then widened in what seemed to be recognition and the violet light faded from them.

Tomi bit his lip and carefully stood up, making sure to maintain eye contact with the beast in case it tries something, but it kept eyeing the boy curiously as if it can't figure him out.

The weight on his shoulder reminded the boy of the food in his satchel. Maybe he could get on the beast's good side with it. Shakily, the boy reached into the satchel causing the beast's eyes to flash threateningly at him again.

Panicking, he quickly pulled out a slice of meat, holding it out for the creature. While the beast still seemed warily of the boy, it tilted its head to the side before leaning closer and sniffing the offered meal suspiciously, a low sound coming from within its stomach.

Not sure how to feed the large creature, Tomi tossed it. With swiftness that startled the child, the beast snatched it from the air. Its face scrunched up briefly and a slight pink ting still shone in its eyes before returning to normal. It glanced down at the boy and made a demanding noise.

Tomi took out another slice and toss it with less hesitation, watching in awe as the beast caught it with ease again. How could such a large creature move so quickly?

The boy continued feeding the creature until soon he reached inside the satchel only to find out that he ran out of meat. He gulped and turned to the creature. "I'm sorry, but I don't have any more meat."

The beast gave another demanding sound, moving its muzzle closer to the satchel, causing the boy to back away.

"H-Hey stop! I said there is nothing left!" Tomi snapped, not wanting it to damage his mother's satchel.

The beast let out what sounded like a huff before lying on its forepaws and looking away, having lost interest in the human.

Now that the threat of being devoured seemed to be gone, Tomi sighed in relief and sat cross-legged on the ground, watching the creature thoughtfully. This was the first time he got a good look at the beast without worrying about his life. The child could now see that the creature wasn't as scary as he previously thought it was. It was certainly huge and intimidating, but not as terrifying as the stories made it out to be.

The sight of it lying on the ground reminded Tomi of the cats and dogs back in the village. Curiously, the boy carefully began moving closer to the beast who wasn't paying attention to him. He stopped near its neck and reached out to touch its fur, but the beast jerked back from his touch and growled, its violet glare burning into him.

The boy yelped and fell back in surprised. He quickly raised his hand in surrender. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

The beast's face remained distrustful for a while until it noticed the child's bandaged leg, the one he injured when he fell into that hole. It lowered its head to look at the leg and sniffed it before glancing at the boy with its ears drooping.

It almost looked….guilty.

Tomi slowly realized what the creature was thinking and quickly sat up. "H-Hey, it's okay. My mom fixed it for me. It doesn't hurt anymore, see?" he stomped on the ground to prove his point only to internally wince at the pain shooting through it. He tried to hide his pain with a strained smile.

The beast blinked at his words and the boy wonder if it actually understood what he was saying. It still kept its head low and stared at his bandaged leg. With its face so close, Tomi couldn't help reaching out and gently touching its muzzle.

Before it could back away, he began rubbing circles on the spot. Tension slowly seeped from the beast's features and began to relax into his touch, letting out a soft mewl.

Tomi felt a small smile grace his lips and for the first time since they met, he felt at ease around the beast.

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A/N: Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!