How Long is Forever [COMPLETED]

Learn to Love the Pain

For a long time, the rumbling of your stomach is the only sound except your footsteps. It's getting louder with every hour passing by, but for some reason, you're too afraid to ask for breakfast or if Chishiya isn't hungry at all. You don't know where he's heading and what the day will bring for you, and the doubts haven't vanished since you left the camp. But you want to believe that going with him was the right decision, and that it will be worth it.

At some point, he has stopped holding your hand, and the one time you try to approach him again by gently touching the side of his arm, he doesn't react with anything else but slightly moving his hands inside the hoodie's pocket.

You near a tiny store with a ceiling that is half collapsed already, and parts of the rubble have destroyed the entrance as well. It doesn't look like it has been roamed so far, and you already open your mouth to finally ask for a break, when Chishiya heads right to the building as well.

A breath of relief exhales your mouth at the thought of something edible, but at the same time the way Chishiya ducks under a wooden plank to take a glance inside looks a bit dangerous.

"Be careful", you murmur as you examine the instable construct. It is pitch black in the inside because the only window has been buried by shelf remains and roof tiles, and your heart drops as soon as you can't make out Chishiya anymore.

But his blonde head peeks out again just a few minutes later with no more parts of the ceiling collapsing, and he carries a smirk on his face as he reaches out a selection of cereal bars to you. His thumb rests on one of them, covering most of it except the image of a strawberry, as if he doesn't want you to take that one.

"Most of it has already become waste, but these should still be good."

Your stomach rumbles once more as an answer, and you take the bar with strawberry taste. After opening it, you carefully sniff at it to see if it is still edible, and then take a nibble. It tastes just the way a cereal bar is supposed to taste, and you hum happily as you finally get to eat something.

Only then you realize the weird look Chishiya is giving you, and you wonder if he really wanted to keep that one for himself. Then your eyes fall down to the plastic wrapping in your hand and the other cereal bars that Chishiya still holds.

"What, you wanted this one?" you grin with full mouth, and reach the remains of the strawberry bar to him. He huffs and reaches to his pocket, pulling out at least half a dozen more of those.

The fact that Chishiya seems to like strawberries makes you laugh, and he offers you another bar once you finish the first, this one a chocolate-nut mix. You throw the plastic wrapping into a dustbin on your way, only to shake your head about yourself the second after.

"No one is going to empty those bins ever again. Why do we still stick to habits such as throwing our refuse into them?"

Chishiya isn't that subtle and just drops his wrapping behind him, where it is quickly carried away by the soft breeze. Not that it'd make a difference here in this world. "Because most humans feel safe when they have rules, borders and explanations for everything."

"Does that apply to you too?"

"I do prefer to understand the things going on around me, yes."

The cereal bars do ease the feeling in your stomach and while it won't last forever, it's a good start. Now you'll have plenty of time to search for a place to stay, worry about the games and think about your next meal.

But just as you want to answer, a roaring sound reaches your ear. At first, you think it's Chishiya's stomach rumbling, but it sounds too foreign and seems to be further away. You halt and try to concentrate on the source, and Chishiya watches you with furrowed brows.