Within The Light

Nothing to Lose

Yoshi's POV

Once we were in the forest, Sora and I decided to stay put after a few miles of travel. Hashiro was by my side, smelling the air. He was trying to pick up a scent, one that belonged to Beehive. I wanted to find her before tonight. When darkness fell, she'd have no one take watch while she slept. Meaning, she wouldn't sleep at all.

"You think he'll be able to sniff her out?" Sora asked, watching Tori hover above us in the sky. 

"Hopefully," I nodded. I looked pass the tress, "we need to start walking. Maybe we can find some signs of her."

"Let's just hope we find her before they do. I prefer it if we get this done quickly," Sora replied. His left eye was pale and pupiless, indicating that he was using Tori's sight. "It's hard to scout her out like this. The forest leaves are too thick. I can barely make out the streams."

"Then we'll have to track her by foot," Yoshi claimed. We began walking further into the forest, not missing a single detail. We couldn't afford to not be observant, reuniting with Beehive was our goal. I just hoped she's holding up and isn't in any trouble.

***********

Ruri's POV

"Where are you?" I called out again. He had to be here somewhere. I heard his voice. It was the most recognizable sound. One that I wouldn't forget, even after a thousand years. It's a voice that only ever lived in unattainable dreams and memories.

'Why Ruri?' the voice asked. I stopped in my tracks, trying to listen for its source. The voice was hypnotic music, cutting me out of the fabric of reality. The edges of my vision fogged up, concentrating on one single thing: Ren.

"Why what?" I questioned, slowly turning to see the boy I had been seeing in my dreams for months. He looked back at me through cold, betrayed eyes. Eyes mirroring my own. Same color, different contents. I missed those eyes greatly.

'You have so much faith in this team of yours,' he muttered, basically disgusted. 'Do you not remember what happens when we rely so much on others? First comes their failure, than your disappointment. Oh and you know how us Fuyu can be with handling that particular emotion.'

I did. I broke a bond with that emotion not so long ago. The one that makes you drop fifty feet below when you believe you are walking on air. The one that knocks you down right when you thought you had finally managed to get back on your feet. It makes you isolate yourself. Disappointment is a selfish friend, one that keeps you to itself.

'They care about me,' I opposed. 'I care about them too. I wish you could see that.'

'Don't count on it,' he said. 'I rather not see my sister get- turn around!'

I did as told. My arms instinctively go up in an 'x'. A kunai digs into my right forearm, pushing the wielder from coming closer.  I gritted my teeth and  swallowed the yelp of pain wanting to exit my mouth as I glared up at the Leaf Ninja.

The attacker was a boy with brown hair and black eyes. He was only a few years older than me. There were two other girls on his team. One with black hair, the other with dark purple. His grip was still on the kunai, penetrating deeper into the wound. I could smell the blood that was being absorbed by the soil underneath our feet.

My stupid mistake became a miracle as I realized
Hashiro would be able to track me through the smell. I just had to hold my own for now. Still, there's three of them and one of me.

"How stupid can you be? Standing in the middle of nowhere?" The boy spat.

"Not only that, but we could hear you calling out from the distance," the purple-haired girl added.