InaDan: Flower of Courage

The Girl They Saved

"Kick with the inside of your foot." Tenma's smile got wider as he caught the ball Ban passed. "That's it! You two are getting better!"

"Yeah, not bad!" Shinsuke nodded excitedly.

"Really? Thanks!"

"Hiro is only quick to react."

"What do you mean 'only'? That's mean, Ban!"

"Ah... sorry..."

Suddenly, a scream was heard. All four boys were immediately on alert.

"What was that?"

"Over there!"

"Let's go see! Shinsuke, go tell the others!"

"Right!"

~~~~~

They ran through the rocky valley, looking for the source of the scream. Ban and Hiro both had their LBXs out as they ran along with Tenma. Soon, two familiar red and blue LBXs appeared on their screens.

"Hiro!"

"Yes!"

Ikaros Zero and Ikaros Force stood in their way, defending a cornered girl. They took on a defensive stance, expecting a fight. However, the two immediately left instead.

"They're running away..."

"Yeah..."

This caused some suspicion, but it immediately left their minds when they remembered the girl. Tenma was already kneeling to her level, kindly smiling at her. "Are you okay? You're not hurt?"

She could only give a small nod.

~~~~~

The children were all doing their own things while they wait for lunch. Kazu and Ami were the ones cooking, with the help of Taiyou and Nishiki. Taiyou had managed to get a fire starting, but Nishiki choked when he tried to make it grow, earning laughs from all the others. Soon enough, the curry was ready to be served, the soccer girls preparing the plates for them all.

"That was close." The girl jumped when the brunette came to sit next to her. Nearby, Kariya and Yukimura were making another fire by the usual site.

"Yes, you saved me." She replied.

"I'm Matsukaze Tenma. And you are?"

"Fran."

"Fran, huh?" He blinked. "Eh? You look familiar..." At that, she turned away.

"Hey, are you hungry?" Shinsuke asked from his other side.

Aoi came by holding out a plate of curry rice for her. "I don't know if this is to your taste, but I hope you like it."

"It tastes better when you eat together." Midori chimed in.

Fran blinked. "Can I?"

"Of course! Go ahead." Tenma and Shinsuke encouraged with a nod.

"Thank you. Then..." She hesitantly took the plate into her hands before bringing the spoon into her mouth. "It's good."

"Right?" The brunette gave her a large grin. "Thank goodness!"

Not too far away, Hakuryuu, Tsurugi, and Kirino were conversing. When Fei passed them by, the white haired boy called him back.

"Fei, who's that girl?" He gestured at the newcomer.

"Oh... She was saved from an attack in the forest."

Tsurugi's eyes narrowed, suspicion growing. "Saved?"