Kingdoms (kaimaki fantasy AU)

Chapter 27: "Please Help."

Kaito carried Maki as securely as he could as he exited the house. Maki kept a secure hold on him, reassuring herself that he was awake finally and that she was safe. Kaito held her more securely as he passed by the door that he looked through, picking up the pace a little. Although he knows that Maki had seen her gain share of deaths, he didn't want her to see that awful room. He steadily made his way out of the cottage, but remembered that they needed their stuff. He had a feeling that Maki wouldn't want to step foot inside the place again. After scanning the darkness for a moment, Kaito gently sat Maki down on a tree stump.

"What are you-" Maki suddenly asked, suddenly looking alert.

"I'll be right back. I just need to get our stuff." Kaito calmly spoke, rubbing circles on her back in a calming manner. Maki looked like she wanted to protest but she couldn't get the words out. Instead she nodded, completely mute again. Seeing this, Kaito immediately ran back inside the cottage. He noticed how worried Maki looked, so he didn't want to leave her out there too long. That look on Maki's face told him everything without saying any words. He only wished that he could do more right now to comfort her.

Kaito made his way outside. He didn't realise how dark it had gotten up until now. The canopy was so dense that moonlight wasn't shining through. Kaito rummaged through his satchel quickly. He really hoped that what he was looking for was in there. He didn't want to think that he left it back in Web Valley. The last thing that he wanted to do was search for it in that place. His prayers were answered and he felt like leaping for joy. The cool feeling of the bottled starlight laid in his palm. Just what he and Maki needed.

"Inlustris, modo lucem in tenebras meas." He said, remembering the incantation a lot easier than he thought. The bottled starlight immediately shined in his hand. Smiling wearily, Kaito approached where he left had Maki. Only she was on her feet now at this point. She was leaning against a tree only a couple of metres away from the stump. She was limping a little as she took tiny steps forward. Kaito approached her and helped to steady her immediately. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. Just getting used to walking again." Maki sighed, looking up at Kaito. She didn't look fine. She looked beyond exhausted.

"Do you need to be carried?" Kaito asked. Because of how tired she looked, Kaito wanted to help her out in anyway that he could.

"No. I'll be fine. I should help carry something though." Maki dismissed, grabbing the rucksack from Kaito. She slipped the straps onto her shoulders before Kaito could try to take it away from her. "I'll clean the dagger for you when we get somewhere safe as well." Again, Kaito couldn't do anything to stop her, Maki started to walk a little ahead of him. She kept stumbling a little, but her walking seemed to have gotten stronger very quickly. She went as fast as she could, clearly wanting to leave the house of death behind her. Kaito promptly followed, not wanting to lose her in the darkness. As they stumbled through the forest, they couldn't shake off a little bit of nerves that they both shared. They were exposed out here. If they were unlucky they might be caught off guard by the royal guards and Monokumas that undoubtedly continued to hunt them. They need to find that town. And quickly.

"Hey, Maki Roll? When I was-" Kaito suddenly started to ask. He needed to get this out now before anything else happens. Not to mention, he wanted to try to take his mind off of his worries.

SNAP!

Kaito and Maki froze on the spot. It was only a little movement, but enough to make them tense up. The movement didn't stop. It kept coming towards them. Not sure if Maki was ready to fight, Kaito gently pushed her behind him. He unsheathed his sword, just in case it was a threat that was coming.

"Who's there?!" He shouted, bracing himself. Maki reached for her knife, but realised that she didn't have it. That psycho must have taken it after knocking her out. It's too late now to go back to look for it. She'll have to use her hands for now to fight. The movement got closer until a small figure crept out from behind a tree. The figure seems to be a young boy. He was quite small, at least just above Kaito's waist height. He wore navy blue pants and shirt, black boots and a black cloak with his hood up. Under his hood, Kaito could make out red hair that was cropped back and dark coloured eyes with slightly rosy cheeks. He also seemed to have a stem in his mouth and carried a small lantern in his hand. He didn't seem to be a threat.

"It's just a kid." Kaito sighed in relief, not thinking before speaking as he sheathed his sword.

"Says the kid." The stranger suddenly said, emitting a deep and somewhat offended voice, catching Kaito off guard. Okay, so this wasn't a kid.

"Sorry! I-" Kaito started to apologise.

"Forget it. You're not first and probably won't be the last to say it, kid." The little person grumbled with a dismissive wave. He started to walk away, clearly not wanting to deal with people right now.

"Hey! Wait!" Kaito suddenly shouted. The man stopped in his tracks, looking at Kaito over his shoulder. "Can you help us? We need to get to somewhere safe." He could tell that this man wasn't a threat, but he hoped that the man could help them out. It was clear that they both needed it. The man stared at both of them silently, seeming to judge them.

"Please help." Maki suddenly begged. Kaito was quite surprised. Normally he was the one asking for help since they had started this whole adventure. Maki asking for help like that was surprising. But the other thing that surprised was how desperate and tired she suddenly sounded. How much did that whole experience damage her mentally?

"You got a gold coin?" The man suddenly said as he walked up to the two. Did they have a gold coin? Kaito quickly looked in his satchel, searching through the few amount of money that he had. He remembered saving one back at his house for emergencies only, and he was sure that he had grabbed it. He sighed heavily in relief as he found the money.

"Yes! Here." He smiled, giving it to the little person in front of him. He inspected the coin, making sure that it was authentic.

"Follow me." He said after a full minute, pocketing the coin. He started to walk away with Kaito and Maki following him closely. They both felt a little relieved that they had found some hope. However, they stayed alert, just in case this guy turned against them. The man kept on walking silently. He didn't ask any questions, nor say anything to the two. Either he was antisocial or he could tell that neither Kaito or Maki wanted to talk about what had happened to them. As they walked through the woods, Kaito and Maki kept an ear out for anything that moved. They weren't sure if anything was going to jump out at anytime. The bottled starlight showed a majority of the area around them, at least a 5m radius. However, they weren't sure if there was something lurking around in the dark.

They must have walked a lot longer than they thought at that point. They had been so worried about their surroundings, that Kaito almost unceremoniously tripped over the little person. In front of them was the town that they were looking for. A lot of places were dark, showing that most of the people were already asleep. There were still lights on for a few places, showing that they might be inns and maybe a doctor's practice that were still open.

"I can't go into the town, but there is an inn where you two can stay." The man sighed as he stepped away from Kaito and Maki. "Take care of yourselves. No offence but you both look like shit and need to rest up." He was right about that. Both of them felt terrible and just wanted to eat and rest at last. Peacefully? Maybe not but they have to try their best.

"Thanks." Kaito sighed, feeling a deep sense of relief. The man didn't seem to care as he started to walk back into the forest. Kaito quickly got his attention. "Wait! What's your name?!" Aside from giving him his only gold coin, Kaito wanted to repay the man another way for what he did. The man seemed a little surprised at his question, as if no one had asked him that for a long time.

"Ryoma Hoshi, but you have never heard of that name. I'm not the man I used to be." The man sighed. Without another word, he started walking away again. Kaito and Maki watched him a little perplexed until he vanished completely in the darkness. They watched that space a little while longer, almost expecting him to suddenly go back towards them. They almost wished that he did as they had questions for him. It was too late now though and there was a heavy doubt that he'll come back if they shout for him. After a couple of minutes, Kaito wrapped an arm around Maki and started to walk towards the town. They didn't need to say it, they truly needed to rest. And try as hard as they can to put this nightmare behind them.

This might be a troubling and long night.