Bound by Metal: The Different One

Problem VII

The surroundings were just but a blur, the air whisking pass him. He kept on running, faster and faster till his legs soon gave up on him, his body begging for air through his dry throat. Wiping his sweat away, Riko looked back in the direction from which he came, an agonized expression upon his face. "Addie...," he spoke her name softly under the harshness of his breaths, falling back gently as he rested against a tree. With a deep sigh, his gaze wandered onto the gloomy sky that overlooked them, closing his eyes slowly as the raging winds echoed the area. If God really exists, please overlook my sins and hear me out...just this once. I beg of you, let her be safe; for if I die, I would want to see her smile freely and honestly from the heavens, or burning down below. At least then, no matter the fate of my soul, I shall be eternally satisfied. He opens his eyes slowly and pauses for a second as he continued to stare into the sky, gritting his teeth in frustration before heading off again. Another memory of Addie flashes before him as he walked through the lush vegetation.

The same smoky ravine, the same echoes of sirens, the same gentle breeze that carried the fragrance of ash and the same tree that offered its cool shade over him. "Ow," he muttered, picking up the red fruit that hit him again with a vexed look, "again, really?" Riko looked toward her, impatient for her reply. "Oops, sorry," she states, a little smile creeping upon her face. "If you're so sorry, then why are you smiling?" He glares at her smug look but she doesn't seem to be fazed as the smile grew more vivid and bright. "For the same reason that you are, " she points towards him, a slight smile reflected towards her as he began to laugh. With a toss of the apple, he caught it and looked back into its reflection. "What a peculiar reason it is."

Shaking his head, he snapped back into his senses and looked around frantically, quickly ducking behind a tree. Peering out of the trunk, his eyes locked onto another watch tower in the distance, not too far from the last. They must have already heard the uproar from earlier. Great, just my luck. He silently cursed to himself before hiding back behind the tree as a lone guard walked by. With a small grin, Riko rustled a nearby bush slightly, the guard pausing as he heads over to inspect the source. As soon as the guard was enveloped in the shadows of the trees, a hand grabbed his vest and another quickly impacts his temple in the form of a fist, the body falling limp as its dragged further into the forest. With a quick change, Riko casually walks out of the bushes, wiping some of the leaves caught onto his newly acquired uniform.

While greeting the other guards he passed by, Riko swiftly climbed the stairs of the tower, a bit cautious but trying to not reveal it on the outside. As soon as he came up to the top, he covered his eyes as the slight ray of the sun blinded him. He soon adjusted to it as he overlooked the island in amazement. Woah, Addie was right, this really is a big island. A slight smile overcame him but was quickly dismissed as Riko searched for a map of some sort without drawing attention to himself. He found one after a while, badly drawn and small but decent enough to know some of the island's layout. Stuffing it in his pocket, he was about to head back down when the sound of a guard's voice was directed towards him. "So how's the search going? Any new info on where they could be?" Riko turned as one of the guards looked towards him with a jolly look. He shook his head in dismay as he shrugged his shoulders, "they said that they heard some rustling but other than that, no good news. Man, they'll keep us up at it till we find them. Damn those prisoners." He managed to get the guard to laugh, joining him in his merry for a second before waving goodbye; a sweat escaped him as he left the top floor and exited the tower. It'll be harder to hide now that some light is shining on the island. I hope they don't realize that Addie was able to get past the fence...I need to get back to her soon.

A couple of the tower's guards jog by, one stopping before Riko as he patted his shoulder. "No time to rest kid! Didn't you hear? Seems like someone spotted the female escapee past the fence, we're gonna go after her since we're the closest." Riko nodded hesitantly as they joined the others in hunting down Addie, his eyes darting around him hidden under the shadow of his helmet and mask. "What a predicament," he muttered quietly, a crooked smile etched onto his face to try and hide his worries. But it was futile, if not for the fact that he followed everyone from behind, his position would have been given away by the quivering of his body and the agitation leaked from his face.