Barrier Alice | ✔

[57]

She felt like she was floating, drifting away to god who knows where. Then, a sudden pain stings her cheek and she woke up. She could hear voices talking against one another in the background.

"You meanie, there's no need to pinch her cheeks like that!"

"Baka! At least she woke up now, look"

Then as Amy opened her eyes she saw a girl with a pigtail towering over her face. Mikan immediately smiles with relief and said,

"You're awake now Amy! I've tried to wake you up a few times but you just won't wake up..."

"I see, I guess going through the portal does make you faint... Well anyway, I assume everyone is up?"

"Yeah, well though we have took quite some time too, look it's already evening" add Tsubasa as he watches the red sky hovering above. Some birds just landed on Ruka hands as they chirped something at him. After nodding- understanding the bird's convo, he said,

"It seems that we are in a completely isolated location- in a mountain with no household in vicinities. There is practically nothing other than trees and more trees"

"I see, well-figured Z ran here. It must be land privately owned by their organisation. They must have a hideout somewhere around here..." Tsubasa said, as he analyzed the current situation there are in. Meanwhile, with Mikan's help, Amy pushes herself to stand up and lean against one of the trees for support.

Strange enough, her dizziness still persists, but that doesn't matter.

However, for now,

"Let's see, we only have until tonight to search for them and make sure to go back safely, yes?"

"Yep, so, firstly..." Tsubasa replied, was about to decide their first action plan when they heard growling.

The cumulative sounds of stomach growling just earn series of giggles from Amy, an oblivious reaction by Mikan as she 'try' to distract others from the sound just now with the rest just dispersed in a different direction- searching for food.

"Well, we need to feed ourselves first then" Tsubasa declared, as hunger evidently displayed by all.

"Oh! I brought an emergency ration in my bag!" Mikan excitedly said as she opened her bag, only to be greeted by a penguin and an already empty bag.

"Penguin?! Why did you follow us?" she exclaimed, shocked that her bag already emptied with only a penguin rolling out from it. Natsume, slightly exasperated, picked up the penguin by his scruff and asked,

"Tell me- how is 'this' our emergency ration?"

"He must have sneaked into my bag..." as she took Penguin from Natsume's hand, caressing it as it tries to 'converse' with mikan. Curious, Ruka asked,

"Can you understand him Mikan?" Mikan just absentmindedly replied,

"Hotaru-chan says go, for Hotaru-chan... I hope to help..."

Then, there was a moment of silence before she follows up with a grin,

"...or something like that, I feel like he says something like that" which earn her nothing less than a harsh knock from Natsume's irked. Amy just shakes her head and just pat both Mikan and penguin, with Tsubasa just snicker at the scene.

"There, there. Well, no need to be grumpy. I bring mine too. Here" Amy says as she opened the sling bag she had with her since earlier. Inside, various bread of different flavour was inside.

"We need to eat something at least if we want to have more energy to walk. As this is the land owned by 'them', it's definitely not a cakewalk. There must be tons of traps they had prepared to fend off trespassers. So come here and eat first"

"Woahh, thank you so much amy~yummy!" Mikan cheered happily as she munched one of the breads given by Amy. Amy then passed some other bread to others as they gratefully accept it.

"You know Amy, you're awfully prepared for this" Tsubasa said,

"Well, having younger siblings makes you overprepared sometimes. Especially when you're the eldest" Amy grinned, as she fondly remembered her younger siblings and their antics. She then opens a pack and ate some. Then, she looks forward and said,

"I believe it we traverse across here and head straight to the inner part of the mountain, we should somehow arrive at their hideouts. It must be in a cave or something. Did any of the birds noticed any caves perhaps?"

"Well, they said there's one cave in the direction you pointed out" Ruka replied she slowly placed a bird on his shoulder.

"That's settled then, let's head there after this" Tsubasa said as they all collectively nodded.

-GA-

In front of towering trees and plants of a unique kind, the entrance towards a seemingly thick forest eerie and dark, enough to earn several gulps and hesitate from the group.

"Those people must have used teleportation to pass through this... should we use side roads instead"

"Walk there by yourself if you wanted too"

"Well, it can't be help right? We should be fine if we tread down this path carefully"

And so they walked on while being wary not to touch any parts of the plants in case it might trigger traps. It was quiet until they heard Amy's voice,

"Woah there Lil guy, don't go there, it's a trap" as Amy hold a penguin by the scruff of his neck. Penguin only flustered as he points at the beautiful grapes by the bushes of the sideroad.

"It's a man-eating plant, it will gobble up those that pluck its grapes from the vines" as she shook her head, preventing anyone from approaching the plant. Natsume, having enough with the trouble that may have been caused by the penguin decided,

"Say, give me that penguin, I will throw him away. He will definitely cause more trouble if this goes on" 

"What? What on earth Natsume? Why are you dumping all that to Penguin?" Mikan flustered at Natsume's sudden anger, and pointing all trouble to the penguin. She immediately took Penguin from Amy's arm and protectively hug him.

Before Natsume can further argue, the living forest awoken by the voices suddenly rumbles, and chaos ensued. Sap and leaves are thrown all over. Trees battled with each other using their roots, vines, fruits and so forth. 

In the middle of this chaos, her necklace automatically activated, effectively protecting her, Mikan and Ruka who was nearby from the leaves and sap- the auto mechanics in which allows her to focus her own slice to conjure a shield for both Natsume and Tsubasa. However, the vines continuously attack them, which definitely tired her out. Noticing that and the danger they are all in, Natsume finally reaches his anger cap as he lits multiple fires in the surrounding area.

"...it seems that all of you really want a huge forest fire, huh"

With that, the living forests ceasefires out of fear from the boy's threat...