Fate of Pandora - Book I

Camping

Friday afternoon, the group took a three-hour long bus trip to travel west from Tokyo into the Narusawa District. The district wasn't very big and Ayame had picked a meeting place beside the bus station that they couldn't possibly miss. Everyone was eager to see the two runaways and finally understand what they had been doing the last few days. When they saw Ayame and Arika drinking smoothies while waiting for their arrival, they stampeded outside the bus the moment it opened its door and ran towards the two.

"Arika! Ayame!" Luna, Risa, and Lukas bear-hugged them. Coalt and Jasmet hung back, out of the tangle of arms, but they were relieved to see that the two were fine as well.

"Gu-Guys!" Arika was pleasantly surprised at their little commotion, and smiled warmly. She wasn't expecting them to worry this much about her. "I'm so sorry. It seems like I drag you everywhere."

"We'll go through mountains and ruins for you, Arika!" Risa was the last one to let go of the girl.

On a closer inspection, Arika had some twigs in her hair and her trainers were covered with mud. She was wearing three-quarter army pants and a black shirt. Ayame wasn't much different, though with black pants and a shirt. Kairi was right beside Ayame, who approved of her friends' all-black attire because now they were matching colors.

"What happened to you?" Jasmet asked them.

"Did you guys bring the things we told you? Proper clothes and everything?" Ayame asked them, and quickly scanned the group. Everyone was wearing clothes they wouldn't mind getting a little dirty - trainers, old trousers, and shirts that protected them well and could be discarded later. "Good, because we have a long way to go into the woods!"

"Where are we going?" Lukas asked them as the two girls grabbed their bags and readied themselves to guide the rest of the group.

"We are going to one of Mt. Fuji's caves!" Arika told them and signaled for them to follow her. "Come on, we can't lose much time. We have to arrive there before dawn."

The group crossed Narusawa, which was a dense, dull, residential area, without many people around. It didn't matter that the place was boring since they wouldn't be staying there for long. Arika and Ayame kept heading west until they left the buildings behind and followed the empty road ahead, with Mt. Fuji's peak always visible above the trees. At a partially hidden path that only they seemed to know, the two girls guided the group into the woods, leaving the road behind them.

Kairi jumped into the trees and followed them from above, watching for any possible danger. She also would make sure they were keeping on the right track, since it was easy to get lost in that place.

On their way, the two girls had a lot to explain. Arika showed the group the map made by her mother and told them about the possibilities of finding her – or even the Pandora's Box – in the marked area. She patiently explained why it took them so long to find the right place, why she wasn't trusting Yuko, and so on.

"I know it wasn't the best thing to run away without telling you guys, but I have a good feeling about all of this. I wanted to help after all the trouble I caused the last time." Arika finished her side of the story, and Luna placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You don't owe us anything for last time. Still, we are glad for all this work you have done to help us."

"I still wanted to do something. I'm forever grateful for you risking your lives to rescue me."

"That's very nice, Arika, but, are we there yet?" Risa asked her impatiently, quickly getting tired of the long walk.

"No, there is a long way to go still."