Into The Forest

Chapter 4 | Starry night

Haruo moved towards her and pulled her hoodie over her head. "You'll catch cold if you stand in the rain for too long." he said softly and took off his coat. He covered Yume with his coat and sighed. Yume eyes sparkled when she looked at him. 'Why did I think a lot of bad things about him? He's take care of me.' she thought while gripping Haruo's coat tightly.

"We need to cross this river. Let's go." Haruo said and looked at the river in front of them. He leapt on the few rocks which formed a path to cross the river. Yume hesitated, but ended up following him. She managed to leap all the way to the other side of the river. She looked at Haruo, which was standing in front of her.

"Follow me." He said quickly while gripping her arm. Yume startled at his sudden act but followed by his side silently. The rain poured heavily. She took a gaze at Haruo, which was walking rapidly fast. The ground suddenly became slippery, due to the mixture of the wet ground and the flowing water.

"H-haruo.." Yume called out to him but no reply. He focused on the path that they take. Haruo jolted when she gripped his arm tightly, causing him to look at her. He stopped walking and took a glance at her. His eyes turned blue when Yume stared into his eyes. "Yume.." Haruo trembled at his spot and patted her head. "Trust me, okay?" He whispered and slowly opened his mask. Haruo gave a sincere smile and looked at the path beyond them.

"We are almost there. I'll try my best to protect you." Haruo said slowly and lowered his gaze. Yume kept focusing at his sharp teeth. 'Should I trust him?' she held her clothes and nodded slowly. "Thank god." Haruo wore his mask back and sighed. He quickly walked forward. Yume followed him silently behind and stopped when she felt her head became light.

The sound of the rain echoed throughout the forest. At that time, Yume felt as if every single steps were very heavy for her. She held her clothes and looked forward, which she could see Haruo's back. She took a deep breath and released it. She tried to talk to him, but her voice stuck in her throat.

Haruo stopped and looked over his shoulder. He saw that Yume's hand was gripping his grey cloth. "W-wait. Don't walk too fast." Yume said while breathing rapidly. "Are you alright, Yume?" Haruo startled when she suddenly lost her balance. He caught her and knelt on the ground. "Yume?" He called out to Yume but no respond.

He looked around them and slowly lifted her up. "It's alright, everything's going to be fine." Haruo muttered as he continued moving forward while carrying her. "Why did I.. heard a faint beat in rhythm in a distance?" Yume mumbled with her eyes partially open. He looked at her and closed his eyes. "It's raining right now." he whispered.

"Where am I?" She asked weakly. Her voice came out as if a whisper, but could be heard by Haruo. "In the forest. On a rainy day." he replied in shaky tone. "Ohh.." Yume slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep. He let out a short sigh and caressed her messy, red hair which was soaking wet. The rain stopped. The sky still stay gloomy.

***

The cicadas sang plus an owl hooting on a branch of a tree. She felt warm and smell the smoke near her. She opened her eyes and gaze upon the stars. It was clear, night sky. She looked to the right and saw the fireplace. The other side of the fireplace was Haruo, who was sitting on the ground while staring at the fire silently. "H-h.." she touched her throat, as if her words stuck in her throat.

He grabbed his grey cloth and squeeze it so that the excess of water which been absorbed by his cloth came out. He stared at the fireplace and took off his mask. He quickly covered his mouth and sneezed. "Thank god." Haruo whispered and hugged his legs. He did not notice that she had awake. "At the end, one of us will leave." he muttered and closed his eyes.

"What's his motive to keep moving forward and keep me alive?" Some thoughts crossed her mind. She forced herself to seat and looked at his coat which was acting as a mattress when she was asleep on it. She rubbed the back of her neck and lowered her gaze.

She gazed up to looked at the man, which was wearing his mask back and hugging his legs. Haruo stared at the fireplace and released his breath. "Haruo. I-I have a dream yesterday." she started, but felt a chilling atmosphere surrounded them.

"There was a man wearing a straw hat. I was still a little girl back then. I played hide and seek with my friends near the woods. I almost won because nobody found me but.. in the evening, they still didn't find me." she stared at the fireplace then at Haruo.

"I waited and waited but nobody came. It was as if they totally forget about me." Yume's voice became shaky. She caressed her red hair slowly. "And that is when we met! Do you remember it, Haruo?" She said eagerly while looking away. She felt her face became hot and silently she waited for Haruo's reply.

"I remember. It was as if yesterday." Haruo whispered and tighten his grip of his legs. "That time, I thought I was alone. But why? Back then, you.." Yume cleared her throat and continued, "So nice to me and up until now, you remind me of my father." her voice faded when she saw the glimpse of her father beside Haruo.

She gasped and stayed silent. "He passed away a few years ago. He's kind, just like you." she voice became shaky. Her vision suddenly became blurry. In a blink of an eye, the tears rolled down her cheeks. "There's so much I want to tell him. I-I always ignore him when he talk. He tried his best to cheer me up when I feel down. B-but.."

Her whole body shaken as more of the tears came out from her eyes. "I'm sorry, father. I-I'm so sorry." she cried out, calling for his father. She could not hold it anymore. The regrets resurface. Their family believed that she was good in everything. But deep down in her heart, she did not think of being good at anything at all. Her heart aching at that time.

She held her sweater and wept. She looked at the starry, night sky and closed her eyes. A sudden shift could be heard. She opened her eyes and suddenly Haruo hugged her. Her face became red, but she kept on crying. "It's okay. It will end soon. Don't lose hope." Haruo whispered and patted her head.

She felt warmth. She sighed and gripped his cloth. "Father, I miss you." Yume said in shaky tone and closed her eyes. Haruo released her and looked at Yume silently. Yume looked at him which was sitting in front of her. "Haruo, Who are you?" She asked shakily.

Haruo lips tighten. He slowly wiped her tears. He looked at his left side and said, "I'm just a creature in a form of human, guiding a lost human throughout the forest. It depends on them whether to live or die. I'm just guiding them. If they want to kill me, it's up to them. If they want to die, I'll be gladly to grant their wish by making them as dinner." Yume face turned pale when he said it.

"H-haruo, you're making things up, right?" Yume looked down at the ground and stayed silent. "That's the truth. I won't lie to you." Haruo said while patting her red hair lightly. He lifted her chin up so that their eyes met. Yume's tears still roll down her cheeks. Haruo wiped it away again and let out a slight sigh.

"It's alright. I just want you to have faith in me. It's up to you to decide whether to live on or end your life here. The only thing you can do now is to follow me." He added slowly while patting her shoulder. "T-thank you, for keeping me alive." Yume said shakily and gritted her teeth.

"I'm sorry if I can't protect you enough." Haruo replied and lowered his gaze. "Come, let's continue to the end of the forest." he added and slowly stood. He reached out his hand towards her and immediately Yume held his hand and slowly stand when he pulled her up.