Taiki was running along a narrow path running through a dark forest, always trying to move just a little faster. There was something out there, something that was keeping pace with him and something that was looking for him. He wasn't sure where either of the two were, which made him try even harder to run. Every now again it almost seemed that the patter of his footsteps on the hard dirt path echoed more like the sound of chiming hoofbeats. He had to run harder, faster... but his legs kept feeling heavier and slower while his panic increased. Now and then a wall of eyes would peek through the trees and blink at him, staring malignantly at him and waiting.
Lenalee was running, too, running away as she'd always done. This time the forest felt denser, colder, like it was working to stop her escape the same way the people did. Her legs were heavy, and every step hurt, but she kept running.
When she ran into someone, she thought it was him again, that boy, Allen. When she saw that it wasn't, she froze, just looking at him.
Taiki went sprawling back when he hit something and he looked up with a sudden mix of determination and fear, only to blink in startlement when he found himself looking at an older girl rather that the mass of eyes he'd expected. She looked just as startled at seeing him as he was at seeing her, so he didn't feel like she was going to hurt him. "Eto... Are you running away too?" He asked hesitantly.
Taiki glanced around at the darkness surrounding them as he took her hand to help him up. After standing he looked back up at her quite seriously and answered, "The eyes. If the eyes come near people, bad things happen. I don't know why though, I'm just afraid of the eyes."
Lenalee looked around, too. She hadn't seen any eyes, just dense, choking forest. But the boy next to her was just that, a boy, and children saw things that scared them even when nothing was there.
"They won't hurt you," she said. Someone had shown her this kindness not too long ago, after all. "I won't let them."
Taiki considered that for a few moments and then broke out into a hopeful smile. "Really? You must be really strong then! The eyes are scary, they always make me think I'm going to get eaten." Taiki held her hand tightly even after he was on his feet. Then he thought of something and his eyes turned curious. "What are you running away from?"
Taiki turned a little worried as he looked up at her. "A bad person? But you're pretty so they should leave you alone! I was told about bad people, I'm supposed to run away and hide in the maze if they come. The sages told me that they'd try and take me away so they could hurt people." Taiki looked around at the woods to make sure they hadn't been found yet.
"A very bad person. ...And I...I'm not pretty, even though it's very kind of you to say so." It would be nice to be left alone just because of how she looked. Nice, but not possible.
At the mention of a maze, Lenalee realized that's what the forest really was: a dark maze made of living wood and plants. And as she thought it, the forest seemed to twist up around her, forming definite walls and a path.
Taiki shook his head and looked up at her, "You are pretty!" Yup, occasional stubborn streak... He looked where she was looking and brightened. "AH! That's ok, mazes always have a way out! All we have to do is find it." Taiki smiled at her in trust.
"I've never been in a maze before. I've just...read about them. Do you know how to get out of one?" She looked down at that trusting smile and couldn't help but smile back. "My name is Lenalee. What's yours?"
Taiki started leading but shook his head. "I always go up, cause when I get to the top I can see where I am." He didn't tell her that he always went up when he wanted to be found and rescued. "I'm Taiki, nice to meet you!" He smiled at her since he was happy he'd made a new friend. She had such nice eyes he knew she wouldn't hurt him. "I used to live in a town, but then I got carried away to the temple in the maze so I live there now."
"It's nice to meet you too, Taiki." She smiled back, almost comforted by his trust in her. "It's so dark here, though. Would we be able to see anything from the top of the maze?" She didn't ask about the temple, if he wanted to live there or if he was forced.
Taiki kept moving forward, always following a path that went up. Going up would bring them closer to the top of the forest and moving would keep the bad things from finding them. Simple logic from a young mind. "Hmmmm, I think maybe? At the temple the trees stop growing after awhile and you can see for forever! I like playing hide and seek with the sages but they always find me. I think the animals give me away."
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When she ran into someone, she thought it was him again, that boy, Allen. When she saw that it wasn't, she froze, just looking at him.
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"Eto... Are you running away too?" He asked hesitantly.
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"Yes," she said, holding out a hand to help him up. "...What are you running from?"
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"They won't hurt you," she said. Someone had shown her this kindness not too long ago, after all. "I won't let them."
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Taiki looked around at the woods to make sure they hadn't been found yet.
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At the mention of a maze, Lenalee realized that's what the forest really was: a dark maze made of living wood and plants. And as she thought it, the forest seemed to twist up around her, forming definite walls and a path.
"It is a maze. ...And I don't know the way out."
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"Hmmmm, I think maybe? At the temple the trees stop growing after awhile and you can see for forever! I like playing hide and seek with the sages but they always find me. I think the animals give me away."
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She looked up into the darkness as they walked; she hadn't let go of Taiki's hand. "Maybe we could climb up there and see a way out?"
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