I remember arriving at this part of the forest that always seemed... off to me. Vines hung still in the air, lacing down from the great tree above.

Today though, a certain something stood out for me. And that something was purple...

---

For a while, your tightened throat was quite dry, as if powder had been forced into that small guild of yours, disgustingly clogging it. But then, one short cough later prompted you to take a long look at your savior, throat now clear for words of admiration.

Or maybe rather words of complete awe?

Or no words at all?

For an unnerving pause, you gawked at this mysterious entity, entranced by the rich green cloak of theirs following the unpredictable turns of the wind, the figure's face framed by the soft silk ends of the hood. He had a more youthful face than most men at your age in the neighboring village you occasionally strolled through leisurely, most of them perhaps married or just... grown-up in general. It was silly to hold on to fantasies created to only amuse you for an afternoon or illusions wrapped around the unknowing exaggerations of what has happened in your boring life.

The word 'boring' was starting to get boring too...

So, with that, it was purely logical that a new face in your world would brighten it up and take a turn for the most unpredictable. Tsunamis appeal to you more than a weak and cowardly wave.

"C-can you talk?" the young boy uttered out his foolish question, his face more anxious than any of the villagers' expressions combined.

Giving a faint smile, you nod diligently at this green stranger. It was hard to do so when still encircled by this mysterious mist that stilled you. You tried in spite of it, which sheepishly had the magic user flinch and recollect themself at the shaky answer you mustered up.

With the gentle motion of his hand, the stranger had placed you in the right orientation on the ground. The green aura that had been surrounding you slowly diffused into the air, freeing you from the stiff feeling you had earlier. It no longer felt like your limbs were choking from misuse, and that led you to wonder what else this magical user is capable of. Potentially something greater, that's for sure.

There wasn't any sort of railing serving as a barrier to keep you from tumbling to the ground, so you forced your back aligned directly with the wall, hoping it may give you a form of grounding.

A small pant escapes your mouth as you stare at him, finding that he wasn't tall at all. In fact, he was more on the short side, only intimidating by the fact that he was floating.

You hadn't realized it before, but it must've been you getting caught up over his apparent ESP powers or that along the lines. A slight breeze caught his cloak up and ruffled it in the wind, though the boy didn't mind one bit.

It might just be you getting caught up over him, because the moment he perched himself on the stairs, he turned to stare at you, blushing as he did so. He must be shy, you thought.

"Um, are you human? I cannot tell if that's a disguise..." the green boy curiously peeked in your face, even reaching out his hand to your arm, pinching it lightly to test the elasticity of it.

Tones of red blossoms on your arm as you withdrew it back, making an embarrassed noise from his inspection. The red fades away instantly and your arm reverts back to its original color. The boy backed off and seemed jittery, blushing even more as he hid his face as much as he possibly could.

"I-I apologize! I should have realized that you were human from the very start... a real female human being..." the young boy fiddled with his cloak, more fidgety than the start.

Those words came across as strange to you, but you decided that he was just perhaps lonely. It doesn't seem like one marches right up his door every single day of his life, nevertheless a villager who is searching for directions.

"No, it's perfectly fine. Say, do you know which direction it is to the village?" you inquired, anxious to know if this stranger knew the way home. He seemed knowledgeable, so there's a high chance that he would lead you in the right direction.

All seemed lost, however, as the stranger's face turned from flustered to one of utter confusion. "Village? If I recall correctly, the only village I've heard of is Ninja Village... and the location is unknown to foreigners..." the green boy tilted his head as he crossed his arms, frowning a bit. "Are you part of the Ninja Village then, by chance?"

Ninja Village? Your village didn't even have a proper name, nevertheless people like twins who honed ninja skills their whole life. "No, I haven't heard of it until now..." Question marks started rising above you, most likely visible to the other.

"Ah, maybe the nearby kingdom here then? I personally get trained by the royal mage, so I would be happy to lead you there if you'd like," the apparent royal-affiliated boy offered kindly, almost wishing you were part of that kingdom.

Mage, huh? If he was training under one, it must mean that he must be one himself. You kept that in mind.

"I'm sorry, but I don't live under a royal hierarchy..." you figured that you would at least know that there hasn't been a single royalty in your entire life. Personally, royal rule stinks.

"No? Uhm, the Forest of Cats?" the mage seemed to be running out of ideas, slowly growing more panicked.

For some odd reason, something crossed your mind as you shook your head, doubt swimming in your mind. You shook it off, however. "No..." desperate thoughts started taking over, for once making you scared.

"Cave of the Dragons?"

You shook your head once more in shame, averting your gaze to the ground. Had you really messed up big time? Your Mother was right; you really are careless.

"Your origin... must be strange..." was all the green mage could say before uncrossing his bony arms.

Depressing thoughts overwhelmed you as you clenched your teeth, sighing pathetically. Then, you mustered up all your strength to lift your leg up and simply start walking down the stairs.

The mage rose his head up in surprise, processing the sight he was witnessing. Rather violently he rushed up to you in a panic, the mage grabbing your arm in silent protest. "N-No, you needn't leave this place. I'll allow you to stay with me for the time being, and then we may return you home-" the mage paused once he heard quiet sniffles, the source being you.

A soft look feigned him as he slowly let go of your arm, concerned over your well-being. You took this opportunity to immediately hold your hands to your face, covering it as much as possible from this stranger.

Now that you were crying, you couldn't stop. It didn't matter how much you wanted to stop wheezing in front of this stranger, how much you wanted to stay strong and squeak no more, it couldn't stop. Waves of emotion overtook you, choking you as you harshly breathed for fresh air. Your trembling hands shielded you from most likely the judgemental eyes of the young boy, progressively getting wet from hot, salty tears. Just stop it, stop...

It was then that partially gloved hands tenderly reached for your body, a warm body encasing you in an even warmer hug. You were shaking the most, the other surprisingly as calm as one can be.

"It's going to be fine..." the other murmured, lowering his voice. You could imagine an upside 'v' on his face, a small frown of concern and maybe melancholy.

A rush of something traveled through your chest, instantly widening your lungs as you took a deep breath, ceasing your cries. It was so sudden, only described to you as a soft and comforting green, so pristine that you had calmed down.

You retracted your hands and slightly looked up to see the mage's hands on you, releasing a light green aura on you compared to the neon dark green aura not long ago.

The mage sheepishly smiled as he released the final burst of aura before releasing you from the hug, looking apologetic this time.

"I'll be the one to return you home no matter what..." the mage proclaimed, rubbing his head in awkwardness.

"M-My name is..."

"Choromatsu..."

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(A/N): I apologize for the long waits of me updating ANYTHING and the incredibly slow burn here.

Also, I referenced to the story "Love In The Shadows" here, along with the locations of the brothers in this particular AU (totally not going to write future stories of them in the same AU hahahaha).

CaN yOu FiNd iT?

10/15/17