The next morning, Ruby and Zeke both claimed to be well enough to travel through the woods. Whether or not they were hiding their pain, Shintaro didn't know; but he didn't question them. They all knew that they needed to leave as soon as possible, and if that meant those two had to walk with a bit of pain, Shintaro was sure they would be strong enough to deal with it. He wasn't even skeptical about Ruby - she seemed like a very tough woman who could handle her own problems. 

Shintaro was standing in the living room, watching Abby hoist her bag onto her back. Linda was kneeling quietly in front of Nanami, helping her tie her shoes. Falte was in the kitchen, gathering the food for the journey. Rachel was ready to leave but looking wistful about it. Amy didn't seem to mind - she was busying herself with helping Gabriel find his stuff and put it all in his bag. Zeke was also in the kitchen, wordlessly gathering bottles of water that he would carry. Moon didn't have a backpack to carry, so she offered to be the scout who would keep an eye on the area around them while they traveled. (Amy had reluctantly packed clothes for Moon, who didn't have any belongings with her - other than the outfit she'd been wearing the day Brethren had arrived.)

As Shintaro watched Nanami stand up and sling her backpack over her shoulders, he couldn't help but feel nervous about the young girl coming along - but they had no other choice. The Darks now knew where they were, and they couldn't leave her behind. He was nervous that she wouldn't be able to travel far enough, that somehow she would get hurt by a Dark's hand.

But he kept reassuring himself that Nanami would be safe with the rest of them; and that even if Darks showed up, they would protect her no matter what. She didn't seem worried about her safety at all, which encouraged Shintaro somewhat. She seemed completely trusting of the group around her - or she just didn't understand the danger she was walking into.

Either one worked for Shintaro. As long as Nanami knew that she was safe and her spirits remained cheerful.

Falte and Zeke trudged out of the kitchen, their bags over their backs and stuffed full with clothes, food, and water. Amy walked out of the hallway, shoving a bottle of shampoo into her backpack in case it was ever needed. Linda got to her feet and jumped a little to right the backpack that she was carrying. Ruby stood, holding nothing but a sweater that Amy had let her borrow (she didn't have any belongings either, but Amy had also made Rachel carry clothes for her as well.). 

Shintaro's bag was full of the actual camping supplies and his own clothes, which made it a lot heavier than the others' backpacks. As he pulled it onto his shoulders, he grunted a little at his weight, and the stakes for the tent rattled inside the pack.  

He turned around, looking toward Amy, who was to lead the way. 

She realized the message he was giving her - It's time to go - and evenly walked toward the doorway. 

She opened the door, looked up at the sky as if to right herself, turned right, and started walking.

~

Two and a half hours after their lunch break, the sky began to darken ominously. The day had started off overcast and humid; but Shintaro had suspected it had rained during the night. However, it wasn't even close to sundown, which had to mean that more rainfall was coming quickly. Shintaro had noticed during their break for lunch that the wind had been growing fiercer - and now it was throwing everyone's weight from side to side as it toyed with them. 

Poor Nanami, who wasn't as strong as everyone else, was having a hard time walking in a straight line. Occasionally, the wind would toss her sideways into Shintaro's legs, causing him to stumble to regain his balance and catch Nanami at the same time. She seemed to get more and more frustrated with each strong gust of wind, frowning harshly at the leaves that were dancing around her carelessly. Her hands were tightly clutching the straps of her bag, her back straight and steps stiff. She had eventually pulled her hair into a bun to keep it from blowing in her face, but several loose strands were whipping around her ears. 

Abby wasn't struggling as much as Nanami was; but with her thick hair and smaller body, the wind was toying with her just as much as it was Nanami. Her blond hair was in a tight bun on the top of her head, but like Nanami, several strands were loose and attacking her face. Her backpack, which was probably almost as heavy as she was, was throwing her off balance and almost sending her careening into Falte. 

Shintaro almost felt bad that he was stronger than all of them and was able to keep his balance most of the time. He even caught Gabriel casting him slightly annoyed, jealous looks as he struggled against the wind. 

Amy turned around suddenly, walking backwards against the wind and peering at her struggling friends. She looked just as frustrated and flustered and winded as the rest of them did, her mouth parted slightly as she carefully walked with her back to the wind. 

Her eyes abruptly darted across the area around her, so fast that Shintaro hardly noticed it. She stopped walking altogether, holding out her hands to halt the others as well. Everyone stopped, grateful not to be moving against the harsh wind. 

Amy shrugged off her backpack and circled around to the nearest tree, assessing it merely for a moment before leaping up and grabbing the nearest overhanging branch. Once she'd done this, she heaved herself onto the branch, looping her leg around the branch and easing herself upward. Once she cleared the first branch, she began weaving and leaping farther up into the tree. 

 "Yeah, okay," Linda yelled over the wind with mock-serenity, tossing her hands out at her sides. "We'll just stay here then! Thanks for the warning!" She glared accusingly up at the tree, where Amy had vanished behind the thick foliage. 

Nanami dropped down into a crisscross position, brushing the strands away from her face - only to have the wind toss them against her cheeks again. Shintaro couldn't hear her over the wind, but he saw her mouth open in a huff of annoyance. 

Gabriel stood with his hands on his hips, looking up at the tree that Amy was still scaling. His brain eyes darted along the branches, searching for any signs of the girl. Eventually, he turned toward Linda, shielding his eyes against the wind with his right hand.

The wind slowed for a moment, allowing Gabriel a chance to speak in a normal voice. "What is she doing?" he asked Linda - but the wind rushed about them again, and Linda could only respond with a shrug. 

Shintaro turned to the tree again, watching for Amy until she finally dropped down onto the lowest branch again, righting herself by putting her hands at her sides. 

Suddenly, she tilted backward (making Shintaro's heart jump), hooked the bends of her legs around the branch, and hung upside down for a moment (Shintaro breathed a sigh of relief). She then straightened her legs (and again, Shintaro's heart skipped) and dropped to the forest floor headfirst, making Abby let out a cry of alarm. 

Shintaro was about to rush forward and catch her, but Amy flawlessly caught herself. She flung out her arms, bending them only slightly at her elbows, her palms out and facing the ground below her. When her hands made impact, she bent her arms and arched her back, flinging her legs forward. Before her feet touched the ground, she straightened her arms forcefully, sending her whole body sailing backward through the air. 

Then she caught herself on her feet, taking a few steps backward to right her balance. 

Abby exhaled sharply in relief, pressing her right hand to her chest in fright. Her blue eyes were wide and locked on Amy as the older girl grinned mischievously. "Amy!" Abby cried. "You gave me a heart attack! I thought you were falling!" 

"That was the whole point," Amy retorted, putting her hands on her hips and cheerfully sauntering back over to her bag. 

"What the heck were you even doing?" Gabriel asked in a shaken voice, shrugging his own backpack off his shoulders. 

Shintaro caught Zeke shaking his head with a look that clearly said This woman cannot get any more ridiculous. Silently, Shintaro agreed with him; but not to a point where he hated Amy. She was a good person who looked out for others and made them happy in her own strange way.

"I was looking up ahead to see how long we have to set up our stuff!" Amy replied loudly as a sudden gush of wind that nearly knocked Abby off her feet came barreling through the woods. "It's going to rain in at least twenty minutes, so we have that long to set up our stuff while staying dry! I suggest we get moving now!" 

Shintaro sighed at the setback, knowing that it was not even four in the evening yet. They still had plenty of daylight time which they could be using to move faster through the woods; but he also knew that they couldn't afford getting sick in the cold wind and rain. 

As Amy knelt beside her bag to unzip it, Linda marched over to her friend's side.

"Show off," she said to Amy roughly.

~

Next chapter! 

They got moving, and hopefully they won't come across any Darks.

But you never know, because I'M THE AUTHOR.

I'm suspenseful-y unpredictable!!

AHAHAHAHAHA

Well, thanks for reading!! Love y'all!!

P3ac3!!!~~