Hitoshi seemed to know everything about the Dark Land they were in. He warned them not to walk through a patch that was full of demon cockroaches---which would just about have killed the girls, and most of the guys to see. And he told them to avoid poisonous briers, the only thing that grew in this area... and that was in one hour. He also described some more monsters they might expect to meet closer to the mountain.                                                                                                         "How do you know all this?" Shoto asked suspiciously. "Where do you think I've lived?" Hitoshi said. "I can navigate this area, I'm one of the few who can pass through undetected. Mei and I are mostly safe around here, safer than we are around people..."

"I know the sound of each rock and stone, and I embrace what others fear. You are not to roam in this forgotten place, just the likes of me are welcome here.

Everything breaths, and I know each breath, to me it means life, to others it's death. It's perfectly balanced, perfectly planned, more than enough for this man." [Comment if you know what this song is from]  ( ) 

"People fear fairies," Kyoka agreed stoically. "But why tell them you are one then?" "I feel it's beneath me to hide what I am," Hitoshi said. "Though I don't often broach the subject myself. Most people see fairies as something fearful, devious, even malevolent, they assume any offspring of theirs will be the same way, but, I'm not, and I know that. There's no need to hide, when you know what you are." Ei looked at him oddly. "How did you and Hitoshi meet?" Camie asked Mei, as she could talk about this subject no matter what circumstances were going on around her. "Eh?.. I don't really remember," Mei was concentrating on her winding. "You really don't, huh?" Mina said skeptically. "What was this, an arranged marriage?" "What's wrong with that?" Camie said. "My marriage is technically arranged." "Uh, you're not married..." Mina began. Camie raised an eyebrow. "It wasn't arranged," Mei said, nonchalantly. "He asked me, I said yes." Hitoshi looked over. "I needed a partner for the job, Mei needed money, I asked if she'd be interested in bounty hunting, and she agreed, but I couldn't just go around with her, so I suggested we get married. I thought I explained this already. Is there some reason you find this hard to understand?" They can't exactly say it sounds more like a business transaction than a relationship, Kyoka thought.          But she underestimated the other girls. "It sounds more like you want a worker than a wife," Mina said, as if Hitoshi were the only weird one in this conversation. "Mina!" Momo was mortified on her behalf. "It's all right," Hitoshi waved Momo off. "I'm used to sprites speaking their mind."                                                                                                                 He frowned at Mina, "whether they should or not." Mina felt a little unnerved and dropped the subject, but what all the girls were wondering was if love was involved in this partnership at all.

The landscape changed yet again, it went from dark and blackish grays and ugly browns, to a dark green. A new smell filled the air, some unrecognizable flower, they thought. The strange thing was no one noticed the change until it had already happened, before they had noticed the dark giving away to the lighter green of grass, but now they were already in it before anyone saw it. Eijiro noticed first when he looked up and sniffed. Once they looked, it was a little frightening. "It's beautiful," Momo said, "but why do I feel so uneasy?"                                                                                   "Mark of the fay, Paladin," Hitoshi said. "You should keep a clear head, this place gets into your blood. I haven't been here in 3 years, I'm not anxious to run into the in-laws, myself." "Oh those fairies are Cr-a-zy," Mei agreed, adjusting yet another contraption, she never seemed to run out. "The forest will begin soon," Hitoshi added. "I advise you to all stay together, enchantments usually work better on people who are alone, stay away from circles, and don't follow any music if you hear it." "Is this where we part ways?" Deku asked him. "What else would you have? Your party does not trust us," Hitoshi replied, then he bowed. "Good luck." Mei barely nodded at them. The Party exchanged looks, "thank you," Momo said. Then they went on. "Tell them someone from the Shinzo Grove, the heart of the forest, sent you." Hitoshi called after them. They waved in acknowledgement.

"So, we're following them?" Mei said casually.                                                                                                      "Oh, they would never survive if we don't," Hitoshi said dryly. "Not all of them anyway, some of them are entirely too susceptible to suggestion. But you don't have to follow me, not all my relatives and neighbors like me." Mei shrugged "I aim to stick with my partner." Pause. "Well, I doubt they'll be any more perceptive if we follow them a second time." Hitoshi said.

The party noticed a strange mist was coming up from the ground as they went forward. Camie said it wasn't an illusion based mist, but it didn't seem quite natural either. They pressed closer together. They spoke only in low voices. "Anyone think we should've asked that creepy dude to come with us?" Denki said. "I mean, even he's better than being caught by fairies, you know the stories they tell. They kidnap people. Catch them in their rings." "I never thought they could be that bad," Deku said. "Deku, you really just don't think badly of anyone, do you?" Denki said. "No... that's not true," Deku looked oddly somber. Ochako gripped her staff "As long as we stay together, I'm sure we can handle it... and you know, some fairies are nice. They give people riches, or help them find their true love." "You believe that?" Shoto said. "Why not?" Ochako said cheerfully, "they can't all be bad, Prince Shoto." "They wouldn't have such a reputation if they were mostly good," Shoto said. "And, I've been meaning to tell you all, you shouldn't keep calling me Prince, we are supposed to be concealing my status, even if people recognize me anyway, we can't make it so easy for them. I don't mind the familiarity. Are we not all equals in this party?" "Well that's a relief," Mina said frankly. "I was getting really tired of remembering it anyway." "Since he's saying it, I guess I'm okay with that also," Momo spoke. "No one should call me Princess." "Well, we all know, Bakugo won't let us drop the title," Ei, who never used it himself, said wryly. "Let us or not, if the rest of us keep a low profile, he should too," Shoto said flatly. Bakugo frowned. "I don't care what you fools call me as long as you stay in line." Surprisingly reasonable of him. No one ruined it by saying this out loud.

The trees appeared out of the mist just as suddenly as the landscape. They were surrounded before they knew it. Tall trees, tall as a tower, 300 feet or more. They felt like bugs. Moss grew all over, and hanging vines, some with flowers. It was lovely... but... somehow it still seemed uncanny. It was as if they walked into a story they didn't belong in... that was what Denki said. They formed more of a narrow party in order to pass between the wide trunks. Trying not to touch anything they didn't recognize. Shoto fell to the back of the party, leading Soba, who seemed all right. Animals didn't often have much to fear from fay. Momo fell back also eventually. She didn't like to complain, but her ankle was still giving her twinges and slowing her down. She was almost glad very little battle had ensued in this part of the quest. Shoto had something on his mind as usual, and took this opportunity to voice it.                                                     "You saved me, again," he said. Momo had been trying to think of a subject to talk of but that one wasn't what she expected. "Oh, it was nothing, Hitoshi never meant to hurt us..." "He meant to do as he said, but he chose you to combat him," Shoto said. Momo expected a rebuke to follow this, as she herself didn't understand why that had been the case. Of course it doesn't make any sense, she thought. It wasn't even my neck at risk there, and as a warrior of Creati, my concerns with the politics of the Greater Kingdom is no more than a vague curiosity. Only a fay would pick such an odd choice to defend the whole party, and it can't be explained by logic, but of course, Prince Shoto will be offended and think it means he is just weak.                                                       "I'm not surprised," Shoto said instead. "People think highly of you. I never saw someone so implicitly trusted by complete strangers." Momo wasn't sure what he meant by that. "I think you are giving me too much merit, fay are fickle creatures... though they can be wise in their own way." "The sailor on the boat, also." Shoto countered. Momo wasn't sure what to say, that hadn't really been anything special, he was just a kind man. Then she said that instead. Shoto looked down. "My mother always told me to be true to myself. No matter what I saw around me, I should be the kind of prince I wanted to be. I didn't know what that meant at the time, but watching everyone here, I think that it means doing what you know is right. Regardless of the risks involved, and not going back. But I think out of all the members, you are the one who is the most true to yourself." "What...?" Momo was turning red. But Shoto had given this enough thought to not consider that he might be startling her, he always felt things were obvious once he realized them. "It's how you always do what you think is right, and you don't listen to anyone else's lies, or suspicions, about it. You're kind to everyone because you want to be, not because you want to get something from them... that's so rare..." Momo was just staring at him now. "I realized back when you told Kyoka not to steal the map," Shoto reflected. "Anyone else would have at least considered it. The two of you were certainly capable of taking it, I know that now... but you didn't hesitate at all. You truly have a pure heart." Momo still was speechless. "That's why the fay kin chose you, they are famous for favoring people like that, in the old stories, I remember. Clearly, you deserve to succeed on this quest the most, I just want to assure you, I will make sure that happens. Someday, I'll have a chance to repay you, and I will."                              All that just to say this...? Momo couldn't find her voice for quite some time "That's... really not necessary... I don't even know where you got the idea that I... but I would never expect to be treated as more important than anyone else here--" "Aren't those the people who should be treated that way, the ones who don't expect it?" Shoto clearly had a personal example in mind here. "I am not trying to insult your capabilities, though. I just think you're better for this than I am. It's fine, I don't need to be the one to save the whole land, as long as I secure my own kingdom, and my family."                                                                                                                                                "The 8th is not just going to help one of us, you know," Momo put a hand on his shoulder. "He's a hero that helps everyone, that's what the legends say, and you mustn't start to think you're more unworthy than anyone else. That is not the point, we need help, that's all that matters, not who needs to be rescued the most often, or who people like more... not that I really think it's as you say. People are just kinder than we expect." "Maybe you just see yourself in them," Shoto really didn't seem to notice anything odd in how he was speaking. "I remember, you said I was kind... and that is not true." "Of course it is," Momo said, now a bit more sure of herself. "It's not, I've never been kind," Shoto said, honestly he believed that was true. "I've never been around others long enough really to learn, even if I had the capacity to do so." "Now you are just being silly," Momo declared. "There's much kindness in how you want to save your mother, and you didn't steal the map either, that was kindness, and you helped us rescue Deku...and escorted us because it was dangerous, that was kind. More importantly, you've been reliable this whole journey. You mustn't just sell yourself short like that... you are being too kind to me now, really. Because you believe that you aren't worthy. That's just not true. None of us is more or less deserving than the others, I think." Shoto glanced at her dubiously. "I know you believe that, but I think it is not so." Momo shook her head. "Forgive my bluntness, but you are so hard on yourself. And no one else thinks that way about you." "That's something, I suppose..." Shoto allowed just a little. He took her hand and kissed it in the custom of showing respect that royals have... Momo was somewhat aware of this, but she still felt flushed. It didn't help that she saw Camie look back at them and smile.

"It's in the air," Camie said to Bakugo. "Magic," Bakugo agreed. "No you dummy--never mind. Probably magic too... what would happen if we got caught in a fairy spell? You know they aren't like mages, they don't just fight you, they bind you up." "I'd never get bound by any dum--" Bakugo began, Camie covered his mouth. "Shhh... listen, love, I'd let you talk your game any other time, but speaking ill of fairies never brought anyone any good in their own forest, and I'd like you to make it out of here alive. Don't you give me any lip about it either or I'll gag you." Bakugo gave her a strange look, but not exactly an angry one. "You know I mean business," Camie said firmly. Bakugo nodded reluctantly. "I'm only letting you get away with it because I am tired," he grumbled. "I'll take it." Camie muttered.

The mist in the forest became full of lights, something like fireflies, or luminescent dust, and it curled up around their boots, like it was trying to entwine them. They heard odd sounds, the noises of birds, beasts, and things they couldn't identify. Occasionally there was something like faint music, but they all didn't try to get closer to it, remembering the warning. The map led them a straight route through it all, Deku dared to hope they might not be accosted by anything.