The morning was still present. The sun had just been reaching its peak, and the clouds were finally starting to fade. The village was still dark however, and Hotaru's figure hardly gave off a shadow.
Living in the slums, Hotaru didn't really have anything to pack. Food supply was limited, so he figured he would scavenge some littered food on his way to the Temple. It was gross, but he was used to it.
"Hm....So I'll bring some knives, a rope....a blanket to sleep on..." Hotaru thought aloud. "I'll have to get water from some other town."
Hotaru walked over to a small cabinet built into his wooden "house". After opening it, a swarm of Fireflies flushed out, fluttering their wings and emitting light upon Hotaru's face. Hotaru smiled gently.
The "Etsukoes", as he called them, were his closest friends. Even closer to him than Aiko. There were twelve Etsukoes, and they were all named after months of the year. Hotaru loved all twelve of them equally.
"Yeah, I'm deifintely bringing you guys," Hotaru decided quickly. The Etsukoes couldn't talk, but Hotaru knew that they wanted to come. What would they do without him? And he couldn't do much more without them.
After about ten more minutes, Hotaru was officially ready to leave the town. He walked out of his "house" to be greeted by Aiko. Strangely, she was wearing a travel sack as well, and also looked as if she was heading out into an adventure. A wide smile coated her face.
"Aiko? What's this all about?" Hotaru questioned her.
"Hotaru, I decided that I'll come with you. I can't take being here without you," Aiko declared. "I'm already packed."
"Eh? But, Aiko....It'll be too dangerous. I'm worried you'll--"
"Hotaru, what is it you want? Should I go or should I stay? You're worried either way," Aiko laughed.
Hotaru didn't know what to say. He was glad Aiko could accompany him on his trek, but at the same time worried he wouldn't be able to defend her if they were attacked.
"Fine," Hotaru agreed, then smiled weakly. "You can come with. It'll be you, me, and my Fireflies."
Aiko nearly knocked Hotaru over with her hug. "It'll be great! We'll be away from this hell! And when we come back, it'll all be better!"
Hotaru wanted to cheer too, but something told him that the trip wasn't going to be so easy. "Aiko, just promise me this," he started. "If we get into some serious trouble, will you be able to fight back?"
Aiko looked puzzled. "Um...I guess so! I mean, after all, I have my Bells to protect me."
"Okay," Hotaru sighed. "Then I guess we're set to go. What did you pack?"
Aiko replied, "Sticks, paper, pencils, marbles, a Kakrio flag, a hammer, a nail, a rope, a first-aid kit, and a container of fresh food!"
"Uh...why so much?" Hotaru inquired, comparing her entire luggage to his set of just a couple items. "And where did you get the food?"
"You can never be too sure what kind of situations we'll be in!" Aiko explained. "Kenichi gave me the food. He said to make it last a while."
"Kenichi? Where the hell did he get food?" Hotaru questioned.
"I have no clue. But that's not really important, is it? Come on, let's go!"
Hotaru found it strange that Kenichi would have a supply of food, but nevertheless, he followed Aiko to a stone wall that separated the villagers from the outside world. Pluto came up behind them.
"So this is goodbye, eh?" Pluto said quietly. His large eyes looked as though they were filling with tears.
"We'll be back soon, kid. Don't worry," Hotaru promised to Pluto.
"Be a good boy, okay?" Aiko asked him. They gave each other their last hugs. Hotaru found it difficult to say bye to Pluto, even though he couldn't stand him.
Aiko and Hotaru had to secretly climb the wall and escape without being seen by the Patrols. While Aiko attached the rope to a tree beyond the stone wall, Hotaru used his Fireflies to start a fire over by the well. This would serve as a distraction to escape the village. It worked too. All of the patrols went to where they spotted the smoke. Aiko, Hotaru, and the Etsukoes were over the wall in no time. As their last sights of the Slums seeped out of view, they spotted all of their gang waving goodbye to them. No one could shout farewells, for that would attract attention from the Patrols. It was a silent goodbye.
The two landed with a THUD, Hotaru landing on his feet and Aiko landing on her rear. Hotaru helped her to her feet.
"Okay! Let's get ready to go!" Aiko exclaimed after dusting herself off.
"Yeah," Hotaru spoke. "But, hey, did you notice something strange, Aiko?"
"Hm? What?"
"Kenichi," Hotaru said softly. "He wasn't there to say goodbye to us."
"Maybe he was busy with something...?" Aiko guessed.
"Hm....maybe..." Hotaru wondered. He began to walk away from the stone wall separating him from the hell that had consumed his entire life. This was the first time Hotaru had ever stepped outside of Kakrio. The land in front of him was immense, with rolling hills basked in sunlight, swaying trees, and a gentle air sweeping the grass. Hotaru knew however, that there were definitely some creatures out there awaiting some tasty-looking travelers. Hotaru would welcome their challenge of battle.
As Aiko and Hotaru got even farther away from Kakrio, the clouds looming upon the hell eventually faded away completely, as if the sky were smiling at its newly departed travelers.
Kenichi sat atop a tree not too far from Kakrio, where Aiko and Hotaru were faintly seen vanishing in the distance. He began to speak quietly, "Hotaru, tread softly, for there are those within the atmosphere of this world that do not welcome your plight. You and your lovemate will experience times of suffering, sadness, strife, pain, and fear. You will struggle to embark upon ascension to happiness, joy, laughter, and triumph. Whether or not you find these virtues is not important. What is important is what you will endure to reach them."
Kenichi plucked an apple from the tree, and shoved a part of it into his mouth. "Mmm. Apples are tasty."
(( Ok, I promise that'll be my last MASSIVE post for a while. ))