SourPeach

Childhood friend! Phainon who you see as a little boy that runs around with a wooden sword.

Childhood friend! Phainon who cried until he threw up when he thought he lost you along with Aedes Elysiae.

Childhood friend! Phainon who placed your favorite flowers on top of your grave before departing for his journey.

Childhood friend! Phainon who fell to his knees and cried when he reunited with you in Okhema.

Childhood friend! Phainon who grew 2 ft taller since you last saw him.

Childhood friend! Phainon who's joined with you by the hips since he found you again.

Childhood friend! Phainon who still have the same puppy face pout ever since he was a kid, yet somehow the vibes are totally different.

Childhood friend! Phainon who knows the effect he has on you, and uses it to his advantage.

Childhood friend! Phainon who proved to you that he's no longer the small kid you once knew. (in more ways than one)

Childhood friend! Phainon who's still a crybaby but now instead of monsters, it's because he's trying his best not to come too early for you. (the feeling of your finger gliding across his chest was enough to elicit a whimper from his lips)

Childhood friend! Phainon who's much bigger than you remember.

Childhood friend! Phainon who goes crazy (alt: gets a boner) every time you ruffle his hair like you always do

Childhood friend! Phainon who calls you in the middle of the night after he had a nightmare of losing everyone to the black tide.

Childhood friend! Phainon who whines to sleep with during said calls.

Childhood friend! Phainon who holds you so tightly as if you'd disappear just like a dream when he loosen his grip even just for a second.

Childhood friend! Phainon who lost a piece of himself when he held your cold body in his arms.

Childhood friend! Phainon who blames himself every time he fails to protect you in every cycle.

"No, Dada! Wong! Like this,"

"Sweetie, wait! You're getting frosting all over the counter!"

You opened your eyes to the sound of your 2 year old baby and husband bickering in the kitchen. You got up to investigate, only to find your legs bound loosely by a baby blanket.

Your eyebrow crease. A piece of paper sitting on top of the bedside table caught your eye. You reached over to read the overly decorated card.

'A good parent should stay in bed.'

It read. The letters were clumsily written, but the spelling was correct. That means that Rafayel must've helped. At the very bottom was a doodle with the three of you all holding hands together. Your baby seems to have taken the artistic talent from your dear husband.

You chuckled to yourself. Your baby has grown so much. It was as if it was only yesterday that you held your bundle of joy in your arms. You remember the warmth and the tears. You remembered how close your husband was to fainting. Although if you had asked him, he would've told the story much more differently.

Your trip down memory lane didn't last very long, as the clutter from the kitchen disappears and was instead replaced with hurried footsteps toward your direction.

"Dada! Dada! That! Awake!"

Your baby shouted, pointing towards you. Rafayel appeared through the door frame a few seconds later, holding a tray in his hand. On the tray was a glass of milk and a plate or what looks like to be a tower of pancakes. From where you are sitting, you see some burnt pieces. As he gets closer, you can finally make out what was on the peak of the tower.

Frosting was piped around the pancake. Although only half looks neat, the other half was a complete mess. Some were even dripping off and instead sat depressingly on the plate. Strawberries were neatly cut, and placed in a way that resembled a smiling face.

Finally, you see the words clumsily piped with frosting,

'Happy Birthday!'

That's right. Today was your birthday, wasn't it? It had slipped your mind since you had been too preoccupied for the past few days.

Rafayel leaned to gently place a gentle peck on your forehead, before setting the tray down on your lap.

"Happy birthday. Sorry, did we wake you? I, as a wonderful husband that I am, did try my best to keep quiet so you could sleep in. But someone, was too excited to help celebrate your birthday for the very first time."

"Dada?"

Your baby turns to point at Rafayel. You tried to stifle your laughter.

"Wrong! Looks like the real culprit is a very sassy person, doesn't take after me at all!"

Rafayel then cut a piece of the art, which is your birthday breakfast, then slowly guiding it towards your mouth.

"Say ahh,"

Your baby and husband say at the same time. You felt your heart squeeze inside your chest. You obediently opened your mouth to welcome the treat.

What you expected to be a barrage of sweetness, was instead replaced with a taste of.... Salt?

It seems like your dear husband had switched the sugar and salt. Both of them were looking at you with expectant eyes. You didn't have it in you to rain on their parade. With a strain smile, you give them a thumbs up.

Almost like a liter of puppies, their eyes lit up as they turn to give a high-five to each other.

"Obviously, it was bound to be delicious since it was made by yours truly."

"Me?"

"Seriously, where do you get so much confidence from?"

"Dada!"

"Cleaver kid,"

As you watch them bicker, you couldn't help but smile. Sure, some people prefer to celebrate with an over the top party, maybe held on top of a sky tower or while on a giant cruise.

But this, this small moment of joy is more than enough for you. Time spent with those you care about.

Rafayel snapped you out of your thoughts with a peck on your lips.

"What are you daydreaming about, birthday babe? Isn't it about time you eat your birthday surprise?"

"Eww, cooties!"

"Hey! This is how you get a new sibling, you cheeky brat!"

You only sat back and laughed as Rafayel stretch out your baby's plump cheeks.

You wanted nothing more than to freeze this moment forever.

But perhaps for now, a mental camera will have to do.

Your hand delicately roamed around his face. From pinching his nose, to his chilly forehead, smoothing out his brows, and running a finger between them to stop his frowning.

Your hands went to cup his cheeks, squishing them. Finally, you ran a thumb against his lips. Sculpting his face inside your head was always fun. It's fun because he'd always let you. He'd comply and sit there as you do whatever you please to him.

"Are you done now, butterfly? Or is this just an excuse to brush your hands against my lips?"

Despite straddling him, he was still acting as cheeky as ever. You lay gentle fluttery kisses on both of his eyelids while holding his cheeks in your hold.

Then you lay your forehead against his own, which was gradually getting warm. To see his blossoming face would be a sight to behold indeed. The doctor would've never let him live it down if he were to see.

"I want to see what your eyes look like." You whispered softly your tone as delicate as you possible.

You felt him flinching, going silent. You were afraid that you had crossed his boundary. But before you could retract your statement and offer out an apology, he speaks again.

"Why the sudden interest?"

He doesn't sound angry. He doesn't sound like anything. But you still made sure to thread with caution.

What kind of expression could he be wearing? Pained? Sad? Shock? Calm? You wanted to know. You wanted much more than to just feel him. You want to see him.

"It's not sudden at all. I've always wanted to see you. I want to see the 'golden' of your hair, or the 'lavender' of your eyes. I want to know what kind of expression you make, or what your smile is like. I want to know about your unique quirks, how maybe you would stick your tongue out when you concentrate. I want to know them all."

Then, came out sweet sounds of laughter. He was laughing. His arms that were securely wrapped around your waist tremble at his fits of giggles. It wasn't a smile, but a laugh would suffice you supposed.

Trying to stifle his laughter, he buried hus face on the crook of your neck. His giggles felt ticklish on your skin.

"So? So? Are you guys dating or what?"

"Yeah! Spill the beans already! Everyone already assumes so anyways!"

Hagakure's and Ashido's excited and sparkling gaze peered up at him, full of expectations.

"No, we're just friends. Nothing more."

Shouto's voice came out as calm and monotone as always. His voice is devoid of any emotions. On the other hand, the two girls expressions drooped drastically.

"Aw man! I thought for sure that the two of you were an item!"

Ashido whined, her tone dejected.

"Yeah! Plus, the two of you always walk from and to school together everyday!"

Hagakure interjects, huffing in frustration.

"It's so obvious that you like them!"

"Yes, i do like them." He said.

At an almost lightning fast speed, the girl's head spun towards him, their eyes so wide it might as well have popped out of their sockets. The two of them squealed, giggling and exchanging hushed whispered, which made the dual haired boy raise his brow in confusion.

"Girls, i don't think he really understands what you meant by 'like'."

Iida placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, giving it a gentle pat.

"What!?" They exclaimed at the same time, turning to face him once more, now inching their face closer scrutinizing him with their fierce gaze. "Todoroki, what does it mean when you say that you 'like' them?"

"It means that i find them pleasant to be around and that i feel comfortable in their presence. Why?"

Shouto's watched as Hagakure's and Ashido's face got more and more disappointed with each word that left his mouth.

"So... You don't like, like them?"

"Does repeating it change the meaning?"

"Nevermind..."

The girls sighed in utter disappointment, as they walked away. As he watched them with an uninterested expression, weirdly enough he couldn't get what they said out of his head. It got him thinking—

'Like.'

What exactly does that mean? What defines like? What are the indicators that you like someone? What falls into the 'like' category? He sat there, the day going by in a blur. Before he knew it, the classroom was already empty, leaving him alone with one other student.

"Are you okay, Todoroki? The bell rang ages ago.."

A concerned Midoriya appeared in front of him, his brow forming a crease.

"I'm fine."

Shouto muttered, as he rises from his seat. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he trudged through the quiet halfway. It was tainted orange from the setting sun. The temperature was a bit silly, since fall was nearing its end and winter was drawing ever near.

As he neared the front gate, he saw a familiar figure. They had their back against the gate pillar, checking the watch on their wrist every so often with a passive look on their face. It seems like they hadn't noticed him yet.

He stopped a foot away, as he called out their name.

It was yours.

You turn to face him, a bright smile etched across your face. A smile that made it seem as if the wind that chilled his skin didn't matter. He returned it with a small smile of his own, barely visible if you squint.

"I'm sorry. I kept you waiting. That was not my intention."

"That's okay! I wasn't waiting for that long anyway."

You reassured him, erasing his apologetic pout with a bright grin of your own.

The both of you walked side by side, not having the pressure of making small talk, it was nice just basking in each other's presence.

But maybe being too quiet was not the best, since he found his thoughts drifting back to the conversation earlier today.

"Are you guys dating or what?"

"Everyone already assumes so anyways!"

Why would people assume that? You were obviously only friends. He treats you just like his other friends. But maybe that wasn't the case to others. He thought back to how he treats you and how he treats everyone else. How he slowed down his pace to match yours— wait.

He stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening for a fraction. How long has he been doing that for? Without him, himself even realizing?

Noticing that he was no longer beside you, you turned around, tilting your head.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, it's..... It's nothing."

He shook his head softly, before quickening his pace to walk by your side once more.

It returned to silence, and once again, his own thoughts had betrayed him. Once again, he is contemplating over the difficult topic of 'like'. Yes, it is undeniable that he is very considerate towards you. But that's how he is with all of his other friends. But did he ever go to that extent? ......He conveniently can't recall.

Having been occupied with his own thoughts, you on the other hand were too occupied admiring the clouds in the sky, not noticing the uneven pavement ahead.

Before you knew it, you were already falling forward. As he watches your stumbling, his body began to move before his head had processed what was happening.

His arm was outstretched, ready to catch you. But you never came. He looked to his side, and saw that you had already caught yourself by grabbing onto the railings for support.

You breathe out a sigh of relief, before turning to face him, your face quickly turns into that of confusion.

"Shou? What are you doing? Is something wrong?"

"I... No, it's nothing.."

He shook his head dismissively, slowly retracting his hand and keeping it clenched on his sides.

That was stupid. He should've known that you were perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. It's not like he was your boyfriend—

Woah. That was weird. He placed a hand over his chest, feeling how fast his heart was reacting to the word 'boyfriend'. It was odd. Was he sick?

"Well, we're finally here. See you tomorrow!"

He quickly got his bearings as he realized that the two of you had arrived at your front gate. Time seemed to always slip through his fingers when he's with you.

He stood there and watched as your figure disappeared through the front door. After what felt like forever, he finally dragged his feet away, on his way to his own home. Which wasn't very far, since it was next door.

Truly, what were you to him? He thought of you as a friend. Just a friend. Now he wasn't so sure. Did friends sparkle as much as you did? Did friends make his heartbeat spike so high that he thought that he had developed a heart condition? Did friends get an unsavory feeling every time they see their friend interacting with another friend a little too closely?

He doesn't know anymore. He's never experienced something like this before. Growing up, he wasn't the most social kid in the group. He was private, closed off. His walls up high. But somehow, you managed to slip through the small cracks he had failed to patch up. But if he were to ask himself if he had regretted letting you in, he wouldn't know the answer but it was definitely not a yes.

Every time he basked under your warm smile, it was easier to breathe. Every time he felt suffocated under Endeavor's heavy shadows, you would be there, gently leading him into the light once more.

As he glanced through his window, which was coincidentally directly placed in front of your room. And you were there, putting away your bag. You noticed him, flashing him a bright smile, along with a wave. He returned it with a tiny wave back, with a smile that mirrored your own.

A smile that became his anchor. The smile that adored. A smile that he treasured. The very smile that he loved so much.

That's right.

Love.

Finally, all of the unexplainable actions he took, he finally had a name to put to it.

Who knew something could feel so warm without a fire in sight.

The most dreadful day of the year had finally arrived. His birthday. It was annoying how much people fussed over celebrating a day that even he didn't care about. But, since the other academia students had put so much effort into conducting a surprise, he guess he could've humour them somewhat.

The day was filled with celebration and cake. A surgery sweet that he glared at upon noticing its presence in the middle of the table. He only forced down a bite before giving the plate to someone else. The party lasted for a few more minutes before he escaped, not willing to tolerate the loud party animals anymore.

He made his way to the Avidya forest, where it was quiet and peaceful. Or, it was supposed to be. If only the Aranaras would leave him alone. He sighed, staring at nothing in particular.

Soon, the sun began to go to sleep, the sky turning into a pretty sea of stars. He gazes upon it, indigo eyes full of stories yet to be told. Without even glancing behind him, he called out,

"You can come out now."

The forest was quiet for a moment, only the sounds of crickets singing their tune remains. Soon enough, a figure emerges. You pat your clothes clean from the grim and mud you acquired from kneeling on the dirt for so long. You sat beside him, your gaze also drifting to the night sky.

"Since when did you know that i was there?"

You asked, your cheeks feeling chilly from the cold air outside.

"You're centuries too early to sneak up on me,"

He answered, his fingers tracing the air, connecting the constellation in the sky.

The sound of your laughter was carried by the wind. For a while, no words were said. The two of you simply bask in each other's silence, peacefully, side by side.

That was until you broke it by pulling something out of your pocket.

"Will you give me your hand?"

"What for..?"

He sounded suspicious, scooting away from you, ever so slowly. He flinched when you took ahold of his left wrist, but made no move no push you off.

He felt you sliding something on his wrists, hearing a jingle of a bell. As you finally released his wrist, he brought it up close, inspecting it. It appears to be a bead bracelet, with white, green and purple beads mixed in. There was a bell charm on it, jingling softly with every movement.

"How useless,"

He muttered under his breath, not directed towards anyone in particular.

"Oh, if it's useless, then I'll take it back then,"

You attempted to reach out to take off the bracelet, before he brought it close to his chest, out of your reach. Frowning at you.

"It's rude to return back a gift. I guess I'll have to keep it."

You hold up both of your hands with a mock surrender, settling back to your spot beside him, now gazing downwards, eyes trained on a small stream instead.

"Happy birthday, Kunikuzushi."

"....."

When he didn't reply, you tore your gaze from the stream to his face. He had a somber expression. His eyes telling a much deeper story than they seem.

When his eyes met yours, you felt yourself getting drawn in.

"Has anyone ever told you how pretty your eyes are? They could almost rival the star-filled sky."

You leaned closer, seeing your own reflection in his gaze.

"Clearly, you're the only one insane enough to spout such nonsense."

He turned his head away, a scowl on his face. Yet he couldn't hide the tip of his pink ears. But that's a secret you keep to yourself.

Smiling, you laid your head against his shoulder, closing your eyes, your fatigue finally catching up to you. Even though you could feel the frown radiating off of him, he did nothing to stop you. You smiled at the small victory.

"Thank you,"

He whispered softly, almost as if he was afraid that anyone was going to hear. Maybe he was.

"What was that?"

You cracked open an eye, glancing at him.

"I said, you're going to get the flu, staying outside while dressing so lightly."

He snapped, turning away. You only smiled, closing your eyes once more. After a moment, you spoke,

"You're welcome,"

You felt his shoulder tensing for a moment. He then finally shoved your head off, turning his head away towards the other directions.

The familiar feeling of snowflakes chilled his warm face. The cotton scarf wrapped around the lower part of his face, protecting his nose from the harsh cold. His heterochromia eyes blankly staring at the sky, clouds blocking the sun's comforting embrace.

He was already used to spending December break alone. The house feeling lonelier than ever. His siblings too busy taking care of their own individual responsibility. He much rather spent it outdoors. Perhaps the cold air could be the company that he yearned for.

He closed his eyes, looking through memories. The friends he made, the citizens he saved, the precious people he allowed into his life. All of those memories contains deep feelings which he holds very dear in his heart. He knew he wasn't the most expressive person around. He was described as dense more times than he could count using two hands.

Yet, his mind found it's way to the thought of you. One of the very few people he deamed to be precious. You stuck around him even if he was difficult to get along with. Perhaps that was why he held you so dearly.

He found himself smiling slightly. Even if this December was much lonelier than the last,

"Shouto!"

... He now had you. The sound of your voice calling to him made his heart thump faster in his ribcage. His eyes crinkling up in a smile hidden under his thick scarf.

'That's right.'

He thinks, wrapping his scarf around your trembling form.

You weren't stupid. You noticed the exchanging glances. The look they share. You'd have to be really stupid not to notice.

You remembered the first time you met. It was like magic. It felt like magic. You were partnered up together in a project. And after that, you two just started to spend more time together. When you finally asked him out, you remembered the joy you felt when he agreed.

Then you started dating.

Dating him was fun. It was refreshing. He was popular with the ladies, and you often felt insecure. But he was always there to shut down all the doubts that you bore. He was always respectful. Always kind. Always put you first instead of himself.

You thought that he was too good for you. That it feels like a dream you don't wanna wake up from.

Then that girl came along.

She had transferred from another department. It was fine at first. You were even friends with her. She was kind. Really kind. A selfless person.

When they met it was as if a fire had been lit. The tension was there from the beginning. You were just too naive to see it.

They had spent more time together. They got closer. And friendlier. You could feel the disgusting blob of insecurities and jealousy creeping inside your heart. But he was quick to reassure you.

He was a loyal person. He was so loyal that he was willing to hurt himself rather than betrayal.

You see it slowly but surely, the way he acted around you. It changed. He doesn't give you sweet kisses as often anymore. He doesn't stare at you lovingly anymore. You weren't his priority anymore. You weren't his anymore. He didn't have feelings for you anymore.

He fell out of love with you. He treated you like a friend.

Yet he didn't break up with you. It was awful. But a disgusting part of you was happy. That means that you could still keep him. You still had a chance to steal back his love.

But you knew it was hopeless. He was hopelessly in love. And it's not with you.

You overheard one day. It was a private conversation. You didn't like eavesdropping and wanted to turn away. But then you heard 2 voices. It belonged to those two.

"I really like you. I would like to pursue a romantic relationship with you. Will you let me?" The voice belonged to her. You heart stopped. You felt like puking. She probably doesn't know about you two. You guys weren't too big on pda. Plus you two agreed to keep it a secret because of the amount of admirers he had.

But he likes her. He would definitely return her feelings. And you were about to witness it. There would be no consequences. No one else knows about your relationship. If he was careful enough he could definitely get away with it. You felt light headed. You were gonna run away. You couldn't bear to hear it coming out of his own mouth. His own words. It would be too painful. But, yet, your legs refuse to obey. Staying rooted at your spot.

"I'm sorry but I'm already in a relationship. With-" he said your name. What? Why didn't he accept? Was it because of your relationship? Were you.... Holding him back? There was no way he didn't reciprocate her feelings. You had witness it first hand. He didn't return her feelings because of you..

The disgusting side of you was elated. Even if he didn't share feelings with you anymore, he was still loyal to you. But is it really okay to keep him like like this? Trapping him in this unhappy relationship? Could you even call such a cruel thing love? You felt sick for even thinking of such a thing. He shouldn't stay with you if he could be happy with someone else.

You had to break up with him.

It was clear that he wouldn't.

Even if it would break you forever, you wouldn't mind. It was better for the both of you anyway. Seeing him happy would make you happy. Even if it was seeing him happy with someone else.

You set him down one day. You had carefully told him that you wanted to break things off. It was hard. For you to control the tears. You had prepared months for this moment. You didn't wanna cry. You didn't wanna let go in a pathetic way. You wanted to go strong. You wanted to convince him that you would be okay without him.

It didn't go so well as liquid tears slid down your redden cheeks. Uncontrollable sobs. He was quick to comfort you. To make things okay. You hated that. You hated him. You hated him for being so sweet.

Weakly you push him away. It didn't do much but he did get the memo and gave you personal space. You tried your best to explain that you had lost feelings for him between your harsh sobs. It was a lie. But you figured he would let you go easier that way.

You had also told him about your discoveries on his feelings towards her. The non-platonic kind.

You hated when he didn't deny.

'Don't just stare at your feet in guilt! Deny it! Deny my speculation! Tell me i was wrong! Tell me that it was all a misunderstanding! Tell me that you still had feelings for me!'

You wanted to scream those words at him. To shout it out the top of your lungs. To cry and ripe your hair out.

Softly you told him to go to her. To stop being a coward and go tell her about his love.

The love that she stole from you.

You didn't say the last part. You couldn't. You watch silently as he leaves your apartment, a rush in his step. You were tired. Of life. Of love. Of everything. You just wanted to close your eyes and disappear. Into a different world, different universe. Maybe in one of the universe you were still together. Happily spending the rest of your lives together.

You collapse on your bed. You couldn't stop crying. You cried so hard, you passed out. A few days later you see them around campus. Happy. They were smiling so brightly. It was like someone had stabbed you with a knife. You threw up. When you think about them you felt bitter. It wasn't a nice feeling.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ 𖠇𖠇𖠇𖠇𖠇𖠇𖠇𖠇𖠄𖠇𖠇𖠇𖠇𖠇𖠇𖠇𖠇 ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

Today you asked yourself, why do you hurt yourself so? Why did you decide to attend their wedding years later? Why are you sitting here, celebrating with everyone else?

You hated this. You hated them. But more than anything you hated yourself the most. Wearing a painful smile, dress in green. The colour of envy.

Why did they even invited you? Was it to spite you? To rub it in that it wasn't you that was standing by his side?

No of course not. They were sweet. The nicest and sweetest people you've ever known. They think of you as a dear friend. The friend that got them to meet. They even mentioned you in their wedding speech. How kind.

Yoy hated how bitter and empty you felt. It had been years since then. You'd think that, that was enough time to move on.

But, no. It was painful. No matter how many years pass, you would never get rid of him.

Even now, every time you close your eyes, it was as if you still see his loving gaze.

"I like you! Please go out with me!"

You half shouted to the tall boy in front of you. You were too intimidated to stare at him, so you settled with just staring at your own feet.

You asked yourself, how did you get yourself in such a sticky situation? To be honest, you do like the boy, you honestly do. But the problem was, that he was way too scary!

Seong Taehoon. The scary gangster of the school. Everyone is scared of him. Including you.

Since the two of you were in the same class, you had always tend to admire him from afar. At first, you didn't have a good opinion on him, seeing how he's always so violent, and temperamental that even a tiny spark could set him off. But he wasn't really a bully. Well, he was, but he doesn't bully the weak. At least from what you observed. You had saw him beating up a bully and stealing 500 won from them (you wondered why only 500, but oh well) and maybe from that point on, you started to 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 pay attention to him. And slowly, your opinion of him changed, little by little.

To you, he was like the sun. Bright and beautiful to look at. But if you get too close, you'll die.

So if you were so scared of the man, what were you doing here on the rooftop, confessing to him??

Well it all started when you confied with your best friend. You had told her of your uncontrollable crush.

"I tried to stop this... This... Feeling, but i just can't! I don't know what's wrong with me.. I shouldn't like him, he's wild, brash, and violent. But he just keeps pulling me in!"

Your friend listened intently, pondering something while chewing on her bubble gum.

"Then... Why don't just confess to him?"

You snapped your head towards her.

"What!? Are you insane??"

You friend continued on, unbothered and uninterested.

"Well, maybe if he rejected you, you'll start to lose feelings for him?"

You were dumbfounded. Bewildered even. You thought, 'wow that was the most silliest thing I've ever heard. But then you started to 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 think about it.... Huh. Actually, it wasn't such a bad idea.

Well, there was no way he would actually accept your confession right? The two of you had never interacted before. Not even once. And the possibility of him accepting the confession because of your looks would also be zero. Not because you were super ugly, (you thought you looked pretty average) but because he doesn't seem to be the type of person to be fixated on a person's look. Of course, you might be absolutely wrong, seeing as you've never spoken to him before, but you felt that he was just that kind of person.

So just like that, operation 'getting rejected so that you can move on from this stupid crush' is a go!

And now, back to the present. You clench both of your knuckles hard enough that they were turning white. You cursed at yourself for shaking. How pathetic can you be to shake in front of someone your age?

You braced yourself for the harshness of rejection. Imagining, and hearing it are two very different thing. Millions of response from him ran through your head. Millions of ways that he could reject you. Except, you were wrong. Oh, so, wrong.

"Sure, why not."

"I understand, I— excuse me?"

You blinked back at him, you eyes almost popping out of their sockets. You couldn't believe what you were hearing. Did he just agree to date you?

"Sorry, but um, i asked you to date me.."

"Yeah, and i said sure. Are you deaf, or are you fucking with me?"

"Ah, sorry! I just couldn't believe what i was hearing.."

And you still couldn't. Are you sure you got the right person? Because the Seong Taehoon you knew, would not agree to your proposal. Once again you peek at him over the bangs of your hair. And scarily, he was already staring at you.

You quickly averted you gaze to the ground once more. Yup, it's him alright. But why?? This isn't how it was supposed to go! He was supposed to reject you and you two would go on your seperate way peacefully! Why was he making this so unnecessarily difficult for you?!

"So where are we going?"

"Huh?"

He sigh loudly through his nose, then stared at you with a piercing gaze that made you flinch.

"Do you seriously have a hearing problem?? You're taking me out on a date. Where the hell are we going?"

Whoops, all of your unnecessary thoughts made you forget about the bully in front of you. Quickly gathering your thoughts, you blurted out the first thing you thought of.

"The arcade!"

You didn't know if the answer would pleased him, but it was too late to take it back.

"Do you have 500 won?"

"Huh? Yes?"

"Meet me at the front gate after school."

While trying to comprehend what he just said, he had already made his way past you, going to his class Since lunch break was over.

The two of you shared a class, so you timidly followed behind him.

After a bit more of walking, the two of you finally arrived to class. He finally took notice of you following behind him. He rose a brow.

"Aren't you going back to your class? What the hell are you doing here?"

"... This 𝘪𝘴 my class."

".... Oh."

He wordlessly entered without giving you a second glance. That douchebag didn't even know you two were in the same class yet he accepted your confession? You found yourself already starting to lose feelings for him.

Oh boy, you were in for a ride. You hope that you'll at least be alive at the end of it.

"There! I see her Highness! Men! after her!"

The girl's feet padded on the muddied ground caused by the rain prior to her escape. She had to run barefoot, her shoes discarded and long forgotten. She pulls the cloak closer to herself, like an indestructible armour. Being raised in a castle didn't allow her much physical activity making her quite frail.

Just a little more. I'm almost there.......

The place that shall keep me safe.

There she sees an ominous-looking forest, shrouded in a dark misty ambience. The grand forest of dreams. That was her destination. Her ticket out of this miserable life of hers.

Almost there....!

She could hear the royal knights closing in from behind. They were right on her tail.

Just a little more.......!

She tightly shut her eyes and focused her energy on her feet, pushing herself to reach the forest before the knights could capture her. Or even worse, present her head to the crown prince.

Faster feet...!

Just then, her feet had slipped on the muddy and unstable ground, making her crash face-first into the dirt. No... it was too late. At this rate, she would be caught by the soldiers pursuing her.

This is the end.

Just as she had accepted her grim fate, sudden screams, and sounds of confrontations made her whip her head backward. There stood a grizzly bear standing around 8 feet tall. It was blocking the soldiers' path. The bear looked back, staring at her. Her breath hitched, for a moment, she thought that the bear would pounce on her. But instead, it had turned its attention back to the royal knights before it.

She took her chance that very second and dashed into the forest. A prick of worry for the bear made her look past her shoulders. She sees the knights struggling against the bear. Just then, she could've sworn that she shared a brief eye contact with the bear before focusing her attention back in front of her.

If she hadn't known any better, she might've thought that the bear was helping her. She pushed such ridiculous thoughts away. She needed to focus on the present. Now that she's inside the Forest of Dreams, none of the royal knights would dare to follow her inside. Because of how The Forest of Dreams earned its name. Those who entered the forest uninvited.............

............never wakes up ever again.

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After walking for what felt like hours, the girl had taken a short rest under a tree with a decent shade from the sun. Her back had made contact with the bark of the tree as she lightly tapped her head against it. With it, the hood on her cloak fell, unveiling her long silvery hair. The girl sighs, curling herself by bringing her knees to her chest and resting her head on top of it.

If the Forest of Dreams was so dangerous, why did she decide to enter it in the first place anyway? She had no choice in the matter. She would rather get killed by getting eaten by a wild animal than dying at the hands of the crown prince hands. But that wasn't the only reason she sought after the Forest of Dreams. She wanted to meet the Infamous Guardian of the forest. Leshy, the Guardian of the forest or commonly known by other people as the Wood Demon.

She had snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a distinct thump, coming from behind her. Feeling cautious from her earlier train of thought, she slowly peeked her head to investigate.

What she found.....was just a young nestling who had fallen out of its nest on accident. Her amethyst-colored eyes soften immediately as she breathes a sigh of relief. She carefully scoops up the young hatchling into her palm, taking extra caution so as to not accidentally injure it.

The girl had always had a special talent with animals. Growing up, her only companions were mice that found their way into her room, birds that sat themselves down on her window sill, or stray cats that would beg for her attention by wrapping themselves around her legs. Those small animals were her only companion during her childhood years after her nanny disappeared.

Just as she had succeeded in returning the bird back to its rightful nest, her neck snapped towards the sound of footsteps steadily approaching her. She swallowed back the lump that was blocking her throat and prepared herself for the inevitable confrontation that was coming.

"Who dares to trespass these sacred lands?"

She felt a shudder run down her spine, an intimidating voice calling out to her. There was no doubt about it, this was the infamous Leshy she had been wanting to meet. Unconsciously, she held her breath as Leshy made it's appearance. The being that had struck such deep-rooted fear in people in the whole Kingdom of Garnette for centuries was not a tall stickly figure that would have branches as limbs that she had imagined inside her head. Instead, it had a human body, just like her. The only difference being the long deer antlers that sits itself on top of the being's head, as well as it's hooves replacing the normally would-be human legs. It had long silky straight hair that reached the ground. She noted that the color resemble that of the night sky. Holding a wooden staff in one hand, Leshy was wearing a porcelain mask resembling a deer.

Seeing how similar the being was to that of a human made her feel more at ease. But she still kept her guard up. surely it wasn't unfounded, the fear that Leshy had struck inside of the citizens. She took a big gulp of air before answering,

"Lord Leshy, Please listen to my humble request.."

She paused briefly, waiting for the being to reply. When it kept quiet, she took it as her sign to continue.

"Please allow me to take refuge within your forest!"

"....."

She felt her hope slipping through her fingers when the guardian kept it's mouth shut. The girl was about to open her mouth again before Leshy finally replied.

"For how long are you planning to stay for?"

At it's words, her face visibly lit up. Now that it was actually hearing her out, she was going to do whatever she could to convince it to let her take shelter in the forest for a few months. At least until the knights and crown prince cease their pursuit of her.

"Half a year would be enough, but we could also discuss it further-"

"Are you not afraid of me?"

Leshy cutting her off took her off guard, but without missing a beat, the girl's smile widened.

"I know you won't hurt me as long as I follow the rules of the forest and don't bring harm to the animals living peacefully inside the forest." "What made you so sure?" The speed of his reply shocked her, but only for a brief moment before composing herself once more.

"I have read all about you in various articles and other literature sources and I found something in common. You only hurt those who were scheming to harm the animals living in harmony. Such as poachers or hunters. But people or little children who had wandered into the forest accidentally would mysteriously return without so much as a scratch on their body besides the fuzzy memories of the forest."

When Leshy had kept it's silence, she knew that she had guessed correctly. "Am I wrong Lord Leshy?"

But after long period of silence, the familiar feeling of fear creeps up inside. Had she bitten more than she can chew? Her hope completely shattered the being turned around without so much as a word.

This was it.... this was the end...

What do I do now...?

The girl hung her head low, feeling dejected. Just then, The being spoke up, it's back still facing her. "Just as you promised to not harm the residents of this forest, I'll allow you to stay for half a year, as you had suggested."

Happiness quickly bubbled up inside the girl. Feelings of delight and relief. For the time being at least, she had the forest's protection.

"Oh thank you Lord Leshy! I'll be in your care from now on! Ah, right, where are my manners..? My name is Anya.." The girl, Anya, gave a low curtesy. Perhaps out of habit. Leshy, who was on it's way back retreating further into the forest, stopped and looked past it's shoulder to stare at the young woman.

"Don't call me that. That isn't my name. it's just what people had started to call me after a while."

The being looked off into the distance for a moment before directing it's gaze back to Anya once more.

"Call me....."

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".......Morpheus! Won't you come down and join us?"

"No need."

Anya huffed in frustration at Morpheus's short and curt answer. Currently, Anya was resting on the grass, wildflowers surrounding her. A small squirrel rests itself on her lap as various other animals sit around the young woman as well. Meanwhile, Morpheus had stubbornly insisted on resting on a tree branch above their little get-together.

After staying with the guardian of the forest for two months, Anya had thought of the being as a treasured friend. She had discovered that Morpheus preferred to be referred to as a man even if he himself admits that he does not have genitalia of either gender. However, the face under the porcelain mask remains a mystery. She had asked him about it once, he had said that his face was much too scary for the eyes. Anya wasn't quite convinced at his reasoning. Someone who protects animals would surely have a kind face.

Over the course of the two months, she could see Morpheus observing her every move. Morpheus didn't even attempt to hide the evident suspicion that he had for the girl. But she had paid it no mind. After all, it was admirable how dedicated he was to his duties of keeping the forest safe.

But she hopes that after all that time spent in each other's presence, he no longer holds such hostile feelings against her. But seeing how laid-back he is acting, it's safe to assume that he had become quite used to her presence. Somehow, everything felt a bit domestic. The thought made her crack a small smile.

Suddenly, the peace broke as quickly as it came when she noticed Morpheus's body tensing up. That was never a good sign. It wasn't just Morpheus who was acting odd, the animals that were surrounding her a moment ago had all left one by one, as if they were running away from someone, or something. The sound of Morpheus's feet hitting the ground after jumping down from the tree branch had snapped her out of her train of thought and scared away the squirrel that was peacefully napping on her lap.

"W, What's wrong...?" The girl questioned hesitantly. She was scared. Of course, she was. How could she not be when it had gotten all of the animals and even the forest guardian so agitated? Morpheus stayed silent and instead stared intently at the east side of the forest. She felt a part of her heart squeezing when she thinks of the possibility of it being the royal knights.

No, that's impossible... She pushed the idea away as quickly as it came. There was simply no way, the knights and everyone should've all thought of her as dead by now. Surely the crown prince would've demolished his search for her by now, right..? As much as she'd like to believe her own words it was becoming increasingly harder to put a lid on her growing anxiety.

Eventually, heavy rapid footsteps could be heard approaching their location. A large figure entered the scene. Emerging from the thick trees was a rhinoceros, whose height reached about 1.9 meters tall. It looked enraged... and was charging straight towards her! Not having enough time to react, all Anya could manage was to block the front of her body using her forearm and hope that the injury she sustained would not be as fatal that she'll lose her life.

But whilst tightly shutting her eyes and bracing for impact, it never came. Instead, she opened her eyes to meet the all too familiar porcelain deer mask. Part of her was shocked that he even saved her, whilst another part was glad she didn't sustain any injuries. Morpheus had saved her by lifting her into his hold. His forearm was hooked under her knees and the other was supporting the small of her back. Immediately noticing how unstable her position was, she hooked her arms around his neck.

"Anya, are you hurt?"

All she could manage was a weak nod in return, her eyes never leaving the rampaging wild animal behind Morpheus. Eventually, Morpheus found a suitable place to put down the frightened Anya. It was on top of a medium-sized tree. One that would be out of reach for the rhinoceros. After placing down the woman and making sure that she was okay, Morpheus turned around to go deal with the animal before it did some actual damage to the forest. But the feeling of his shirt getting pulled made him look past his shoulders and meet the eyes of a worried maiden.

"Will you be okay?" Maybe at the back of her mind, she had already known the answer to it. But she needed to hear him say it. To calm herself down.

He gently took ahold of her shaking hands, softly prying off her hands that were clutching his shirt so tightly. Maybe she had been more affected than he had initially thought. But even so, he gave her hands a reassuring squeeze. "This is the burden of my duties. You shouldn't worry too much. I'll be just fine."

Reluctantly, she nodded as she hung her head down low. Morpheus jumps down to deal with the beast. All she could do was to observe from above. It was less than ideal, but if she was to stay bellow with Morpheus and the rhinoceros, she would've probably ended up being a hindrance to him or even worse, getting turned into mush by the rhinoceros hooves.

Anya watched in awe from above as Morpheus expertly darted around the rhinoceros, dodging the rhinoceros's fruitless assault towards him. The girl knew that he had to be amazing to earn the title of 'The Guardian of The Forest', but to see it with her own eyes was still unbelievable.

The rhinoceros began charging towards Morpheus. At first, Anya had no doubt that Morpheus would be able to expertly dodge it this time as well. But all of a sudden, she noticed a deep dark purple liquid trickle down his legs. Could it be his blood? He isn't human after all, a different color of blood isn't too far fetch. But when she saw how much he was bleeding, a seed of worry grew inside of her. When could he have gotten hurt? She had been intently staring at him this whole time, and the rhinoceros didn't get close to him once! Unless he had gotten hurt before then.....

Could it be...?

Had he gotten hurt when he saved me before?!

Just then, Morpheus had moved to sidestep the animal when the injury on his legs preventing from moving his body how he had intended. This resulted in the rhinoceros ramming into him, its horn impaling him into a sturdy tree.

"Morpheus!"

Anya's eyes widen in horror. It had all happened so fast. The force of the impact had made a crack in the porcelain mask, promptly shattering it to pieces.

But Anya didn't care about that. She couldn't have cared less for the mask. All that was running through her mind was the guardian's well-being. Maybe that was what convinced her to climb down the tree, not caring enough about her own safety.

As she ran closer to their location, she picked up a small pebble on the way, throwing it toward the rhinoceros. Where had she gotten the courage to provoke the rampaging beast, she does not know. But all she knew was that she needed to get the animal away from Morpheus. Even if it was stupid of her to risk her life for it. There was also a possibility of Morpheus not surviving it. She pushed such negative thoughts away. He had survived for centuries, surely he'd survived this time as well.

He has to!

The pebble hit the rhinoceros behind, making it face toward her and releasing Morpheus from its horn. Morpheus slumped down to the ground. As the rhinoceros began charging toward her, she ran in the opposite direction leading it somewhere else. It wasn't as if she had climbed down from the tree without a plan at all. Well, could it even be called a plan if she wasn't even sure that it would work?

She led the wild beast towards an area filled with long vines, planning to immobilize it without actually hurting it. She took out a small dagger gifted to her by Morpheus when he had seen her struggling to pick berries, after making her promise that she wouldn't use it to hurt animals. Not like she was planning to, even if he didn't make her promise not to. Come to think of it, Morpheus had given her plenty of things. Including the soft shoes that were on her feet this very moment. She smiled at the thought. Even if he had always acted cold and distant, at his core was a kind and sincere being.

Cutting some vines and expertly wrapping them around the rhinoceros without it noticing, she successfully made it lay down on its side. She was lucky that her half-baked plan worked. Now comes the hard part. Calming the rhinoceros down. Cautiously, she puts a hand on the space between the rhinoceros eyes, trying to soothe it gently.

"It's okay. No one is going to hurt you...Won't you calm down?"

Eventually, the rhino stopped fussing and turned quiet. All that was left was quiet whimpers, almost as if it was in pain. Pain....?

......!

That was it! It was causing a scene because it was hurt but it didn't know how to convey it!

The worst-case scenario immediately came to mind. Could poachers have come and threatened the rhinoceros? But it didn't look like it was bleeding......

Suspecting that something was amiss, Anya carefully inspected around the rhinoceros making sure to check it thoroughly. Eventually, she found the root of the problem. A giant splinter had nudged itself into the rhinoceros's feet. Now comes the next problem. Pray tell, how does one take out a splinter from the foot of a large animal?

After a bit of brainstorming, Anya wrapped a sturdy-looking vine around the splinter and pulled on it hoping to get the splinter out. Of course, the chance of that plan working was slim. After three minutes of pulling on the vine, no progress was made. It was not at all helping that the rhinoceros was not keeping itself still even while bound by the vines.

"Did you truly expect that you would be able to pull out such a large splinter all by yourself?", a voice said from behind. Anya turned around, her alert amethyst eyes stared into calm sea blue ones. It took Anya a few seconds to piece together who it was since he was no longer wearing the porcelain mask.

"M, M, Morpheus?! Is that truly you?" There, standing, well.. leaning, against a tree casually with his arms crossed in front of his chest, was no other than the forest guardian, Morpheus.

"B, But how? I saw you get impaled with my own two eyes! How do you look unscathed?" It was truly mind-boggling how the hole in his chest had disappeared and what remained was the hole in his shirt and purple blood stains.

"As a forest guardian appointed and created by the Spring Faerie herself, I am not human. As you can see from my drastically different blood color.", he showed his purple-soaked shirt, "But I am also immortal. How else did you think I survived for the past centuries?" He arches a brow, his face screaming, Are you a moron?

Somehow, Anya felt slighted. "Well... I had thought that you were highly skilled for being able to survive for hundreds of years..." At that, he got quiet. "That was a reason too, I supposed.." He muttered a few moments later.

His voice sounds different without being muffled by the mask... She thinks to herself, now having the luxury of staring at him. Contrary to what he had said about his own appearance, he was a fine young gentleman. With deep blue eyes like the ocean, and a sharp jawline. Rather than scary, she would say that he was rather...... handsome.

"......Pardon?" he uttered, completely bewildered. Anya quickly slapped a hand over her mouth.

Oh great heavens, did I just say that out loud?!

"Yes, you did..", As if the situation couldn't have possibly gotten worse, it did. All she could do was wallow in embarrassment as she waited for the moment to pass. Seeing her rather adorable reaction, all Morpheus could muster was a brief chuckle.

Just then, Anya realized something. "Wait, how long have you been watching me try to pull the splinter out?"

"For about 3 minutes."

"You've been watching me struggle from the start?!" the girl fumed.

"Enough of that. Anya, you go and calm down the rhinoceros while I'll go and pull out the splinter."

She decided to ignore the blatant attempt at changing the subject and to focus on the task at hand. "Why don't we just pull on the splinter together?"

He stopped in his tracks and looked past his shoulder to stare at her with that same look again. "Do you truly think that you can make a difference with that scrawny noodle arms of yours? It would be much more useful for you to calm down the rhinoceros while I pull the splinter out." Anya promptly shut up and took her position near the rhinoceros face.

Morpheus wrapped the other ends of the vines to his hands and pulled on it with all the strength that he could muster. Immediately there was progress as the splinter began to move. Anya felt relieved. But now it was time to do her own job as the rhinoceros became restless. She puts her palm against the rhinoceros once more, attempting to calm it down. Gentle whispers of reassurance surrounded the forest as she tried her best to settle the panicked animal down. The rhinoceros began to quiet down, which shocked the girl. She hadn't expected the plan to work.

After a few more minutes of struggle, Morpheus was able to safely pull the splinter out of the rhinoceros foot. The wound left by it wasn't as big as they had thought, so they released the rhinoceros soon after. The rhinoceros gently nudges Morpheus and Anya, as if it were expressing its gratitude. But it lingered just a bit longer around Morpheus. Morpheus had reciprocated by softly patting its side with a gentle smile on his face. It was her first time seeing him smile. It looked peaceful. It caused her to crack a smile as well.

"It's okay... You weren't able to properly convey your feelings because you were hurt.." If this wasn't her first time witnessing such an absurd sight, Anya's eyes would've been bulging out of her skull by now. It was only last month that she found out the fact that Morpheus had the unique ability to talk to animals. She had found him tending to a wild fox who had gotten hurt. A forest guardian had plenty of surprises it seems.

They both watched from afar as the rhinoceros retreated back into the deeper part of the forest. As soon as the rhinoceros disappeared from sight, Anya was startled at the speed at which Morpheus turned towards her.

"You! What were you thinking climbing down the tree when the rhinoceros was still causing trouble?! You could've gotten seriously injured, or worse, lost your life!"

His words had snapped something inside of Anya. "What, do you truly think that after seeing you get hurt like that you expect me to just do nothing and stay still?! You could've lost your life!"

"I'm immortal. I don't lose my life like that of a mortal-"

"Well, how was I supposed to know that!" The woman shouted. Fresh tears pricked her eyes. "I, I, I was afraid!", tears were now flowing freely fall down her cheeks. "I was terrified! That you would perish before my very eyes and I would be left alone in this vast forest- no, world!" Anya was finding it increasingly hard to breathe. Her heartbeat ringing inside her ears.

Morpheus silently observed her. Guilt in his eyes. "I, It is my duty to-"

"Enough already!" Anya screamed, which had startled Morpheus. "I understand your point..... You have your duties to fulfill as The Guardian of The Forest. I understand. Truly. But could you stop being reckless in fulfilling your 'duties'?" She asked sincerely. Her hand clutched the garment above her heart. "I begged of you. Next time, please save yourself instead of protecting me. Then, you wouldn't have....." gotten hurt while you were protecting me.

Morpheus thought hard about her words. He looked down on the ground as he carefully chose his next words. ".... I have a duty to fulfill. To protect the forest, the creatures, and the beings in it. Because you have temporarily become one of the many residents living inside the forest, Then protecting you became one of my duties too." Morpheus tried to give her the most genuine tone he had. She too, had become an important part of his life. He hoped that she could understand that too.

"......oh.." So I'm just another duty he needs to fulfill, am I?

It felt as if a pit had drooped to her stomach.

Morpheus saw how her shoulder was shaking, and her eyes were red. If his words weren't enough to reach her, he had to find another way to stop her tears. Getting a brilliant idea, Morpheus holds out his hand for her to take. Anya was skeptical, but she trusted Morpheus. There was no need for more words as she readily put her hands in his.

He had led her through the thick forest. Across the luscious green trees and small bushes. Across the large roots sprayed on the floor. Across the tall trees and chirping birds. They arrived at a large clearing. A flower field. The view was breathtaking. It looked magical. Like something straight out of a fairy tale.

"It's... Mesmerizing. Truly." Anya looked around in awe.

"... I'm glad you feel that way." Morpheus stared at her, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.

The field was filled with all kinds of flowers. There was one flower that had caught her eye. A flower known as gypsophila or Baby's Breath. The Garnette Kingdom national flower. Gentle hands softly pluck the flowers from the ground. Anya turns around, showing Morpheus the freshly pluck flower. Morpheus looked startled as he flinched slightly. But he recovered just as quickly. Maybe she had seen it wrong?

She decided to brush it off.

"This field is... A safe place for me. It's a place that always calms me down. And I hope it shall have the same effect on you, Anya."

Their eyes met, and for a moment, the world goes quiet.

"Thank you.", and for the first time in a while, her smile reached her eyes. Then, Anya held out a hand while the other lightly lifted her skirt to form a small curtesy. Looking up at Morpheus, he had a shocked expression and his jaw dropped open slightly, Anya barely managed to suppress a laugh.

"Would you care to join me for a dance, my lord?"

"O, Oh, I'm afraid that I've never danced before. I would only bore you.." This was Anya's first time seeing him so flustered.

"Don't worry too much about the small details. It's just us isn't it?" The playful wink from Anya had done little to calm him down, but he found himself breathing out a laugh all the same. Without wasting another second, Morpheus puts his hand in her outstretched one, squeezing it softly.

"If you mind taking the lead... My Lady,"

And so they danced. For that day, the forest was filled with giggles and gentle smiles. In this dance, they are not the 'runaway princess' or 'the guardian of the forest of dreams'.

They were just Anya and Morpheus.

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That day was as peaceful as every other day. It had been well over 4 months since Anya's arrival in the Forest of Dreams. By now, Anya and Morpheus had become much more comfortable around each other's presence. Spending each day in the comforts of the green humid forest, surrounded by the distant chirpings of birds and sounds of small critters, Morpheus was peacefully resting his head on a bark on a tree, his eyes never leaving the figure of a woman who was petting a tamed rabbit. She looks ethereal, even while doing something so mundane.

On the other hand, ever since the incident that had caused the porcelain mask to shatter, Morpheus had taken a 3-day trip to fix it. Contrary to what Anya had expected, the mask was as good as new. Although, Morpheus had kept his lips tightly sealed on his methods of fixing it, no matter how much she begged and whined. That stubborn fellow, him.

But unlike before, Morpheus rarely donned the mask around her, while he does keep it tied to the side of his head. She supposed that there was no longer a reason to since she had already seen what he had looked like.

Returning to the present, everything had felt peaceful. But Anya knew that something was bound to go wrong when the usually calm and nonchalant guardian of the forest had abruptly gotten up and donned his porcelain mask on. The mask he'll only put on to interact with animals or for intruders.

"Anya! Get down!"

Diving into her, they rolled downhill into a thick bush, just barely dodging the hoards of arrows fired their way. The sharp thorns in the bushes had caused her to scrape her cheek, as well as her palm and knees. But she didn't have the luxury to pay attention to her well-being considering their current predicament.

"Your Highness, 6th Princess Anastasia Von Garnette! Please cooperate with your arrest ordered by the Imperial Crown Prince, His Highness Helios Von Garnette, under the crime of plotting treason to His Majesty, The Sun of the Kingdom of Garnette, King Zachary Von Garnette with the help of The Guardian of The Forest of Dreams, Leshy!" A piercing male voice called out. He sounded out of breath after his long declaration. But nonetheless, Anya had recognized the voice to be Alexios Von Garnette, the 5th prince as well as the Captain of the royal knights.

Realizing such a fact had shaken Anya to her core. She gripped the sleeves belonging to Morpheus, her body all the way to her fingertip trembling uncontrollably. Morpheus looked at her pitifully. There was no need for an exchange of words. His larger hand gripped over her smaller ones, squeezing it reassuringly. It was as if he was saying 'Everything will be okay.' With much more determination than before, Morpheus released the maiden trembling hand and emerged from the bushes ready to risk everything to defend those he cares for.

In an instant, rain of arrows descended towards him, the tip lightly coated in a light blue substance. 'Most likely poison.' concluded Morpheus. With his inhumane level of agility and skills, Morpheus easily dodged the assault of arrows. The hoard of arrows went past him and destroyed the bushes from which he appeared from. Thankfully, he had instructed Anya to escape elsewhere beforehand.

Breathing a sigh of relief at Anya's successful escape, Morpheus did not allow himself to get distracted, as he sidestepped the sword that was aimed at his head. With a swift kick, he takes out two guards as he smashes the other three with their own heads taking all five of them out. While simultaneously trying to fend the knights off, Morpheus made a mental count of all of the knights present. There were at least 200 of them. But the situation was in his favor, for no one knew the layout of the forest better than the forest guardian himself.

The fight was so one-sided that the royal knightage was slowly losing morale to continue the battle. Soon enough, the only ones left standing on the mountain of bodies were the terrifying Guardian of the forest and the terrified captain of the guards. Even if Prince Alexios was already beaten up and haggard, he had refused to let go of the weapon in his hands. Be it because of stubbornness or undying loyalty to serve his country, or even because of his pride preventing him from admitting defeat.

As Morpheus approached him, he could see Alexios trembling, the hand holding the sword was barely able to keep the weapon steady in his grip. The Prince was breathing heavily, his eyes unfocused, he was barely keeping them open. Out of the blue, the prince started to laugh, uncontrollably. Morpheus had thought of it as odd, his face contorting to confusion. All of a sudden, Alexios grabbed a firearm that he had concealed on his thigh strap.

"If I can't defeat you, then I'll at least get rid of that nuisance, Anastasia!"

With that, Prince Alexios pulled the trigger, shooting past Morpheus, successfully hitting something behind him. With a slacked jaw and wide eyes hidden behind his mask, Morpheus turns around. Although he was the one who ordered her escape, he, himself does not know where she has hidden herself. The worst-case scenario had crawled itself into his head.

"Anya-!" Her name was at the tip of his tongue.

He turned to see... nothing. The bullet had instead hit a tree. Just then, he felt pain in his left abdomen. He looked down to see Alexios, lodging a stray arrow into his side. Successfully tricking the guardian of the forest, Alexios smirks in triumph.

"Perhaps I should thank my foolish little sister for my success in this bluff... Looks like she had some.... use.... after all..." After his last few words, Alexios had passed out. It was surprising how he had held his ground for so long.

All Morpheus could do was huff out a laugh as he slumped down a tree bark. Just then, Anya emerged from her place of hiding. It was on top of a tree, the complete opposite of where Alexios was aiming. She jumped down without caring for the hoard of bodies down below.

"Morpheus!" Hot, wet, tears stream down her face, her voice calling his name. She kneeled beside him, her whole body trembling in terror or sadness, Morpheus couldn't quite tell from his blurry vision. "Wha, What do I do..? Wait, You have self-healing, don't you? Is the arrow preventing you from healing? I, If I take i, it out, will you be better?"

Squeezing her eyes shut, Anya gripped the arrows with two of her hands, swiftly pulling them out. Her actions had caused Morpheus to arch his back whilst groaning in pain. "I, I told you to save yourself instead of protecting me.." Anya mutters to herself, salty tears still spilling from her eyes. Her trembling hands tried covering the wound, still spilling purple blood out of him. After moments and moments of waiting, Morpheus's wound had shown no signs of healing itself. A seed of despair planted itself inside of Anya.

"Wha, What's going on?! Why aren't you healing? Morpheus!" Anya screamed, desperation in her tone. With her free hand, she uncovers his face. Morpheus was breathing heavily, his eyes unfocused. Yet, a small smile tugged at his lips.

"What are you smiling for, Morpheus..? W, Why aren't your wounds healing like they always do?"

As time passed, Morpheus had become paler by the second, beads of sweat gathered around his forehead. "Anya... No.. Anastasia-"

"No! Don't... Don't call me by that name.. It, It isn't mine.." Morpheus glanced at Anya. Her shoulders trembling. ".... Very well. Anya.. the wound isn't healing was most likely due to the tip of the arrow being coated in a mixture of gypsophila, my only weakness."

Anya's body froze. A shocking realization dawned upon her. "N, No! Doesn't that mean that this is just a normal wound? No, You, You're bleeding too much! Morpheus! Tell me! How do I heal this wound? Tell me how do I heal you!" Glossy eyes stared into tired ones. Anxiousness, desperation, terror. Morpheus could see it clearly painted across her face. But both of them knew that it was far too late to save him. He had lost too much blood. All that was waiting for him were internal slumber.

"Anya..." Weakly, Morpheus brought a hand lightly caressing her cheek, slightly tainting it purple. A heart-wrenching sob pried itself out of her. With her trembling hand, she gripped his larger ones bringing it close to her cheek, cradling it. She closed her eyes, unable to bring herself to look into his eyes without herself sobbing.

"There's something I have to tell you before I-"

"No! Don't say that... You're going to survive, and then you're going to tell me!"

"Anya..." Morpheus furrowed his brow, not having any more energy to properly scold her.

Anya had no choice but to hear out his last wish. Even if she couldn't accept that it was his 'last'.

"Anya... Didn't you notice how you were surrounded by animals, big or small, your whole life?"

"What does this have anything to do with-"

"Anya."

She took a second to stabilize her breath. Morpheus was not far off. Animals had been her only friends and companions her whole life. She nodded at his question, not trusting herself to answer without stuttering.

Morpheus had kept quiet, his gaze never leaving her. "I knew... That you were special the moment I laid my eyes on you." That made Anya open her amethyst eyes to stare into his sea-blue ones. "Wha, What do you mean.." All of a sudden, Morpheus wore a serious look.

"Anya.. You were blessed by the Spring Faerie to be loved and adored by animals. Similar to how I was created using the Spring Faerie's blood to be the guardian of the forest. " Anya's mouth dropped open slightly, yet no voice came out. Seeing as Anya didn't have much more to add, Morpheus continued.

"That's why the gypsophila flowers hurt me." He placed his other hand above hers which had been blocking his bleeding wound the whole time. "They originated from the Spring Faerie's tears, they become toxic to me."

"S, So I was blessed by the Spring Faerie? Is that why the bear helped me? Is that why the rhinoceros didn't attack me? If it was a blessing, is any of the 'love' and 'adoration' from those animals I've interacted with truly their own? Who's to say it wasn't all the work of the blessing? How is that any different than brainwashing them?"

Anya's breath had become unstable, her brows furrowed together. Her feelings were in turmoil. She felt betrayed, confused, fake. She didn't know what to believe anymore. Morpheus turns to gaze pitifully at her.

"That... Isn't how the blessing works. It's because of your kind and selfless nature. All the Spring Faerie did was make that kind and selfless nature visible to the animals. Animals are an amazing judge of characters after all." Morpheus smiled, a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. All Anya could do was hang her head low, not having enough energy to shed more tears.

"And I, as a half-animal, crafted by the Spring Faerie's blood, could also not stop the feeling of love and adoration that continue to grow for you." At his words, Anya immediately lifts her head to look into his eyes. He had a bittersweet smile on his face. She should be happy right now. Happier than before. But all she could feel were grief, sorrows, and regrets.

"M, Me as well, I share those feelings as well!" The woman shouts in desperation. She had never felt so helpless before.

For the first time, Morpheus's eyes held mirth in them. "I'm glad.... To hear that.." And just as soon as it appears, it disappears just as quickly. All of a sudden, the lower part of Morpheus turns into golden mist.

"Wha, What's happening to you?! Whe, Where are you going? Morpheus!" Anya screamed, clearly startled.

Morpheus however did not seem alarmed in the slightest. "Since I was created using the Spring Fearie's blood and a part of this forest, must mean I'm returning back to the forest. So I will not perish, and instead continue to live in this forest without my consciousness."

"You... How is that any different than actually perishing...?"

Morpheus chuckled weakly. "Perhaps you're right. There really aren't any significant differences aren't there?"

Soon enough, the hand she had been cradling disappeared, as well as his wounded torso. All that was left was his head which was kept in a smile.

"Goodbye, Anya.."

Anya swallowed back her tears and sobs, instead wanting to send him off with a smile. "Goodbye, Morpheus.."

Unfortunately, he was no longer present to hear her farewell. All that was left was a porcelain deer mask, an arrow, and a grieving woman.

✧༺✦✮✦༻∞ ✣✣✣✣✣ ∞༺✦✮✦༻✧

"Did you hear about the Guardian of the Forest of Dreams?" A patron at the bar asked his friend.

The friend in question sipped on an alcoholic beverage. "Oh, you mean the monster that had deer antlers and wore a dear mask? I hear people say that They had long black hair or something.."

"What?!" The bar patron slapped his hand on the table, shouting, "That's not true! Witness says that they had long white hair with a dear mask! There's no antlers!"

"huh, I must've misremembered the tale..."

"Well, it's no wonder! Looks like you had too much to drink! Let's get you back home."

The much sober patron lent a shoulder to his friend as they made their way home. On their merry way home, the sober man noticed a wild deer watching their every move. He thought that they were odd. Then, for a split second, he saw a hooded figure wearing a deer mask. But just as he blinked, they disappeared.