Taoreta's POV

  Inside Of The Snow "Igloo"

  As we went deeper into this "igloo", the more I realized that it was more spacious on the inside than I originally thought.

  Right then, we were walking in a snow-like hallway that was surprisingly warm. Well, a lot warmer than outside, that was for sure. But then, it begged the question. How in the world did cold from the inside of this pce escape, if not from the front door? Did it escape from the walls despite the original purpose of an igloo being to keep the cool air out and the warmth inside?

  Or-

  Did the igloo ck the structure? By that, I meant that it didn't have snow covering the holes that could have let the cold air slip through the cracks without you realizing it. But then, another question came to mind. How in the world did this part of the igloo stay "warm"?

  Weird, indeed. Then again, this igloo being here is the most strangest thing...

  If the monster had wanted to, it could've kept fighting without resorting to this. But instead, the igloo was made. The more I thought about it, the more I doubted that this igloo would give it some kind of home advantage. But Jir seemed to think so.

  "Are you sure that this was made by the monster itself?" I asked Jir, who was ahead of us.

  "Yeah, I'm kinda doubting that, too," Kishi replied as well.

  It seemed like I wasn't the only one who thought so.

  Jir sighed deeply and seemed to be breathing heavily. From the cold or from the questions we were given, I didn't know.

  "Kuma doesn't have that much magical energy to create this, and David sure doesn't have magic at all, based on what I have seen. Having a suspicion about either of those two for creating this thing is ridiculous. The only thing that makes sense to me is the monster to create the igloo itself." Jir sped up after saying all of that. "Let's move. Save the questions for ter, okay?"

  "Hmm..." I frowned and pced my free hand under my chin.

  Well, she wasn't wrong. Asking questions about something that couldn't be expined right away did seem like a waste. But it couldn't hurt to still ask, though. I knew Jir might not have the answer I needed, but still, I wanted to at least get something.

  Geez, this world keeps getting weirder and weirder...

  "...Yeah, Jir's right. Even if we got questions, it doesn't make sense to ask her directly. I know it's to get some answer regardless, but still, Jir makes a valid point about saving the questions for ter." Kishi tightened his grip. We both were both still holding hands.

  "Yeah, true..." I nodded.

  "Let's go, Tao. Kuma needs us. David, too." Kishi started to pick up the pace after saying that.

  I did the same and matched his pace.

  ...Yeah, that was fair. We couldn't expect to get anything right then since there were still questions that needed to be answered. But still, the questions were piling up as we followed Jir around.

  I suppose I can keep it to myself until the time is right...

  I turned my head and saw Kishi's red hair with every movement. My eyes wandered from his red hair to his sunstone eyes to his smooth lips. They were a bit red from the cold, but they looked as soft as they always did. I knew I shouldn't have been doing this while we were on a mission, but my eyes continued to explore Kishi's body. They lowered to his neck, to his chest area.

  My eyes were drawn to that area in particur since that was where the scars were. The same identical scar on his back.

  Now it was my turn to tighten my grip.

  I narrowed my eyes and decided to look forward with determination.

  I wanted to know how it felt to get scars and still be able to live out a normal life. Of course, I had gotten wounds, but wounds could heal. Scars, though? Scars could never heal. They would be there for the rest of your natural life.

  Thinking about that, then, it made me even more determined to face the monster head-on. It had stabbed my stomach, but the scar there wasn't as severe as Kishi's. Mato had said that it would be there for a while, but due to unexpined reasons, it would go away. Scars that go away? I didn't deserve it if Kishi's couldn't even do that. And to tell you the truth, it was unreal...

  At any rate, I pushed that thought behind me and regained my focus on the task at hand....

  A few Minutes Later...

  It seemed like we were nearly out of the hallway of this pce. Just straight ahead, there was a light at the end of the hallway.

  Jir let out her breath deeply, and I could see some cold air once more.

  "Yeah, that makes sense. We're nearly at the center of this pce, I assume." Jir stopped and turned around to face Kishi and me with a serious look. Jir folded her arms and began to speak once more.

  "Listen, you two. Crank up the heat on your Super Codes. The cold up ahead might be unbearable so-"

  CRASH!

  A loud sound was heard up ahead, interrupting Jir. This made Jir look back in fear and tighten both of her fists. Most likely due to the fear of the sound AND the sudden explosion from ahead.

  I could tell that due to the smoke coming in our direction.

  "What the hell?!" Jir panicked.

  "Jir! That must be Kuma and David!" Kishi shouted as he released my hand and took a step forward.

  "Kishi?" I blinked and reached out to him, but Kishi took another step forward and grabbed both of Jir's shoulders.

  "Hey, Jir! They'll be fine, right?! What was that explosion just now?!" Kishi was panicking, which worried my very soul.

  Jir spped both of Kishi's hands away from her shoulders and turned around.

  "I'm not sure myself. I'm in the dark as well, Kishi. But we'll know once we-"

  Boom!

  Another loud sound was heard from ahead. This made Kishi flinch and then narrow his eyes in frustration.

  "DAMN IT! DAVID! KUMA!" Kishi shouted before sprinting ahead of both Jir and me.

  "H-huh?! What are you doing, you idiot! I told you to-!"

  "Kishi! Don't go alone!" my voice overpped Jir's concern for Kishi's wellbeing.

  Dash!

  I made a dash and went past Jir, who seemed to raise her hand to stop me from chasing Kishi, but it was a little too te for that. My body had already moved on its own before I could process what I was doing and what I was supposed to do in the first pce.

  Step! Step! Step!

  "Hey! You two need to calm down and listen to me! Guys!"

  Jir's screams fell on deaf ears.

  I chose to ignore Jir's warnings and follow my best friend, who was running towards the light.

  Step! Step! Step!

  My body. My body was moving. And I knew the very reason why. The st time this had happened, it was back in prison when I had seen Kishi lying on the floor, lifeless. My brain just flickered and reacted instead of thinking rationally like I normally did. My breath was fastened, my legs were hurting, my heart was beating fast. The pce was starting to get cold once more. I hadn't listened, and now I would face the consequences for not obeying Jir, who was only looking out for our well-being.

  I was sure Kishi was the same as well.

  After all, here he was, running toward the brink of danger without a care in the world.

  No, it wasn't like that. Kishi was worried about his friends, so his body moved on its own. It was almost as if you set up an arm and your body reacted when that arm made a sound. Just like me, Kishi followed his actions, not his mind.

  I might have been a girl who thought a lot and loved to ask questions about things I didn't know, but Kishi was different. I also knew that he didn't care if he died during these actions he was doing. That was one of the many reasons for my reaction.

  I knew that if I didn't follow behind, Kishi would get hurt without analyzing the situation.

  Though I was a hypocrite.

  Yes.

  Taoreta didn't think when it came to her best friend, Kishi.

  My body moved before I could think.

  It was the exact reason why I felt this fear within my heart. Not due to my own death, but Kishi's. The light was turning brighter and brighter. It was like we had been running for a long time. Or did it feel like time had stopped as I chased after the one who dared everything to me? I watched Kishi's back. The same back that had the scar to protect me all those years ago.

  Static!

  An image fshed of a young Kishi being on top of me as his eyes didn't have their light while he smiled at me after protecting me from a monster. And that same monster had stabbed him from his back to his stomach.

  And now... it would happen again if I didn't chase after him...

  Static!

  I returned to reality and saw Kishi blending in with the light at the end of the hallway. My right hand reached out. My whole soul was screaming, pleading, crying to make it before Kishi got noticed by the monster that could freeze him in a matter of seconds.

  Hurry. Hurry!

  Please hurry!

  Don't make the same mistake again... TAORETA!!!!

  Protect him! Guide him! Make sure he's safe!

  After all... after all...!

  He's the very person... who I don't want to fade out of my life by someone else's hand...!!

  I stretched and leapt at the light as well. But I hadn't taken into account how bright it would be. I wasn't sure if it was due to the snow or my very tunnel vision for Kishi's safety, but I felt my foot misstep.

  I tripped, not knowing where I would fall. Would it be my death? Not even I knew for sure. But I did know that before I died, I wanted to at least make sure that Kishi wouldn't be seen by that monster. If the monster saw me first, then at least I could give him time to hide as he used my corpse to satisfy its instinct...

  My body... fell...

  Crash!

  My mind... blurred...