Kogen had his arms crossed, sitting down with his back turned from the traitor. He did his very best not to just snap at Akechi, to break him like he had done so to him in their home world. It was a mix of his rumbling stomach and Tsubaki's request that kept the demon at bay, though it was at the expense of any meaningful action on his part.

When Asahi returned, fish in tow, Kogen merely grunted at his pleas to 'help out.' Standing up, his arms rested to the back of his head as he released a very exasperated sigh.

"Why should I work with that traitor? Did you all forget what he did to me? Or were my years of torment still something that we'll continue to ignore?" Kogen asked the rest, through gritted teeth. There were a lot of things Kogen wanted to say about his classmates, and about Akechi especially. How they've only looked out for themselves, how they all didn't care who got hurt as long as they could come out without a scratch. It was just like them all to abandon their weakest and throw them out to the wolves. Poor Yuudai was the first victim of this selfish sense of self-preservation. There were a few others wounded as well, and Kogen began to think about just who else their classmates could have abandoned...

"Say, why was the rat with Tsubaki-san anyway?" Kogen had asked Asahi, his arms crossed once again. "And why were they far from the rest?" Kogen looked down to the grass in deep thought, gears churning in that otherwise hollow head of his. Why was Akechi alone with Tsubaki, who was wounded and had lost an arm? Was he supposed to carry her but had lagged behind from the rest? No, that doesn't make sense... Was Akechi somehow first-aid certified? Not a chance. There was only one rational reason as to why he'd be there, an obvious answer that could only come from one too familiar with the sting of betrayal.

"... What were you doing out in the woods with her, Akito?" Kogen had asked his bully, his voice carrying a grim and uncharacteristic sense of seriousness. His fist clenched tightly for a second, looking straight through Akito for a moment. However, he remembered what Tsubaki had asked of him, and more importantly, he knew that whatever they were doing with the woods, Akito didn't abandon Tsubaki after all.

"... Whatever. I don't care, anyway. We're all still alive, and we're all together, for better or for worse." Kogen sighed as he walked towards the lake. "I'm going to look for a nice, sharp rock, something we can make sparks from and chop wood with. If my mysterious sources are true, I should be able to sift througu some in the gravelly parts of the lake." Of course, Kogen only had the faintest idea of where to look and what to find. After all, his 'mysterious sources' was M*necraft. All he knew was that he needed to find something sharp and shiny in the shallow parts of the water.

And so, Kogen pulled his pants legs up before going to town on the sediment that dotted the shallow portions of the lake's floor.

______________________________________________________________________

Resistant? Masato shrugged Maeda's hand off, though he turned to look at the other boy and consider his words. So all of the monsters had some kind of magic going on, even if it was just a barrier or hard skin or whatever. That sucked, but at least he knew now. And maybe they could make more effective spearheads with some teeth and claws? As for whatever conspiracy theory Maeda was about to bring up... "A gun has to pack way more of a punch than a spear, maybe they can just break through the resistance with force."

He accompanied Maeda, Stewart, and Nakagawa back towards the group. There was still a lot to think about, including the new information he'd just learned, but in regards to the class' next move he was adamant about continuing on from here. Thankfully Nakagawa had done his best to get the others prepared to keep going. The basketball club's captain was a lot more charismatic than the student council president - yet they still ultimately looked toward the latter for leadsership.

Masato opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by the impatient ace of said basketball team.

"No," he said, exasperated. "The stream we found was barely anything. We need cleaner water, so we'll have to follow it for a while before we can think about stopping." And if they were going to keep moving, they might as well not stop at all until they found a safe... or, well. safer place. If they took any more breaks, they might not be able to get some of the students with less stamina moving again. "After that we can think about sending a scout to look around."

Masato couldn't argue the fact that some of their group were slowing the others down, but the decision on whether to leave them or not was much harder than it had been last night. He'd thought about it already, but for one Bansen and Endo were not leaving a bloody trail behind them. Yet. Bansen's lungs must have started filling with blood based on his coughing. He had no idea what was wrong with Endo. They were liabilities, but not an immediate danger to the class like he'd deemed Okumura to be. For now, they could afford to take the injured with them. If there came a time when they couldn't... then they'd have to leave them behind for the good of the group as a whole.

He took a quick, steadying breath. "Quicker we go, the quicker we'll be able to rest, okay? So let's get going. If anyone needs help speak up."

______________________________________________________________________

@AThousandCurses@Cu Chulainn@Erode@baraquiel

It took a moment for Ayana to register what Asashi had shouted out to her. Her flailing and splashing continued for a moment longer until her brain caught up with what had been said. She took her feet and planted them against the lakebed as she extended her legs. Standing up out of the water as she looked down at the water accusingly. “Right….I knew that all along, I was only testing all of you, that’s right, it was a test!” trying to explain herself, but by this point there was likely no point in doing so. Not a soul would ever believe her, especially not with her history and track record.

Her sapphire gaze glaring down at the water of the lake, blue burning into blue. “Just you wait lake….just when you think you have won…I’ll have my revenge….when you least suspect it and when no one is looking…..just wait….” Whispering threateningly to the water around her. Vowing vengeance against it for nearly drowning her even though she had never been in any real danger. And despite the fact that the lake was inanimate and would never respond to her vow.

At least that was what most would assume, but with Ayana anything was possible. Only seconds after her utterance, she had turned to begin making her way back up too the shoreline. The refreshing water having energized her to her core as she felt like an entirely new person. This was the cleanest she had felt since they had arrived. Plus its cool waters had filled her stomach and quenched her thirst, despite nearly drowning in it, it had been the best water she had ever had.

Just as she thought she was safe, she awkwardly stepped on a slippery rock as her left foot flew out to the side and out from underneath her almost immediately. Sending her staggering off balance forward as she tried to reestablish herself, her eyes widening in surprise. "That was a cheap shot! going for the legs like a coward!" shouting out as it was too late, her weight was too far off to bring back and gravity was already doing its work. Heading straight for Asashi and Kogen was they spoke as she went head first tumbling in between the two with a crash and a thud. Rolling head over heel as she was only stopped by a nearby tree. Slamming into it with a thud and a cry as she ended up upside down. Grimacing as she started to rub her head, her gaze finally took notice of Asashi and Kogen, without righting herself.

“That is strange….this world really is weird…..first the lake kicked my ass twice…..now everyone else is walking upside down…..” The tumble having rattled what was left of her brain cells. Going for the fantastical explanation and not the practical one.

---

//Day 1 | Location: Nameless Forest - Clearing
_{@Yankee@Vertigo}

Conflict, subtle but present, arose between the decision-making process once more, as the two Awakened students proposed conflicting ideas as to just how much they could do. Hana and Kumi seemed fine with leaving now, though. The dead-eyed girl rummaged through the remains of the firepit, her fingers stained with soot, before plucking out a still-smouldering ember and wrapping it in cloth. Insurance, perhaps. Daisuke eyed Duncan, trying to get a better read on his friend, but Maki elbowed him in the ribs, telling him to get going. She had fashioned a crutch for herself out of one of the spears. It would be slow going, nonetheless, but she wasn’t going to let herself get carried this time…regardless of how much Haruko hovered around her. Juro and Sohei made it out from the wreckage that they had been digging through. Their bounty wasn’t all that spectacular, but they came out of it with a bundle of unbroken bento boxes and bottles, some extra bags and clothing, and, perhaps most importantly, Rin’s toolset.

An invaluable artifact of civilization. One that Sohei was insistent on carrying for himself.

His twin brother sighed at the sight, then scampered off to help Yukiko out with the burden she still bothered herself with. A bit of rest had gotten her up again; though if she fell once more, it was unlikely anything short of a full eight hours of sleep would get her back up. Mayumi oversaw it all, quiet calculations and counts ticking away within her mind, but she didn’t do much outside of shoot a snide comment towards Ayano as she passed by. From the treasurer’s perspective, it looked clear enough that the peppy bitch just wanted attention.

Tensions simmered beneath the surface, but the concerns of food, water, and shelter kept it from boiling over. Duncan managed to heave the wolfbear corpse, their last source of food, over his shoulder. It was easy enough, if not a bit cumbersome. The stench of a day-old kill was a terrible one though; bugs scattered when he had picked it up, but now gathered once more, clustering around him with an incessant whirr. It would have made for a miserable hike, if Tsubasa hadn’t taken it onto herself to swat at the insects with a leafy branch. She looked healthy enough, despite the circumstances. Had plenty of energy to burn, if she was keeping pace with Duncan.

And Masato, abandonment off the table, found himself tasked with carrying Sasuke.

To the stream. Down the stream. And then…

---

//Day 1 | Location: Nameless Forest - Lakeside
_{@AThousandCurses@baraquiel@Cu Chulainn@Nakushita}

Shun returned to the others just in time to watch Ayana fall head over heels towards Kogen and Akito. Literally. It was just like the klutz to do something like that, and it was perhaps a blessing of her Awakening too that she could now do that without splitting her skull open.

It was good timing too. Akito was mid-breath, ready to verbally tear Kogen’s ass open, when all this happened. And now, between Asahi’s chastisement and Ayana’s…whatever? It just wasn’t the atmosphere for lashing out anymore. The brunette let out a slow, long hiss. Then he got up and walked the opposite direction, going back to his work of gathering wood. Tsubaki, seeing the brewing animosity, pinched the bridge of her nose, as if trying to both massage away the pain and just the general bad vibes. Boys could be boys, but when one of the boys was superhumanly powerful, any fight that actually broke out would have some one-sidedly deadly consequences. The short-haired girl walked over to where Ayana was. Her right arm raised upwards for a moment, then dropped. She sat down beside her instead, a wry smile forming.

“Nice timing,” Tsubaki remarked, “But go on and roll over already. And tell me how many fingers you see.” Concussions were no joke. A durable body didn’t erase the fact that the brain was still the most vulnerable part of a human body.

With the man-children (well, more like just teenagers) scattered, Asahi could see just how far the two had gotten with their fire-making efforts to start: they had been rubbing sticks together. It was an irritating lack of knowledge and technique, but at the very least, he had for himself sticks to skewer the fish with, and the opportunity to scale, gut, and clean them out as well. The fang-dagger was clumsy as a fishmonger’s tool, but he had the experience to make it work.

Kogen’s adventures digging within the lake’s bed had coffered up some results as well. His Minecraft knowledge hadn’t failed him in that regard, at least. He knew he needed flint and luckily, flint was something that could be found within lakes. After his hands began to become numb from the water’s chill, he stumbled back out, with a small handful of sharp, flaky rocks in tow. The fish was ready, the wood was piled up, and everyone was gathered.

Now, it was just a matter of making a spark from the stone.

…

……

……….

Masato and Duncan’s group had been exhausted at this point, but the gradually strengthening of the water’s flow, the transitioning from stream to river, had all given some energy back into their classmates. They marched on at an unsteady, but nevertheless consistent pace, and soon, they could see the lake in the distance.

They could see too, familiar faces.

The classmates they had left behind. The classmates that they had thought were dead. The classmates, currently huddled over a pile of wood, obsessively clacking stones together, but only creating dust and powder from it. Asahi, his face conflicted as he saw Sasuke amongst the crowd. Tsubaki, letting out a laugh of genuine relief, oblivious that she had been left for dead while unconscious. Kogen and Shun, grappling with their respective grudges towards the ones who had abandoned them. And Akito, locking eyes with Masato immediately. Eyes turned to slits, mouth stretched out into a crescent.

Sohei rushed forwards to Rin, but it was Hana’s approach that was more practical. The girl strode over and handed them her knife.

“You need flint and steel. Won’t be a spark otherwise.”

And, with that, the prospects for coaxing a flame became all the more likely.

______________________________________________________________________

When they departed the clearing, Masato's tense shoulders relaxed - by about three millimeters, but it was a start. Yesterday (God, has it only been a day? The hours felt like months) when they'd all woken up after the crash, he'd felt it best to stay put and wait for help. Now, he wanted to get as far away from this place as possible. It was dangerous, tainted with the blood of their friends; same with the area of the forest he'd left Okumura in. He wasn't naive enough to think that the next place they settled in would be devoid of danger, but anywhere had to be better than the ruined, stinking remains of their bus.

He firmly ignored the dour mood that had settled over the students, the grumbling and the tired panting that accompanied their footsteps. He shut it out and focused on moving. Bansen was on his back, the unconscious boy's arms draped over either side of Masato's neck. He didn't feel heavy, and realistically Masato knew that was due to his awakened strength, but that didn't stop an unnerving feeling from taking root in his mind. The blood he coughed up in his sleep didn't help, dirtying Masato's shoulder and bringing with it the coppery smell he was beginning to hate. Bansen would probably be the next to die.

They continued. After much too long their prayers were answered. A lake, water. They could clean themselves, their kill, and maybe even catch some fish. Miraculously, the river led them to something else too.

"How...?" Masato breathed as the other students flowed around him toward their friends and family. He was struck with so many conflicting feelings at once that he'd stopped in place. He was glad, of course. Relieved that the people they'd left to fight the monsters had actually survived despite the odds. Kanamori must have led them to the stream thinking that the rest of them would head there. It was smart thinking of her. The relief was doubly so for Kogen, though that particular feeling came with an edge. Of course Kogen was alive and well. He was a survivor, and fearless, and dependable. A good person, unlike... well.

Okumura, though. Seeing her alive was shocking. Last night she was on the brink of death, bleeding out with no way to save her. So how the hell was she here now? The shit eating expression on Akito's face told him nothing, but he could get the answers out of the boy later. For now, the confusion and the frustration and the dread started to melt away and the knot in his chest loosened.

"Ha... hahaha..." Masato nearly dropped Bansen in his relief. Things hadn't gone the way he expected, but that was okay - he'd made the right choice! He quickly pulled himself together, going back to the more stoic (when he wasn't arguing) Masato they all knew and walking the rest of the way to find a spot to lay down his charge.

So far, so good. Everything seemed to be in 'harmony' with her remaining classmates. That strange animal from earlier didn't seem to do anything as she left so that probably meant it wasn't hostile. Kogen and Akito seemed to get along well, considering Kogen hadn't outright murdered Akito. The look on Kogen's face could cook some eggs if they had any. She sympathized with Kogen slightly. Being an outlier herself, though not to the point of becoming a chuuni, Shun had her fair share of gossiping behind her back. Knowing Akito, he'd throw in his opinion or two. Unlike Kogen, Shun didn't really care about other people. They can talk about what they want to talk about and do what they want to do.

That was until she turned her head around. For the briefest of moments, her face immediately soured when she saw Masato walking straight up to them. That backstabber.

Walking straight up to Masato, it took Shun some effort to put on her usual smile. "Well, hello, Masato and everyone. Nice weather, right?" Her eyes drifted over toward her classmates. Her lingered on Endo and the burnt Yukiko, an image of Yuudai drifted through her head, and her fists tightened. It would seem that today was not her day. "I see mostly everyone in your party seems to be the picturesque definition of healthy." Shun hummed to herself but then stopped. Whatever 'harmony' she saw earlier quickly broke apart.

Once Masato had found a spot to lay down Bansen, Shun dropped the facade. An arm grabbed Masato's collar and pulled him closer to herself. "You better give me a good reason not to knock the shit out of you, Masato." Her hand tightened. "I won't fault you for Yuudai's death; that was my responsibility. Tsubaki on the otherhand? If I remember correctly, she left with you guys and somehow ended up with Akito." Just like a cup of water, Shun spilled everything she had to say.

"So, let me say it again, give a valid reason why you decided to flee, not with everyone, before I throw you in that lake." Masato probably knew how to swim, unlike Ayana. Unlike Ayana, Masato wasn't going to have a pleasant drop into the fresh lake, depending on his response.

---

Asahi exhaled through his nose when he found the fruits of Kogen and Akito's labor: barely anything. He growled in annoyance. He didn't care about the presence of animosity increasing in the air within the group. They were all irritated, exhausted, filthy, thirsty, and hungry. If it wasn't for his power-up, Asahi wouldn't be so sure if he could survive in the night too. He'll probably be one of the few who'd perish last night.

Still, a man's got to do what a man's got to do to survive in this god-forsaken world. Even with their child-like bickering, the two still did their part in helping and that counted for something in his book.

He looked at the fish he caught and glanced at his reflection in the water. He was wet, his damp clothes stuck to his skin, he felt really cold, and he was starting to get stinky from the fish. All in all, it helped make him feel at home.

He was in the middle of examining the fishes, cutting out pieces of them, and studying their anatomy to see how similar they really were to the fishes back on their world. He could hear them before he could see them: several pairs of footsteps trudging along the ground coupled with heavy breathing, some breathing heavier more than the others.

"They're here." Asahi said out loud and soon enough, the other half of their group emerged from the forest. While everyone felt elated upon reuniting with everyone that survived, there was only one face Asahi was fixated on.

"Sasuke..." He said softly, quickly washing the fish blood and guts from his hands before running towards him. He looked really pale and he could now tell Sasuke was one of the people Asahi heard breathing heavily a while ago. The pink-haired lad could only imagine the pain he'd been experiencing overnight and he felt so, so glad Sasuke managed to pull through enough for him to heal him.

Asahi helped his classmate lay down on soft grass underneath the shade of a tree. "So, I have this thing..." He would say while helping Sasuke get comfortable. "Just... Whatever you're about to experience, know that I am only doing this to save you just how I did with Tsubaki." He sat above and near Sasuke's head, placing his fingers at the sides of his temples. He willed his pink threads to emerge from his fingertips and attached them onto his head. Thankfully, it seemed that his subconscious knew enough from mentally connecting to a target to physically aiming them. Nevertheless, Asahi took a deep breath in, mentally prepared to undergo another hours' worth of saving someone's life.

______________________________________________________________________

Kanamori was acting strange and doing an extremely poor job of hiding it. Masato didn't usually speak with her, in fact the most they'd ever spoken to each other was yesterday while the both of them were part of the water searching group, so it took him a beat or two to realize that she was angry. She didn't do anything until after Hoshino had come over to help lay Bansen down, and then as soon as Masato stepped away to give them some space she got into his face.

Somehow he honestly hadn't expected that the other "changed" students would be upset. For Masato, leaving the clearing with the other, unchanged students during the attack meant they were saving the most amount of lives. He thought the others would understand and come find them, if they survived, which to be fair hadn't seemed likely. Ah. It clicked in his brain while Kanamori was shouting questions at him that they must have felt they were abandoned to die. So Okumura wasn't the first person he'd done that to, huh? Now that he understood the situation he felt a little guilty, but irritation was his main emotion at that moment.

"I don't remember us being that close," he said in response to her use of his first name, wrenching her hand off of him. Like this, in the Otherside, their strengths were on par with each other so she wouldn't find him to be so easy a target.

In just a few seconds he learned a lot. First that Higasa was definitely dead, not just missing. He recalled that he'd been Kanamori's friend too, not just Sato's, which explained why she might be angrier than the others. Second, how Okumura had survived. Hoshino seemed to have developed a completely new ability, one he didn't have before. Somehow Okumura and Akito had found their way back to the others, which ended up saving her life. Third, Akito hadn't told them anything yet. It was surprising, and appreciated, and there was no telling how long it would last. As a bonus fourth, she was laying all of the blame at Masato's feet and not any of the other students', including Stewart who'd come along with them. This he didn't begrudge her, he just made a note of it. If he was going to be the class' de facto leader then he'd accept that blame. He slotted all of the new information into place in his mind while facing Kanamori's ire. He didn't stoop to the level of threatening a girl - just took a step away from Kanamori and scowled at her.

"How many of us do you want to die?" He asked her seriously. "I'm sorry about what happened to Higasa. But it could have happened to a lot more people if we didn't leave. There are monsters in this place trying to kill us. Monsters that most of us can't fight! It was the best way to protect the most amount of people."

And it worked. Though he didn't say that out loud, it was both clear on his face and an observable fact. Twenty eight students, one casualty, despite the brutality of the attack last night. While two were still unconscious, they were alive - and they might yet end up okay thanks to Hoshino. Almost everything had worked out. Almost. Masato glanced briefly to Sato, the girl that he admired and who had asked him to go with them away from the battle. Then he looked back to Kanamori with his head held high.

"If that isn't a valid enough reason for you, then fine," he said, "but I stand by my choice."

______________________________________________________________________

@AThousandCurses@Cu Chulainn@Erode@baraquiel

Ayana remained upside down for a moment as Akito disengaged from his conversation with Kogen. Preventing any kind of blow up between the two for the time being. Her gaze drifting towards Tsubaki as she came to sit beside her. Starting to right herself so she was sitting upright, fixing her clothing as best as she could. Gingerly rubbing the back of her head for a moment as she let out a small sigh.

“I don’t know what you mean about timing…I don’t think there is a good time to take a tumble, at least the last time I checked there wasn’t…..” Her sapphire eyes shifting towards Tsubaki’s fingers as she asked her to count them. Beside the soreness around the back of her head, Ayana felt otherwise fine and normal.

Squinting her eyes at Tsubaki for a moment with a small frown as she wondered if Tsubaki was trying to play some kind of trick on her. “Well, that depends on if you consider a thumb a finger or not, because that would change the total of course as It would either be three or four depending on that….” Ayana answered confidently while also seeking clarification. Regardless of everything that had happened so far, it was good to see Tsubaki still alive after all that had just happened. At of all of her classmates so far on this trip, Tsubaki had be far been the most thoughtful and kind towards her.

Before she could express this to Tsubaki, the other group finally arrived as trouble begun to stir once again. Ayana watching as Shun confronted Masato as it was clear to even her that things could quickly turn sour if cooler heads didn’t prevail. Frowning as she glanced over at Tsubaki “If people keep behaving like this, we won’t have to worry about those beasts being the biggest threat and enemy, it will be all of us that become our greatest threat….” Whispering in dissatisfaction about the infighting.


Trying to get up to her feet to head over to get in the middle of it all if things got any worse between Shun and Masato. She didn’t like to see others in conflict, and she knew that if they had any chance of making it out of this, they would all have to work together. The moment they started to go for each other’s throats, was the moment they would doom themselves. It was clear after the most recent attack by the strange creatures of this world, that it would already be challenging enough to make it out alive.

Sasuke wasn’t breathing heavily.

What Asahi heard was his own breathing. And what he spoke was for his own benefit only.

After all, the fair-faced martial artist was unconscious, his breaths shallow and meager, far removed from the steady, calm breathing that was instilled in him by his father and grandfather. It was a thread, fraying. A thread about to snap. A thread that Asahi had to weave back together.

Pink threads slipped out from his fingers, teased out from the forge within his core. They snagged, like spidersilk, upon Sasuke’s pale, pallid flesh, and immediately, Asahi felt it.

There were no thoughts. No emotions. Nothing to latch onto except the faint signal of a life ebbing away. It was void, a crippling, exhausting void, one that could only inform him of the internal injuries, the organs skewered by broken ribs, before being exacerbated by methods of carrying that were as primitive as a piggyback ride. It was a flash of alacrity, and then, like a TV with its plug pulled, it turned to black as well.

Asahi’s stomach seemed to fold in on itself, the forge gone cold from both dread and simply lack of fuel.

He hadn’t eaten yet. He hadn’t even drunk anything yet. He had hardly slept. He was already on the precipice himself, and instinctually, as an Awakened and simply as a human being, he understood that he couldn’t keep pushing himself. He was empty. He had been empty since the night before, burnt to cinders by his efforts at keeping up with the hulk-phant. He had pushed himself to the shatterpoint healing Tsubaki. Some rest had helped him recover, but he needed more. He need water. He need rest.

And, most importantly, he needed food. So much food. Easily twice the amount of food he had just managed to gather by himself.
But what he didn’t have was time.

His threads, his Cables, dissolved, disconnecting from the fragmented vestiges of Sasuke’s unconsciousness as Asahi’s own mind grew faint. Such banal arguments they were all having.

It must be so nice, having the energy to bitch and moan.

Now everyone seemed to gang up on her. Ayana, Duncan, and Asashi judging by their expression, all sided with Masato. It seemed like a group consensus that Masato made the correct choice in having Masato take their defenseless classmates away from the battlefield. Part of Shun also agreed with Masato's decisions. Yet, why did Yuudai have to die? Just because everyone else survived and only Yuudai died was a good thing? There were many if, but with only one now, those ifs only frustrated Shun more.

Soon people started separating her and Masato. "I'd like to see you bury your friend's remains with your own hands," Shun muttered under her breath. Though as Duncan separated her from Masato, when he spoke, it shocked her. A chuckle erupted before it transitioned into a laugh. If she was frustrated with Masato, then she was absolutely furious with Duncan. "That's rich coming from you, Stewart." Comparing him to every other awakened, sans Ayana, who had taken a dive into the lake, Duncan looked pristine. "At least I fought and killed some of the monsters. Now tell me, what did you do during that fight?" If she recalled, absolutely nothing. He just followed and left with the others.

Rolling up her sleeves, she thrust her tattered sleeve onto Duncan's chest. The arm underneath was adorned with scars from her fight against the long tail. "At least I tried! What did you do, Stewart!? Nothing! You just left without even trying to fight! I tried my best, and Yuudai still died! Yuudai- He- He-" Something was lodged into her throat. Something hammered against her skull. There was almost nothing left of Yuudai. He must have been alone, slowly dying as everybody left him behind. If only she had noticed the wolves sooner, fought better, and made all the correct decisions, then Yuudai might have been alive.

Though that wasn't her reality.

Shun stood still for a few seconds before taking a few steps back from Duncan. Her head lowered, which gave off an uncharacteristic gloom. "I saw a monster earlier when I was previewing the area." Shun finally said. "It noticed me, but it didn't seem hostile. Whatever that means is up to interpretation." It was best to get away from the lake and find a location nearby it. Where there was water, life was sure to come to follow.

And Shun didn't want to be nearby any living being right now.

Without a word, Shun left the group and disappeared into the woods. It happened at such a fast speed that it seemed as if Shun had used her power. Whether she used it or not was unknown even to Shun, as her vision was blanketed with green. At some point, she found herself leaning against a tree. Her arm had removed some of the bark that was on it. The sound of rushing water at least told her that the lake was nearby.

Her back slid against the tree and landed upon the roots.

Shun hated people. If you didn't fit with their definition of 'normal,' then you were considered weird. A freak, a nutcase, an outlier. If you were any of these, then you'd be excluded from the rest of the group. Who gave them the right to judge people for their actions? Especially those who weren't even involved in the situation. What authority did they have to become the judge, jury, and executioner?

"It's just not fair..." Shun hated groups of people. Unlike Kogen, who yearned for their attention, Shun subconsciously avoided joining any groups. The judging looks they gave her made her indignant. Her parents were no exception. They all judged her the same. She was Kogen's polar opposite in that regard. While he thrived under that attention, she stagnated underneath it. That's why she always looked the other direction and drove down the road. If she didn't acknowledge those judgemental stares, then they didn't exist. If they didn't exist, then they couldn't jeopardize her feelings.

A faint memory appeared in Shun's mind. That day at Ayano's party, her head was bloodied after hitting it against a table. Dizziness overwhelmed her senses. She looked back at the crowd that gathered before her.

The group looked back at her. They judged her. Some were worried, but most were annoyed. "Of course, that freak had to do Something. Who invited her in?"
"Ughh..." A wave of nausea caused Shun to regurgitate, but all that came out was liquid. Come to think of it; she hadn't eaten yet. Between scouting the area for any potential dangers and meeting Masato's group, there wasn't much of an opportunity. The persistent pounding on her head didn't bring her any relief at all. The concussion was still present. It was best to return to the group, but Shun didn't want to.

In her current disposition, Shun felt like she would lash out at her classmates again. Well, it wasn't like they needed her anyways. They had everyone, aside from herself, there. The soreness from last night's fight swept over her. Perhaps Duncan was right; she wasn't trustworthy at all.

---

"Wait, what...?"

This was weird. Asahi was expecting to feel a barrage of different emotions and memories that will all surge onto him the moment he connected with Sasuke. He was expecting to feel his insides burn with so much pain and to see snippets of Sasuke's past.

Instead, there was nothing: a dark, cold empty void of nothingness. Asahi's expression soured, he was ready to share half or even more than half of his Awakened state to Sasuke to speed up his recovery but he had nothing to share it to. However, Asahi could also feel something else. He couldn't describe it in words, he could just feel that it's there despite it being very faint. It seemed to get farther and farther away from him the more he willed himself to chase after it. Deep inside Asahi, he knew this faint feeling was Sasuke's life force slowly but surely fading away until there's nothing more.

"No... Nonononononono. This can't be happening...!" The pink-haired lad was panicking and he was immediately channeling every single bit of his strength to save Sasuke. He stoked his forge as hard as he could but, in a matter of speaking, there were no more coals to burn. Asahi had little to no sleep, he was terribly exhausted after swimming in the lake and catching those fishes, he was absolutely starving that he could literally eat a horse or three, but most of all, the hot fires that burned within the forge was replaced with the coldness of dread.

Panic creeped up his system as he struggled to maintain his focus and his pink threads vanished. He doubled over Sasuke and he gagged violently with his stomach doing somersaults, but he had nothing to vomit but air. Even if he did have some sleep awhile ago, he now felt even sleepier and tired, unable to keep his eyes open for a second. He cradled Sasuke's head as his body rocked back and forth, tears dripping down his classmate's blank, expressionless face.

For the first time in his life, Asahi felt completely, metaphorically and literally, powerless.

"E-E-Elp..." All around him, Asahi's classmates were arguing. He couldn't understand what they were all fighting about; all their screaming were making it harder for him to keep it together. Asahi breathed in deeply multiple times through shaky breaths until he had enough strength to give what little power he had left to his voice.

"H-HELP!" Upon shouting, everyone would see the once calm and collected pink-haired classmate of theirs in total disarray. Tears and snot dripping down Asahi's face and he kept making the saddest noises as he struggled to breathe properly through his crying. "I-I'm l-l-losi-sing 'im! I-I... I ha-ave n-nothing left t-to give... P-Please help m-me!" Asahi stammered, looking hopelessly at his classmates but moreso to those that were Awakened just like he was.

Perhaps with their help, Asahi could conjure up a miracle.

______________________________________________________________________

It was a weird feeling, having Stewart on his side for once. Though putting it like that seemed wrong, there shouldn't be any sides in a situation like this. Regardless, Masato listened to the taller boy shout that no one had made him the leader (technically true), and that he had a point. It was better than nothing. He didn't let Stewart touch him for longer than it took to push himself and Kanamori farther away from each other, shrugging the hand off of his shoulder.

Masato glanced at the other students to gauge their reactions. The unchanged, the ones they had protected, surely they felt the same way as he and Stewart. But the others, were they all as angry as Kanamori? If he had to guess, in regards to his childhood friend the answer was probably yes. Before Masato could look Kogen's way, Stewart's tirade continued into an attack on the fighting capabilities. He was going too far, so much so that Kanamori's rage crumbled and she bolted away from everyone.

"Kanamori..." Should he go after her? He really didn't want to split the group up now that they'd all found each other again, but she couldn't have gone that far. Masato had taken one step in the direction the girl had gone in before a sharp, broken shout echoed around the area.

His head snapped to Hoshino, sobbing on the ground next to Bansen. His reaction was alarming, but his words even more so - he wasn't able to heal the other boy? Why? Was he too far gone?

Masato's eyes first found Okumura, since she had basically been the class' nurse since yesterday morning. Just as quickly as his gaze found her, they slid off of her. Even though she was alive (thanks to leaving her behind, he reminded himself), there was still a small measure of guilt that made him look away from her. But there was still a student begging for help, a fellow council member no less, and who was Masato if he couldn't try to be the helpful council president?

He brushed past Stewart, rushing back to Bansen's side. He fell beside Hoshino, letting his knees hit the dirt while his hands hovered nervously in front of him.

"How?" He asked. How can I help? "What should- how do you heal them?"

They were both Awakened, so he should be able to do whatever Hoshino did to heal someone, right? He just had to learn it. If he could see it properly once, maybe he could imitate it. If he couldn't, then... another one of them would die right here.

______________________________________________________________________

@AThousandCurses@Yankee@Erode@baraquiel@Vertigo

Just as Ayana reached the source of the commotion and conflict. Shun had taken off on her own leaving the others behind as the fight seemed to fizzle out for the time being. However, with all that was going on and the dangers around them. Ayana knew it wasn’t wise for Shun to be off somewhere alone. Knowing those beasts, they would go after whoever strayed from the group.

Letting out a sigh as she gave her brow a wipe as the situation seemed to calm down for the time being. With no one seemingly at each other’s throat. Ayana had started to turn to follow Shun’s path to see if she could talk with her or at least ensure that she wasn’t getting too far. Asashi’s desperate pleas quickly caught her attention as she came to a stop. Her gaze quickly moving too the scene of Asashi clearly in a panic with a lifeless looking Sasuke before him.

Ayana gritted her teeth as she was now being pulled in two different directions as both Asashi and Shun needed someone’s help. But when it came to healing, she had not a clue. In fact she figured if she even tried to help, it would only result in her making it worse somehow. It did ease her mind that Masato was on the task and seemed very determined to help Asashi and Sasuke out.

Even though it pained her to leave the group right now with one of her classmates fighting for their lives. She knew that if she didn’t do this, then Sasuke might not be the only one in trouble. Turning her head away from the desperate scene as she balled her hands up into fists of frustration. She finally left the others without a word, putting her faith and trust in them that they could handle the current struggle.

It was up to her to find Shun and see if there was anything that she could do. Ayana knew very little about Shun, in fact she wasn’t very knowledgeable about most of her classmates. That wouldn’t stop her, even if she didn’t know quite what to say or what to do. It would be better then nothing in the end she figured.

Following Shun’s path quietly as she tried to put everything else to the back of her mind. She finally arrived at the tree that Shun had made her residence. Coming to a stop a short distance away as her sapphire eyes looked over the suffering form. She had been thankful to Shun for the night before, without her help, Ayana wasn’t sure if she would have made it out of the fight alive.

Standing quietly as her nerves started to get to her. She took in a big breath of air, puffing out her cheeks and her chest, attempting to build up her determination and confidence to speak. “I don’t remember if I thanked you for helping me with those wolf spiders bears things….so I figured I would do so now, I’m very thankful for that….” She had begun as she searched her thoughts for what to say next.

“I know…situations like right now aren’t the easiest, and I’m likely the least qualified to be speaking on the subject, I never really been in a spot like you are in now, typically I have always been on my own.” Rubbing the back of her head for a brief moment. “However….I know it isn’t easy and won’t be easy….but you can rely on me anytime you need it…..I know I’m not the most reliable, but I’ll do my best….” Still trying to find the right things to say as she looked Shun over to see if her words had any sort of impact or effect.

Ayana wasn’t used to having to talk so seriously. Nor did she have any experience when it came to trying to comfort someone. She had always been on her own, often shunned from most groups and by most people. This was all a new experience for her, but she wanted to do her best. Even if it didn’t work out, she knew she had to at least give it a try.

---

//Day 1 | Location: Nameless Forest - Lakeside
_{@AThousandCurses@baraquiel@Cu Chulainn@Nakushita@Yankee@Vertigo}
It was a messy situation, certainly. But for Maki?

“Asshole,” she said, a scolding edge digging into her voice. The girl kicked Duncan in the calf with her injured foot, a strike that he hardly felt and a strike that she definitely felt, but Maki knew how to bear the pain. “Was pretty obvious that Shun had feels for Yuudai since last year.”

Haruko was more hesitant to chastise her boyfriend. It wasn’t a matter of right or wrong here. It was a matter of emotions flaring up and situations that had no clearly correct answers. So all she could do was flash a grateful smile towards Maki, as Tsubasa strode on by, brushing past the three of them.

She didn’t spare Masato a glance, didn’t acknowledge Duncan.

She simply strode on after Shun, Ayana accompanying her. The two of them broke through the brush quickly enough, finding the reticent rider where she was, and while Ayana spoke, Tsubasa sat down instead. Right beside Shun, hugging her legs against her chest.

Right.

Yuudai had a childhood friend. A fellow child of a rice farmer’s family. One that pursued the arts the same way he had, but in a different field.

A sigh escaped Tsubasa. There wasn’t much she could say, not when she wanted to fold in onto herself instead. She rummaged through the pocket of her skirt instead, pulling out a squashed ball of mochi wrapped in plastic. It was warmed by body heat. A day old.

“Here. Eat up.”

Rice, pounded to mush, but rice all the same. They could have meats from the beasts they slew, vegetables from the foraging they did, fish from the lake they’d dive in, but rice. Rice was so far away.

“Thank you for caring for him, Shun.”

The three spent some time like this, in a forest too peaceful to be the forest that claimed the life of a loved one.

...

Panic flashed, Asahi’s voice replacing the guilt and the anger that flooded the atmosphere with a pronounced fear instead. Sasuke was fading, and Asahi, who had managed to pull Tsubaki from the brink, wasn’t able to do the same here. There was something missing, a piece that his own powers, however fading they were, could not replace, and he was floundering now.

Masato’s gaze caught Tsubaki’s and, despite the paleness of her own complexion, she still had enough presence of mind to shout out, “Clear out and give them space! Juro, Hiroshi, take off Sasuke’s shirt!” Haltingly, the young woman rose up, making her way over, and Akito broke away from his mental deathmatch with Kogen a second time to help her over. There were no exchange, not even any emotion, shared between the two of them, and he scattered soon after.

“It’s internal bleeding,” Hiroshi said, as Juro unbuttoned Sasuke’s shirt. Ugly splotches of dark purple marred the martial artist’s chest, and the way his chest rose with each breath made it clear that his ribs weren’t shaped the way they ought to be. “We don’t have the tools to deal with that.”

The implication was clear enough. He was going to die.

Tsubaki fixed the shark-toothed boy with a glare. “Don’t say that.”

“Situation’s bad, is what I’m saying.” It was almost callous, his shrug, but perhaps that was the difference in attitude between a scientist and a careworker. Emotion could not influence his own analysis. Perhaps the ‘magic’ that dwelled within Masato and Asahi could accomplish something, but that was a wild card still. They knew too little.

They knew nothing, really, except for the fact that they were still incredibly lucky.

Except…except…

“W-what about Yuki?”

Yukiko called out to them, her gray eyes pleading. If Sasuke couldn’t be saved, did that mean Yuki couldn’t be either? Was that it? Had Asahi's healing of Tsubaki just been a once-in-a-lifetime miracle, an overlapping of unlikely probabilities?

The sound of someone approaching caused Shun to stiffen. Somehow, it registered to Shun that the intruder wasn't a beast nor a mouse. Her senses had been attuned to the point that, she could effectively certain footsteps from others. Lighter than a bear, but heavier than rat. It was one, two of her classmate, Shun presumed. She needed to get her act together. Tucking her legs even closer than before, Shun was about to bury her face until-

Ayana spoke. Shun lashed out. It was impulsive action, but once the train started it can't be stopped. "Again, the monsters, don't you get tired worrying over something so trivial?" A laugh escaped from her mouth, before she whirled to face Ayana. "If you wanted to comfort someone, you should try comforting Yuudai. Unfortunately for you, he's ten feet under." Her body burned, the wind felt like it caressing her ears. Shun glared at Ayana. "You're no different from Nagashima. Our classmate died and the first thing you did was jump into a pool of water."

Was she the only one who cared? The only one who wanted to mourn his death? Even if they weren't close, Yuudai was still their classmate. Yet, why was she in the wrong? Was it so bad to cry out at the world? Nagashima was heartless, Ayana was thoughtless, Stewart was an imbecile, Kogen delusional, Asahi was selfish, and Shun herself was being too emotional. The threads that allowed Shun to keep her rationality slowly began to snap. Her legs started to glow with a familiar light and she started to stand. "Am I the only one who cares? Why am I the one being vindicated?!" Shun was the wind. The wind holds no regards to others. It can be fair and gentle, but it could be just as turbulent.

Though as quick as it came, it left as quickly when she noticed Tsubasa. The look on her face sympathethic, the same with Ayana's as well. Why were they looking at her like that? To a third party, it would be obvious. For Shun, it took her a few moments to process what they were doing. Shun felt faint. Slipping back against the tree, Shun mindlessly took the offered food from Tsubasa. The food was roughened up, but it still tasted delicious. Shun choked as Tsubasa thanked her. "...What's the point of thanking me? He's still dead." Shun sniffed before going back to consuming the food.

Shun sat there in silence with the two of them. The rustling of the trees and company of others helped calm her down. While she hated people, she also liked them. Shun was human after all. Standing back up, the free spirited girl smiled as if she hadn't cried at all. "Let's get back going. I bet Nagashima's already doing something to help the class stay alive." She paused a bit before adding on, "Thanks, by the way. I'll try to do better." The tone was serious, unusual of Shun, but she reverted back to her usual self and began walking back to the group.

It wasn't good to split off from the others for long. Who would do that?

______________________________________________________________________

@AThousandCurses@Yankee@Erode@baraquiel@Vertigo

Though she didn't say it or even admit it, she was glad that someone had decided to come along with her to speak with Shun. This activity was so far outside of her wheelhouse of comfort that Ayana wasn't sure how it would end up going. Or if Shun would even reactive positively to her arrival in her current mood. She didn't really know if Tsubasa knew Shun or was friends with her, but regardless it meant she had extra support during this tough time.

It didn't surprise her when Shun lashed out. Even if the reaction was the expected. Ayana couldn't help but to frown slightly as Shuns intense glare burned into the klutz. Letting Shun get everything she had to get off of her chest even if it meant taking a harsh tongue lashing. If she needed to vent out all of her emotions and thoughts. Then Ayana would serve as her outlet until Shun had felt satisfied with what she had gotten off her chest.

Ayana didn't feel great about the situation and if it had been up to her she would have been there to help out all of her classmates including Yuudai. She didn't want to see anyone get hurt or worse, but despite her best efforts she knew that wasn't always possible. She knew as much as it hurt Ayana herself to lose a classmate. Even though she wasn't close to anyone before this trip. It had to be that much harder on those that knew Yuudai more closely. She couldn't imagine the emotions and pain that Shun had to be experiencing right now.

Letting Shun finish after a while, Ayana remained silent as her soft gaze remained on Shun as she took the offered food from Tsubasa. But what came next surprised her as Shun begun to smile. Her tears gone from her face as if she hadn't cried at all. Her tone serious as she begun to walk back to the group as Ayana cautiously glanced over towards Tsubasa.

She wasn't sure if this was normally how Shun acted as she seemed to get over things far more quickly then Ayana has believed possible. Working up her courage again she broke her silence as she begun to follow Shun back towards the others. "You know....if you need anyone, I know I'm not much or even the most reliable but you can come to me....it is fine to be tough and move forward, but to keep Yuudai within your heart and soul forever.....you do not need to do anything better, none of this is your fault, none of us asked to be brought to this world or have to fight those beasts, the most we can ask ourselves is to do our best....." Ayana tried to reassure her as best as she thought she could in the moment.

---

"Oh god... Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god..."

Asahi kept muttering in a state of panic. This could not happen, not like this. Asahi was supposed to be at the finish line with Sasuke, triumphing over others. He was supposed to die like a hero, not succumb to pathetic internal bleeding. If only he ventured out further into the forests, if he only finished off the hulkphant earlier, if only...

His tears kept dripping down Sasuke's unconscious face. Even now, he knew he was at death's door with the way his skin was turning paler with each passing moment. Asahi then noticed his hands shaking and he thought that the only time his hands would shake like that was when he was so frustrated at himself for not achieving his goal. He could only hope Sasuke would not become another one of his reasons.

"Fuck... Fuck... Oh god..." He took in a deep, shaky breath and closed his eyes. He concentrated as hard as he could, focusing on that forge within him, scavenging for something, anything that could help him help Sasuke. Alas, it was all in vain. He was not powerful enough on his own right now. He was beyond exhausted and he hadn't had a proper meal since last night.

"I-I need... I need someone like me." Asahi said to the group. "I need someone who has superpowers like me. I-I-I need to... Connect with you and-and-and share this... thing to Sasuke so he could... Gah!" He yanked on his pink hair, frustrated that he couldn't properly explain how his powers worked. It wasn't as simple as super strength or forming weapons so it was difficult to put the functionality of his Awakened power in words. "Please... Anyone...?