Chapter Text
At this point, there was nothing that Kiku could do other than flee the scene. He had been but protecting his nation, his land, his people, but this particular occasion had not rocked in his favour. He'd done absolutely everything he could, fought it till he couldn't carry on, and now... He hadn't planned on running. He'd never flee such a scene on his own accord - Kiku Honda would much rather die, than surrender and risk his nation being hurt, but he'd been told to run by one of his higher-ups, and he wasn't one to ever disobey. Looking at the situation now, it was clear to him why he'd been told to flee the battleground.
His feet hit the soft ground with harsh impact, flinging lumps of mud and earth upwards, and though it stained his once snow white, pristine uniform a dirty, soil brown, it stood out much less than the splotches of dark crimson. Every thud of a footstep hurt him, his pale hand clutched to his reddening abdomen, but he wasn't the type to let his own physical agony distract him. He couldn't stop yet. Even if the dark faced trees of this gloomy, desolate, far away forest loomed over him menacingly on this war torn, starless night, he wasn't about to stop. If he did, his enemy would surely catch up. Kiku knew why he was the one that had to run. Enemies like that would do anything to get their hands on a nation - and in his current state, if they did catch up, Kiku would have no chance against them. He was injured, out of weaponry, and tiring by the second. If he could just get as far as his house - he'd be safe there, right? Not only that, but he'd be alone there. Nobody to have to worry about him. He could simply recover alone and in isolation. Lost in thought, Kiku's concentration weakened, and he let himself make a single mistake. The tip of his foot caught under a single rogue tree root, and sent him catapulting head first into the ground. He panicked, frantically scrambling to get up, but in an act of utter betrayal, his body had decided it could take no more. His dark blood seeped into the ground, and his eyes became heavy as his breath shook and quaked. Desperately, he clawed at the ground with his trembling hands, but it was over, and within minutes, he lay still on the cold earth, his breathing turning deep, his body shutting down. Within minutes, Kiku Honda lay unconscious and alone.
The forest was rather peaceful by itself, despite the nation's frantic delusions. Far, far away from the battlefield it was, and though it rained now with the early April showers, it truly was at peace with itself. It was a popular destination for adventurers, or lovers, its flora grand, and its fauna friendly. On a night like this, it was cold, and fresh with the sky's blessing of water. Silence reigned, the occasional crack of twigs as an animal shifted in its nest, but it wouldn't be long until dawn, until birds rose in song and the dawn flamed a familiar orange hue. Yet until then, the forest stayed, silent, and dark, and still.
Until that dawn, that daylight, Kiku Honda would dream of old times, memories of his long life drifting through his subconscious. Some he wished he could relive, but most, he wished he could forget.