Chapter Text
Crunch...
Crunch...
Crunch...
The leaves crunched under the feet of a 13-year-old girl as she ran through a dense forest with a 5-year-old boy in her arms. She was out of breath, and her feet ached, but she knew she couldn't stop running. If she did, the monsters chasing them would catch up, and they would both be in grave danger. The child in her arms buried his face and held on tightly, trying to hold back tears.
The monsters behind them were no monsters... it was a couple of demons. There was a smart one with a group of more minor demons following his commands, trying to catch their food of the highest quality... the children in front of them.
"Rebekah," the little boy called out as she stumbled.
"I'm fine Phil," she gasped, grateful to regain her balance.
Their feet pounded against the rocky terrain as they dashed past a steep slope, fear gripping their hearts. She was acutely aware that even a momentary misstep could send them tumbling down into an unknown abyss where they would be at the mercy of the demons.
"THEY'VE CROSSED THE BORDER! DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY!" A demon's voice echoed behind them, spurring them to run faster.
Rebekah's heart was pounding as she frantically darted through the dense forest. Her feet hit the ground, propelling her forward as she nimbly leaped over thick tree branches and ducked under roots that threatened to trip her. She twisted and turned to evade the demons on her trail, but their keen sense of smell led them straight to her. Despite her exhaustion, Rebekah continued to push herself, cursing under her breath as she willed her legs to carry her farther and faster.
The demon's heart raced as he led the chase. He barked orders to his subordinate demons, "Quickly, get them now! Don't worry about damaging them; just ensure they remain unseen and unheard by anyone beyond the border!" Rebekah observed from a distance and deduced that this demon was the Leader of the pack, his powerful voice and authoritative demeanor commanding respect from the other monsters who followed closely behind him.
"Rebekah, they're catching up!" Phil exclaimed as she held onto him and looked up, fearful of their pursuers.
"I know Phil," Rebekah replied, struggling to keep up with his older sister. "Do you trust me, Phil?" Rebekah asked breathlessly as they neared the edge of the slope.
Phil looked at his sister's determined face and nodded, a small smile forming on her lips.
"Press your body against mine and grip me tightly. Don't release me under any circumstances," Rebekah commanded Phil, her voice filled with urgency.
Phil nodded, his heart racing with fear and anticipation. He wrapped his arms around Rebekah's waist and held on as tightly as possible. Rebekah could feel his embrace's strength and knew they were ready. With a sudden movement, Rebekah dashed to the right, where the slope began. Her feet pounded against the ground as she ran, her breaths coming in short gasps. When she reached the hill's edge, she paused momentarily, her eyes fixed on the drop below.
"Are you ready?" she shouted to Phil, her voice echoing off the surrounding cliffs.
As Rebekah launched herself into the air, Phil's response was lost in the wind. For a moment, she was weightless, suspended in mid-air. Then gravity took hold, and she plummeted towards the ground below.
Rebekah's heart pounded against her chest as she darted towards a nearby tree to take cover. Her breaths were coming out in short gasps as she tried to catch her breath. One of the demons cursed under his breath, clearly annoyed at the delay.
"Don't lose them!" both children heard, a voice resonating through the trees. It was followed by the sound of footsteps, getting closer and closer.
Rebekah knew she had to move fast, so she jumped from one tree to the other, the wind rushing past her face as she descended the mountain. She could hear the demons following them, their footsteps echoing through the woods.
"Hurry up before the humans come," another voice yelled, a sense of anger in their tone. Rebekah knew they had to keep running if they wanted to survive.
Rebekah's heart pounded as she desperately attempted to jump over the small river onto a nearby tree. With her foot slipping, the crunch echoed in the air, and she gasped in pain. Gritting her teeth, she suppressed her screams and grabbed onto another branch, pulling herself up with all her might. Tears welled up in her eyes as she continued to run away from the Demons, who were pursuing her. Despite the excruciating pain, she didn't give up and kept moving forward, knowing that Emma and Ray's group was the only way to escape the Demons.
Phil moved closer to Rebekah as he noticed her slowing down. He looked at her with concern and asked, "Rebekah, is everything alright?"
Rebekah, breathing heavily, replied with a gasp, "Y-Yeah, I'm...f-fine...just...tired." She winced in pain as she felt the warm blood trickling down her ankle. The fatigue was evident on her face, and she struggled to keep running.
Rebekah's eyes were brimming with tears as she frantically scampered towards another tree. Her heart was pounding with fear, and her hands trembled with adrenaline. Suddenly, the branch she clings to snapped, hurting her through the air. Rebekah and Phil tumbled down the steep slope, their bodies bouncing and rolling over jagged rocks and sharp debris. The impact was excruciating, but Rebekah instinctively wrapped her arms tightly around Phil and shielded him from most of the fall, taking the brunt of the damage herself.
One of the demons slipped and slid as the children fell down the slope. They didn't expect the girl to fall off the tree and roll down the hill, which caused them to slide into each other and fall on top of one another. The demons also fell, but their tremendous size caused them to hit the trees and injure themselves more than the children. The Leader of the monster of the operation growled as he chopped the head of one of the demons that fell on him and got in his way. The demon who got hit groaned, feeling the pain. Rebekah continued to fall and let out a gasp, feeling the rocks and branches cut her pale skin.
As she fell, she had no idea how long it lasted. Finally, she hit the ground and cried when her back hit a tree trunk. Her tears continued to flow as she loosened her grip on Phil, who felt her trembling.
"Rebekah! Are you okay?! " He asked her as he got off on his sister and saw her crying in pain.
He backed up a little to see the damage and blood on her feet. He let out a small gasp as his eyes widened before looking at his sister.
"I'm... okay... Phil," she choked out the words, feeling the pain she endured. She stretched her hand out to grab him, "Run... You have to run, Phil. You have to run. Don't look back. I'll distract them. Just run," she told him, holding his hand tightly as she tried to stand. Tears fell down her cheeks.
She couldn't feel her feet hurt too much from running, and her ankle gave up on her. More tears came as she held his hand tightly.
Phil's voice was barely whispery as he tightly held Rebekah's hand. Tears freely flowed down his face as he pleaded with her to not leave him. The demons were getting closer, but Phil focused solely on Rebekah. "I-I don't wanna go...not without you," he cried, his heart breaking at the thought of leaving her behind. Rebekah's tears mingled with Phil's as she tried to find the words to comfort him.
"Phil, please," she begged, her voice shaking with emotion. "Just know that I love you, and I'll always be with you, no matter what."
"NO, I WON'T!!" He shouted as he threw himself to hug her, making her grunt, feeling the pain spread even more. He didn't say anything, "IF I'M GOING TO LIVE! THEN SO ARE YOU!!" He cried as he tried to help her stand slowly.
"Phil, you have to go without me," she said in a broken voice, looking at the demons approaching them. With Phil by her side, she tried to walk faster.
"If we... work together we can... we can live! And... and can meet up with Emma and Ray," He said as he dragged her away from the demons now closer to them. They both can tell they were mocking them by walking slowly and menacingly.
"Come on, children~," He said in a sickly sweet voice and a dark smirk.
"Come home now~ I am sure your Mama is worried about you~," Another demon said, grinning, "You don't want to make her worry now do you?~."
"Come on," Rebekah said, urging Phil to walk faster. She knew he wouldn't leave without her.
She tried to walk as fast as she could despite limping and creating a significant gap between herself and the demons. They eventually reached a road, which confused the two children, but they continued walking until they reached it. The demons laughed as they watched the children struggle to escape. Right before they were about to attack the children, something happened.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!
A loud beep was heard on the road as Rebekah turned around to see before letting out a gasp and grabbing Phil closer to her, turning around so she could take the damage of the strange vehicle that appeared out of nowhere on the road. The car was speeding towards them at an alarming pace, but just as it was about to hit them, it came to an abrupt halt, stopping only a foot away. Rebekah's heart raced as she looked up at the driver, a tall, imposing figure with jet-black hair and a stern expression. As she quivered with fear, a second man appeared from the opposite side of the car, his blond hair glinting in the Moonlight.
The man with blond hair yelled in shock, using a tone that conveyed a sense of concern and urgency. He was clearly taken aback by the sight of the children. On the other hand, the man with black hair quickly sprang into action, running over to check on the children's well-being. However, he was left stunned by the sight of the girl's condition.
"Are you okay, kid?" he asked Rebekah, his voice filled with worry. But she recoiled from him, trying to cross the road with Phil and walking faster to get to the other side. Meanwhile, in the woods, the demon cursed under his breath.
"Damn it," he said, getting both men's attention as more demons appeared behind or beside the Leader.
The Leader raised his hand, making all the other demons stop and look at him. Instantly, the blond and black-haired humans were in a fighting position. Thoughts ran around their brains on why are these strangers going after these children.
"KILL THEM!!" The Leader commanded as the demons went to attack the adults.
"DON'T LET THOSE MERCHANDISE REVEAL ANYTHING TO THEM!!" He yelled.
The two individuals were fast, as the black-haired person quickly sprinted towards Rebekah and Phil. In a swift motion, they picked up the two individuals in each arm and jumped away promptly, landing on the trees and branches. The blond person followed suit, leaping after them. However, before landing, they let out a deafening and high-pitched scream, causing the demons to lose their balance and fall to the ground. The demons clutched their ears in pain as the group made their escape.
The Leader tried to crawl away, only to be kicked into a tree by the same blond still screaming at them. Rebekah and Phil were still in the arms of the black-haired man, who quickly told them to cover their ears.
The scream got louder and louder until the demons fell unconscious. Once it was safe, the black-haired man descended the tree and put both children on the ground.
"Are you kids alright?" The man asked.
Rebekah held onto Phil tightly, trying to move away from the unknown men. They were unsure of the strangers' intentions and didn't know whether they were affiliated with the orphanage or the demons who had been chasing them.
"Hey, everything is alright. I am a good guy." The man tried to reassure them that they were safe.
He turned to his partner and nodded before looking back at the kids, who were shaking in fear.
"Look I know you're scared but can you stay here while my partner and I try to call for backup." He said, "I promise nothing is going to happen to you, two."
The two young children were hesitant, one burying his face in the chest of the other. Rebekah, the older of the two, slowly nodded in agreement and held her little brother closer to her for comfort. Perched in a nearby tree, the man nodded in response to their hesitation. He descended slowly and carefully, making his way towards the two children. He gently placed them on the ground before turning to leave and join his partner. However, in haste, he failed to notice that Rebekah had quickly bolted into the woods, carrying Phil in her arms. Despite her injured leg, she was determined to get away. Watching from a distance, the blond stranger saw the children's escape and shouted at his partner to stop.
"SHOTA!! THE KIDS ARE RUNNING!" He yelled as the man turned around and saw Rebekah running.
"Shit! She's fast!" cursed the man named Shota as he chased after the two children, carefully dodging the trees and branches to catch up with them.
"STOP!" he yelled at them, but they kept running. Rebekah ran ahead while Phil kept up with her.
"YOU'RE SAFE! PLEASE STOP RUNNING!" he pleaded with them.
The children were wise enough not to put their trust in any unfamiliar adults. They hid under a tangle of roots to evade the stranger, who soon caught up and discovered they had tricked him by running in the opposite direction. The man cursed in frustration as he searched for their trail.
---
Yamada Hizashi and Aizawa Shota had just finished a rescue mission in a deserted part of a Japanese forest, where they had helped campers trapped in a cave. They decided to ride back home together and were now driving down a forest path.
As the car zoomed down the winding road, Hizashi had his music blaring from the speakers, filling the air with the upbeat rhythms of his favorite songs. On the other hand, Shota couldn't stand the noise and felt his irritation mounting with each passing second. He even toyed with the idea of angrily swerving the car off the road. However, before he could act on his rash impulse, Hizashi's booming voice cut through the music, startling Shota from his thoughts.
"WATCH OUT!!" He yelled as he watched two children run from out of the forest.
Shota quickly stepped on the brake with his hand on the horn before the car stopped right in front of them, and he quickly got out of the vehicle once it stopped.
It looked like the little girl who grabbed their younger boy in case the car hit them. She covered his head and body with her own, trying to take in all the damage that could have happened had Shota not stopped.
The car was a good foot away from hitting them. Shota quickly got out of his seat and ran to them, worried they might have been hurt, but paused as he saw the little girl's state.
"OI! KID WHAT THE HELL?!" Hizashi yelled as he stepped out of the car only to look at the girl, shocked for the same reason Shota paused. He broke out of his trance and quickly checked on the children.
"Are you okay kid?" He asked her as he crouched down to talk to her. He knew she wasn't but wanted to hear her say what was wrong, not wanting to touch her in case she screamed in fear. The girl backed away, dragging the little boy with her, ready to run away in the direction they were headed when a voice came from the forest.
"Damn it," The voice said as a monster-looking thing stepped out.
More weird monster-like things popped out behind it as they looked ready to attack, only to be stopped by the biggest one. Shota stood before the kids and fought with Hizashi, who glared at the monsters before them.
It was apparent that the children feared the monsters as they backed away and tried to run away.
"KILL THEM!!" Said what they assumed was the Leader of their group.
"DON'T LET THE MERCHANDISE REVEAL ANYTHING TO THEM!" It yelled.
Shota knew that Hazashi would want to deal with it because he was the one who worked with kids more and could relate to them than he ever could.
Hearing those words from the monster instantly made them go into action as Shota picked up the Children, one in each arm, and jumped away from the attacking demon and went to the other side of the forest. Hizashi glared, activated his quark, and started to yell his lungs out, trying to incapacitate the monsters. Shota quickly told the kids to cover their ears.
The Leader tried to crawl away, and Shota saw that, but he couldn't do anything with the children in his arms. He didn't have to because Hizashi was already on it and kicked the monster away from where he was headed and to a tree.
After a moment, the monsters were unconscious because of the pain of Hizashi's scream. Shota let the kids go once it was over, not wanting to scare them any more than they probably already were.
"Are you okay?" he asked them. The children hugged each other as they stared at him in fear.
The little girl glared slightly at him, but he could tell she was too scared to do anything.
"Hey, everything is alright. I am a good guy." he tried to get them to talk to him, but it was hard since he hadn't contacted any children since he was an underground hero.
"Look I know you're scared but can you stay here while my partner and I try to call for backup. I promise nothing is going to happen to you, two," He said as kindly as he could, trying not to scare them more.
He knew abused children listen more since they fear the backlash if they don't listen. Shota didn't want to use that against them, but Hizashi needed help getting the monsters in cuffs. The little boy turned his head to the girl's chest as she slowly nodded, looking at him in even more fear, hugging the little one closer. Shota nodded and turned to help Hizashi, only for the blond to yell at him.
"SHOTA!! THE KIDS ARE RUNNING!" He yelled and pointed at the kids who were dashing.
Shota cursed under his breath and quickly followed them as Hizashi moved quicker to tie up the monsters so he could help him go after them.
"Shit! She's fast," He said as he avoided trees and branches, trying to catch up with them.
"HOLD ON!!" He tried calling them out for them to stop, but it didn't work.
"YOUR SAFE! JUST STOP RUNNING!!" He yelled as the kids went under some roots to try and get away from him.
He quickly went over them only to realize they tricked him and ran the other way. He cursed again and tried to find their trail.
"Fuck" He growled and stopped.