small warning: old writing. posted on tumblr (dec 2013). a kp secret santa gift,

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"I-I'm gonna sing! So, don't cry, okay?"

.

He was assigned a mission. He had already prepared himself—he stood in front of a bowl of water, gazing at his own reflection as he fixed his hair. Wearing a purple, long sleeved shirt with brown leather shoulder pads and elbow pads, he also wore a brown belt around his waist, and for the bottom, a pair of trousers the same shade of brown of his shoulder pads. His hands wore a pair of dark brown, leather gauntlets, and he also wore a pair of dark brown, sturdy, leather boots.

Around his neck was a dirty white, hooded cape, stitched under the shoulder pads to keep in place, the hood pulled down and the cape placed behind and in between his raven-green wings. The said wings that were folded behind his back shook for a moment—it was of a raven black color that faded down into a shade of green. His flight feathers shared the same color as the abundant leaves in the forest.

After slightly ruffling his hair into place, he was now ready. He let out a shaky breath, stopping himself from trembling as he rubbed his arm. Even though he had already gone out a lot of times, he still felt nervous of the eyes that followed him every time he went out. He shook his head to get rid of his thoughts.

He grabbed the satchel at the side, throwing the strap over his head as he walked through the drape that separated his chamber from the rest of the nest, his wings slightly hanging behind him. His eyes quickly looked around the main chamber for someone, and he beamed when he saw a particular purplewinged at the counter. He made his way to her.

"K-Kido!" He called out, holding up his hand, a nervous grin on his face. The purplewinged turned towards him, her odd-colored wings fluttering slightly as she recognized the voice. She was apparently cutting up the fruits she had bought a few hours ago, in preparation for their supper later.

"Oh, Seto, you're all ready," Kido looked at the greenwinged, putting the fruit and knife she was holding. Washing her hands, she wiped them dry with the apron she was wearing. She placed her hand on her hip as she faced him, proceeding to examine the outfit he was wearing. "Good, good. Everything's covered except your face and wings," She nodded. "Take care down there okay. Don't let the guards see you,"

Seto grinned as he nodded. "Okay!"

He then made his way towards the nest's opening, waving at the purplewinged goodbye as he pulled his hood over his head. Kido smiled as she waved back, watching him take off, a slight gust of wind sweeping across the floor. She then went back to preparing their supper.

Seto flew down, holding the empty satchel across his chest, his eyes fixed on one direction as he didn't want to see if anybody was looking at him. He sighed shakily. He had to go down to the Forest Floor from the Understory, which was the floor of the Tree where he was currently in. As every winged knew though, the Forest Floor was a protected area, with guards patrolling in it every three hours. It was where the Tree residents all got their resources, from water and fruits to herbs and tea leaves. No one was allowed to go in though, except for the guards and the higher ups. It was supposed to prevent greed and wasting, but Seto didn't think so.

Fortunately, Kano found a secret passage that lead to the East Forest Floor a long time ago—they first questioned him how he knew, but he refused to say anything, only saying he had just 'stumbled' upon it. Knowing how much of a liar he was, they didn't bother to ask him more questions. With that, they could gather food without having to buy anything from the market. But to avoid suspicion, Kido still bought ingredients there; also because going to the Forest Floor can be a hassle due to the guards.

Going through the secret passage that he had traveled through many times, Seto expertly avoided twigs and branches as he flew silently. It took a while, but he finally reached the Forest Floor. Different kinds of flowers and fruits hung the trees around—it was definitely the East Forest Floor. Seto landed on the ground, pushing his hood down.

He decided to travel on foot, so as to avoid easy detection from the patrolling guards. He began to walk. Apparently, what he was looking for wasn't in the East, but in the South, so he still had to travel all the way to the murky areas and scattered ponds. It was where mushrooms usually grew after all.

Travelling on foot obviously takes a lot of time, and adding the fact that Seto had to hide from the guards, it took him a rather long time to finally reach the South Forest Floor. The place was dark; a little too dark than the usual. Seto felt uneasy as he looked around. It troubled him because he was looking for mushrooms for Kido, and mushrooms glowed in the dark. The thing was that the area didn't seem to have any glowing parts. Seto began searching.

The area wasn't as dark as pitch black, so walking and looking around wasn't that hard. It was a little creepy though, and he had to stop himself from trembling. He couldn't find any mushrooms though. He figured the higher ups got to them first, gathering all the mushrooms they could find for the market up above. This was what scared Seto. They used the Forest Floor as a source for everything; there was nothing bad about that in itself, since all the wingeds were dependent on the Forest Floor including him, Kido, and Kano, but they were nearly abusing it. The mushrooms around here, it would take time for them to grow back.

Seto left the South, and went back to the East in hopes of finding what little mushrooms the higher ups had left. After a while of walking, he reached the East back again, and proceeded to search the area full of fruits, flowers, and vegetables for mushrooms. This area had a lot of sunlight, so it was hard looking for glowing mushrooms. In the end, he couldn't find a single one.

He proceeded to go to the North. Avoiding the guards as he traveled on foot, he reached the area of herbs and tea leaves, and then began searching. This area was also filled with sunlight, and so it was hard looking around. Just like in the East, he couldn't find any mushrooms either. Seto's patience still wasn't thin however, so he decided to also go to the West.

That area was filled with towering trees, so it was a little dark down at the floor. Seto hoped there would be mushrooms there, but as he searched the area, he found out that the entire Forest Floor was rid of mushrooms. It seemed that the higher ups made a thorough exploration of the entire floor for mushrooms. Seto sighed as he decided to rest. It had already been hours since he left their nest and he was sure Kido was worried about him. He wiped the sweat on his neck and face.

After a while, he decided to go back, and just tell Kido that there were no more mushrooms in the Forest Floor. He began walking, his wings feeling a little restless from not having to be used for hours. Seto rubbed the back of his head as he held the still empty satchel at his side.

The greenwinged had been walking for a couple of minutes, the towering trees blocking the lot of sunlight, with only little rays having been able to reach the bottom. He walked some more, before he stopped, beads of sweat trailing down his face. It wasn't only because he had been walking the past hours, but also because he was nervously sweating. He had come to a realization as he noticed that he couldn't recognize the area he was going through. He was lost.

The West Forest Floor was mostly condensed tall trees, and he heard that even the guards patrol there only from time to time because getting lost was easy. Seto sighed as he leaned on a tree. Going back home would definitely take some time. Maybe he could fly? He hadn't seen a single guard around, so it could be safe. He needed to be sure though—getting caught wouldn't be a pretty sight.

He thought of using his ability. He was reluctant at first, but there wasn't really any problem to it, since his intention was just to 'hear' if anybody was around. He sighed as he stood up straight. Closing his eyes, he began to feel the wind shift across his face, his pointed ears waiting for any words the wind was going to bring.

"Anyone, please,"

Seto's eyes snapped open, his head turned to where he figured the faint voice the wind brought was. He stepped forward as he heard, "Help me, I'm lonely!"

Seto began running. He didn't know why. He didn't even know whose voice it was! But this voice that was seeking help—although faint—he felt that he didn't want this person to feel lonely. It reminded him of himself when he was lonely, and no one was there for him. Pursing his lips together as he passed countless trees, he followed the wind to the owner of the voice.

He had been walking for a rather long time; he stopped running a while ago, seeing that the voice was still somewhat far away. The area seemed odd, and this scared him, knowing that he was lost, and that maybe he just made himself more lost than he already was. He tightly held on the strap of his satchel, but he continued walking. The surrounding area was filled with herbs, tea leaves, and vegetables, but there were also tall trees. It was as if the North and West Forest Floor had merged in this particular area. He had never seen this before, considering that the four areas of the Forest Floor were clearly separated by clearings.

His eyes caught something at the side, and he turned to look. He was surprised to see a glowing patch of mushrooms under a tree. He quickly made his way towards it. As he examined if they were edible or not, he also felt rather doubtful. How could there be any mushrooms here when the higher ups had already scouted the entire floor? Could it be that they just merely overlooked this area? Stuffing the mushrooms inside his satchel, he shrugged off the thought, just thankful that he managed to find some mushrooms so that he wouldn't have to come home empty-handed. He proceeded to continue searching for the voice.

It wasn't long enough before he stopped in his tracks, stepping out to see a wide clearing in front of him, with only a giant tree in the middle. Gaping as he looked up at the evidently old tree, he saw that there was a nest—albeit abandoned-looking—at the top. 'Someone must be living here!' He thought as he began running, and then, as if his wings couldn't wait to fly, he took off towards the nest's opening. He landed on the rickety porch, and saw that it was a closed nest, with doors, windows, and all. He gulped as he stood nervously in front of the supposed door. His wings shook behind him.

He hesitated. His hand trembled as he held it up, about to knock at the door. What was he going to do then? If someone really was seeking for help in this house, what should he do? He was just a cowardly, weak, little boy—what can he do? He looked down as he thought of going back. But just then, he remembered the voice he heard. He was already here! If he left now, no one else would probably be able to find this place. Even if he could do something for this person even just a little, at least he would help.

He looked up, and with an attempt to make his voice loud enough to be heard from inside the nest, he exclaimed, "H-Hello? Is anyone home?"

He knocked. It was silent for a moment, and he thought that maybe this was really just an abandoned nest. He was about to turn back, when he heard a crashing noise from the inside, followed by a yelp. He straightened up. 'There's someone in here!'

He panicked, not knowing what to do since he just heard a crash from the inside. He thought of opening the door, but he figured it would be locked. He went to push it slightly though, and he was surprised to see that it was unlocked.

"I-I'm coming in," he muttered as he opened the door, letting himself in. With the light coming in from the outside, he could see white feathers and a winged figure on the floor. As he stepped closer to take a better look, he could see that it was a girl—a long, white haired girl who had white-pink feathered wings. She was covering her eyes as she was sitting on the floor, her wings trying to cover her figure.

Seto attempted to talk to her. "U-Um,"

"Don't!" She suddenly shouted, still covering her eyes. The greenwinged was startled as he stood. "If—look—in the eye—turn to stone—!"

Seto stared for a moment, before a smile formed on his lips. He made his way to the pinkwinged, and squatted in front of her. He knew very well. He knew how that kind of feeling was, and he wanted this girl to overlook this feeling. Something that he was already trying to do, right this very moment.

Placing his hand on his chest, he told the girl, "I've been living afraid as well," He closed his eyes. "Afraid that I'd turn to stone,"

He then opened his eyes, and as he motioned his hand towards her head, he smiled, "But wouldn't the world be so much better without that fear?" He proceeded to pat the girl's head in an attempt to comfort her, but it only seemed to make her cry. Seto panicked as he pulled his hand back.

"A-Ah! It's alright!" He looked around for anything to try and stop her from crying, but the thought that came to his mind didn't seem to be very helpful. Even so, there was nothing else he could think of, so he just went with it. "I-I'm gonna sing! So, don't cry, okay?"

He then began whistling, a song that he had heard somewhere he didn't remember, a song that was catchy enough for him to be able to remember the notes. He was closing his eyes, so he opened an eye to look at the pinkwinged, and he saw her not crying anymore, but rather looking at the floor with wide eyes. He seemed surprised that it actually worked, and that she wasn't crying anymore. He continued whistling, and when he finished the song, he looked at the girl.

She still wasn't looking at him. Her wings still covered her figure, and it was obvious she was scared. He didn't even have to use his ability to know that. An idea popped in his head, and he straightened up as he fumbled with the stitches of his hooded cape. He unraveled the stitches that held his cape together with his shoulder pads, and he pulled it over his head. Holding the cape in his hands, he gently placed it over her head and around her neck, making her wear the hood over her head.

This seemed to surprise the girl since she jerked backward, before finally looking up at him, making their first eye contact. Seto looked at her pinkish eyes, and after noticing that she finally looked at him, he showed a smile that came from the bottom of his heart.

If he would be able to save this girl from solitude… If he would be able to be friends with her… If he would be able to not make her lonely… Then… That means he can finally be a hero, right? A brave hero, like what she had always said. That was the meaning behind his smile. If he could save her, then he wouldn't be cowardly anymore. He was brave.

.

"Ah… N-Nice to meet you! Sorry for barging in your house without your permission,"

"I-It's okay…"

"I'm Seto, by the way! What's your name?"

"E-Eh… I'm… Ah, I'm Mary!"

"Well then, Mary, let's be friends!"

.

"Seto, what took you so long?! It's been hours since you left! It's already past supper!"

"Ahh… Sorry, Kido… I couldn't find any mushrooms in the South, so I had to look all over the Forest Floor,"

"Oh? But what's this? I thought you didn't find any,"

"Oh, I managed to find some, but it's only a little though,"

"…Alright. On the other hand, where's your cape?"

"My cape? Uh, about that, I, um, gave it to someone,"

"Hm?"

"Y-Yeah! You don't have to worry though; I didn't leave it in the Forest Floor where the guards can find it."

"Alright, alright. Just go wash up and change your clothes now before eating,"

"O-Okay! …Ah, Kido! Uh, can I go to the Forest Floor again tomorrow? J-Just tell me what you need and I'll come back with it before supper, I promise!"

"…I don't know why you suddenly want to go back there, but I guess it's okay as long as you take care of yourself. Let's just talk about this tomorrow. We have to eat,"

"Okay. Thanks, Kido!"