Hey everyone! Yeah I'm back with a new story, another multichapter one since I'm still stuck with ideas for the old one. ;P

Anyway, I have had ideas for this story for a while now and finally decided to give it a try. But this time, to take it easier on myself, my chapters will probably be a bit shorter than usual. But I hope the quality is still the same. ^^-

Ok then, hope you guys will like this Takuran story of mine. Please enjoy...

Disclaimer: I don't own IE (GO)

The country of Baton, a place of peace and glamor, is the oldest and one of the most beautiful nations in the region. Everyplace is filled with laughter, everywhere people were living happy lives under the reign of their wise rulers. The king and queen are loved and respected by their people. That is Baton, a kingdom of justice and peace.

But like a saying said; there's an exception to every rule...

The country of Baton too, had a place that cut out from the rest... a place of mystery and unknown myths, the Mist Forest. Despite the old age of its land, the forest had existed long before the country was born. It was the darkest, but also most enchanting place in the region. No one knows what lies behind the mist that always floated around like a silent barrier protecting the sacred land. So despite it being one of the richest sources of green, not many people dared to come nearby. Many men had entered in curiosity, but they all returned with no memory of what they had seen or touched. Their minds were a hazy baffle between what was real and what was just a foggy illusion…

The mystery of Baton country, the place where everything began...

"Hey, what's your name?"

...

...

"I'm…"

Deep under the shadow of a dark, humid cave inside the mystical forest, a small figure was sitting under a rock, curling himself up against the cold wall. The boy's long pink hair was dirty and spread all over his shoulders. His skin was covered in heavy bruises and red marks. He wore nothing but a ripped fabric around his waist that made him looked almost like a typical beggar or slave that could be found in the darkest alley of that poor country from the East, far away from such a noble place like Baton. Nevertheless, here he was, leaning himself against a side of the solid wall, trying to find warm from the coldest surface existed with his fetal body. The boy's lifeless azure eyes stared at the ground non-stop before they slowly closed down as the image of a beautiful woman appeared in his mind, a woman with the softest blonde hair and the prettiest blue eyes… She was calling his name with a gentle voice and beautiful smile. He could feel himself smiling back at her. She walked closer and closer to him. His face softened when he could feel her warmth. And the moment she was about to touch him, the illusion broke apart and he opened his eyes to feel the cold and hard surface of the cave again.

"Mother…"

The boy whispered out quietly with a sad voice as his half shut eyes glanced hazily at the dark forest. The wind was whistling loudly outside and the leaf started to fall down from the rumbling trees, drifting down along the flow of the air. The boy's azure eyes began to feel heavy again as another memory came back.

He closed his eyes and his home flashed back to him, a small house in the middle of a beautiful rice field. The light from the sun shined brightly from above, decorating the place with such stunning color... a warm sight with his mother standing at the door, waving for him to come back from the middle of the field. He ran through the plants and to her side to allow her to hold him in her arms and walk into their home. They were both smiling. The plants around were almost sharing their happiness with their small grazing sounds... The door opened and light once again flashed into his face, making him squeeze his eyes...

The boy opened his eyes from a drop of water falling on his face and found himself in the cave again. The boy shifted his body parts closer but the freezing feeling was still floating around the air. The wind outside got even stronger and was shifting the trees out of their poses with brutal force. He buried his face into his knees, trying to keep whatever left of the heat inside his body. The cold was starting to affect him as well as his body trembled under the low temperature. His eyes drifted down again as another light flashed by after darkness came...

They were walking through the forest this time. He ran ahead as his mother barely grazed her feet elegantly along the grass from behind. He looked back at her laughing cheerfully before turning back. His feet suddenly stopped when he saw another boy standing only a few feet away. The boy was shorter, with blue hair and sharp golden eyes. It was his first time interacting with someone else other than his mother so he was stunned to say the least, and even more bewildered by the other's weird outfit. The boy looked almost like a hunter with his strange clothing and he was looking at him with such a piecing gaze and mysterious smile. A gasp sound was heard. He flinched when he heard his mother screaming his name, shouting for him to get away. He swiftly turned to see her dashing toward him. But before he could react, his eyes shot opened in shock when dozen of red strings flew out of the bushes and trees from all around and onto his mother, bringing her to the ground. He was about to rush to her side but let out a painful sound when hands got a hold him too, grabbing his hair from behind and forcing him down. He glanced back to see the blue hair boy pinning him on the ground with his sharp gaze fixed on his mother's direction. He struggled to get free and yell out frantically when he heard his mother's painful scream. Men appeared out of the bushes and jumped down from the trees, with the end of the red strings on their hands. The shorter boy whispered something devilishly in his ear that made him widened his eyes in shock, and his efforts to fight back were halted the moment that horrifying scene came to his sight…

The boy flinched back to reality at the last part of the memory. His body was shaking in both fear and the freezing air. His once blank azure orbs were again filled with such dreadful emotions, but no matter how painful it was, there was simply no tear left to run from them. Another memory flashed back and the boy winced at an image of a dark figure closing in. He began gasping for air when he started to remember again... the pain and humiliation he had to go through until the day he was finally able to escape from that prison of hell… He ran far away, trying to find his way home. His feet bled in pain from all the strain but he still ran. They chased him. He chased him. The mist of the forest protected him, erasing his tracks and covering his blood... However, there was still a limit to how much the forest could do.

By the time he finally reached the field where he was born, it was already too late... They had already burned down everything. He watched as his home crunched down from the fire that spread through the field, turning everything to ass, along with the only place he had to return to.

The boy's body suddenly stopped moving and lay down numbly against the cold and hard surface. He slowly closed his eyes for the last time and wished they would never open again…

"Shindou sama! Shindou sama...!"

The twisted hair boy called out frantically as he dashed his horse towards the top of the hill. He yanked on the string to stop the horse and look around for someone. And when his eyes fell on a figure standing silently at the edge of the forest, only a few feet away from entering the most humid region of the Baton country, he jumped off his horse to rush near the wavy hair male.

"S-shindou sam-"

"I told you not to use such formality with me, Tenma…"

"E-eh right, Shindou sempai… Eh... Uhm… You're not really going to go in there... are you?"

The wavy hair male glanced at his younger companion for a moment before turning his brown eyes back to the foggy place.

... Please...

"The Mist Forest… as they call it huh…?"

The boy named Shindou said silently, his eyes never left the sight of the forest. For some reason ever since he set foot on this side of the country, the place had been giving out a strange vibe that only he could sense... The feeling kept sending shivers through his body that it was almost like the forest was calling him, silently begging for his presence...

The younger male's expression, however, couldn't fall more pale when he heard the vague but obvious statement. "S-shindou sa-senpai! Y-You shouldn't. You heard what the people in the village said… A-about the myth..."

The younger brunet said timidly as his voice died down at the end. He peeked up at the back of his friend.

... Please come...

"You mean the one about the evil creature sleeping inside the forest…? There's a reason why myth isn't usually true Tenma..." The older male said with a small laugh, seemingly not trusting the gossips of the villagers very much. "Although… I have to admit, this place has a strange aura about it… I want to look for myself…"

... Only you...

"B-but-"

The older boy finally sighed.

"Tenma… if I'm really going to become the ruler of this country someday, isn't it crucial that I know everything about it…?" The young prince said and jumped onto his own horse. "After all, that's why we have been going on this trip for these past few months right. This is the last place already Ten… I can't back out now can I…?" He smiled at his friend before shifting his eyes back to the forest again.

...

Did it just call me again…?

A silent thought passed by when another wave of feelings went through his body. He felt like his mind was being mesmerized more and more by the forest with each step he made closer to the mystical land. And yet, his heart was filled with anything but fear. The calling were too light and desperate that it only urged his desire to find out what was in the forest... Not being able to hold back the silent yearning wish inside him, the young prince immediately dashed his horse into the forest before Tenma could say anything else. Panic kicked in when the young male saw his prince rushed into such a seemingly dangerous place. He clumsily climbed onto his horse too and was about to follow his friend when suddenly both him and the horse were bounced back by the foggy mist surrounding the forest. The boy let out a painful sound when he crashed onto the ground. He sat up shakily, and flinched when he realized what just happened.

"No…"

His eyes widened in fear.

"SEMPAIIII!"

... Only you can save him...

Well, this is it for now. I told you the chapters will be a bit shorter this time.

I hope it was good and please R&R ok. ;)