The forest had grown silent again, the ruins behind them looming like a warning. Kuro followed Mika, walking carefully as the faint pulse of mana under the soil seemed to linger around him, almost alive.
Mika's hands clenched and unclenched at his sides, jaw tight. He wasn't angry at Kuro — not exactly — but that phrase Elvastia had thrown at him kept echoing: "creepy comfort in death energy."
"You know," Mika said quietly, breaking the silence, "I heard what he said."
Kuro flinched, glancing at Mika. "You… heard that?"
Mika's sharp gaze met his. "Of course I did. You think I don't hear everything in your head?"
Kuro froze. {I—uh…}
[Finally! Someone acknowledged me!]
{Shut up, Elvastia!}
Mika ignored the exchange, though his brow furrowed. "That 'comfort'… do you even realize how dangerous that is? How odd that is?"
"It's nothing," Kuro said softly, shaking his head. "It doesn't mean anything… it's just part of me. You don't need to worry."
Mika's lips pressed together. "Nothing? Do you even understand how reckless it is to claim you're nothing when the forest was reacting to you? You could have been killed, Kuro."
Kuro swallowed, trying to meet Mika's gaze. "…I've been through worse. I've… survived worse than this. You don't need to fuss."
[Ooooh, there it is. Classic Kuro minimization mode. He's getting spooky silent again.]
{Elvastia!}
Mika's eyes flicked to Kuro. "You've been through worse?" he asked sharply, though his voice softened slightly at the edge. "Explain."
Kuro hesitated, a hollow weight settling in his chest. He had no words he wanted to say aloud, but somehow, in Mika's presence, he felt compelled. "When I was younger… twelve… bullies almost killed me. My father… didn't care. He made me run errands for him, bought his wine, and… didn't care what happened after that. I… survived. That's all."
Mika's eyes darkened instantly, a mixture of fury and hurt. His hand twitched, fingers brushing against the hilt of his sword. "Twelve," he muttered. "And no one stopped them?"
Kuro looked down. "No. I… I'm used to it. You don't need to worry about me. You don't even need to… care."
Mika's gaze softened for a brief, fleeting moment as he noticed the hollow sadness in Kuro's expression — not just grief, but emptiness. It wasn't anger, or panic, or frustration. It was a quiet void that made Mika's chest ache.
"You're not nothing," Mika said, his voice low but sharp. "Do you hear me? You're not nothing. And if anyone ever touches you like that again, I swear—"
[Ohhh, dramatic much? Someone's about to choke a forest demon.]
{Elvastia! Seriously.}
Kuro looked up at Mika, eyes wide. "…You'd… really do that?"
Mika's hand brushed against Kuro's shoulder almost instinctively, before he quickly pulled it back, pretending to adjust his cape. "I would. But… that's not something you need to test."
Lucien, walking a few paces behind them, tilted his head. "Uh… why are we talking about bullies now? And death energy? I feel like I walked into a soap opera."
Mika shot him a glare that could freeze fire. "Because he's mine to worry about. That's why."
Kuro's lips twitched, a faint, unsure smile forming. "…You really care, don't you?"
Mika's expression hardened, but his ears betrayed him, faintly pink at the tips. "…Don't get used to thinking I say things like that."
[Wow, wow, wow. He just blushed. Solid 10/10 moment.]
{Stop analyzing him!}
Mika's eyes narrowed. "What was that?"
Kuro shook his head. "…Nothing."
The group continued forward, the ruins growing behind them in the distance, the forest pressing in with whispers that Kuro could now feel but didn't fear — not entirely — because Mika was there, and he was alive.
Elvastia, however, couldn't resist one last jab.[Well, look at that. The big scary Mika actually cares. Who knew?]
Mika's hand twitched, almost reaching for Kuro again, but he stopped himself. "…I said stop talking."
Lucien was confused. "...Am I really missing out on something..."
Kuro hid a small laugh, and for the first time in a long while, the emptiness in his chest didn't feel quite so hollow.