Ikaru
Ikaru gritted his teeth in frustation at Akari's snarky comments. He noticed a concerned look on her face for a moment as she scanned around, before her face relaxed a bit. The wagon lurched again and Ikaru grumbled under his breath. Akari spoke again, and Ikaru fumed with frustration. The road smoothed out a bit, and Ikaru listened for any sound that could indicate where they were. There was nothing at all that he could hear over the rumbling of the wheels.
He wondered why they were going so fast over these horrible roads. Hopefully, it was because they were being pursued. He figured his parents would have soon found he was gone, and would have sent the guards after these kidnappers. However, it did not seem like help was especially close yet, otherwise there would be more of a commotion. He was confident that these criminals would soon be caught, but that confidence was steadily growing weaker.
Unexpectedly, there was another hard bump, and Ikaru, not braced for it, hit his head hard on the floor. He irritatedly strained to look to the space near his feet. "There is some space over there, just move to the right." Ikaru commanded her, attempting to pull himself to the left and sit up.
Akari
Akari simply glared at him staying right where she was. âSorry, I donât do commands. If you asked nicely, thoughâŠ.â She flashed him a small little smirk, glancing down at him and narrowing her eyes a bit. Akari yawned lightly, completely ignoring the uncomfortable surroundings for a moment to make known she was quite comfortable right where she was on top of him. Of course sheâd rather be on her own two feet, or off of him at least, seeing as the first wouldnât be an option. However, sheâd rather make a point and humiliate him.
She huffed, turning her vision towards the back of the carriage, a glare quickly forming. âWho the heck would want to kidnap me in the first place!? Gods, they should know already Iâm not worth much to either one of my parents, other than how it might look if their daughter was kidnapped, but even then. Ugh, itâs ridiculously uncomfortable back here; come on people, have a little tact.â
Ikaru
Ikaru stopped squirming as she refused, tilting his head up to look at her with slight anger in his eyes. 'Why does she have to be such an ill-mannered brat!' he thought with a scowl. He knew this positioning had to be uncomfortable for her too, yet she was acting like it was a formal party with 'Oh, please if you woulds' and 'Thank you kindly, Madam.' His pride began to flare up, and he wondered if he could outlast her. She was the one being rude and calling names, he had every right to ignore her request.
He remained silent for several long moments, intending to wait her out. However, another jolt, along with a sharp dip to the left, sent him flying to hit his head on the unforgiving wall. He was slightly dazed for a moment as he gritted his teeth against the pain. Finally he gasped out, though not without a bit of anger in his voice, "Just move!" There was a brief pause before he added in a rather sullen, "Please."
Akari
His unwillingness was almost palpable, which received only a subtle smirk from Akari, once he cracked itâd only be better. And after a rather harsh beating from the wagon, he did begin to crack. "Just move!" She looked down at him mercilessly, her eyes boring into his form. She had every upper hand in this dispute. He then gave in with his, âPlease.â
âSee, that wasnât so hard, was it? Sheesh, didnât they teach you any manners, especially when around a female?â Akari rolled her eyes, waiting for him to shift his weight to the left while she shifted hers to the right. She managed to rock backwards off of him and scoot herself back against the wall, keeping her head forward so it wouldnât hit the wood every two seconds. However, she was still uncomfortably close to him for her taste, and she huffed lightly, listening for Hikari again to get her mind off of that face of his.
Ikaru
Finally, she relented and moved over, and Ikaru was able to pull himself out from under her. He managed to pull himself into a sitting position, rather awkwardly facing Akari with nothing to really look at. At least he was not constantly hitting his head anymore. He looked at the boxes next to him, eventually finding a small crack that he could barely see through. She seemed to be avoiding his gaze as well. He could only hope they would be found soon. This was a rather ridiculous situation, and Ikaru began to wonder how it would turn out.
From his new position, Ikaru could see that the wagon they were in had high sides with a canvas tightly pulled over the top. The canvas was lit up with bright sunlight, and Ikaru supposed it was about noon. They had already been traveling for many hours. They could be anywhere by now, or at least anywhere he could think of.
As the day wore on in awkward silence and hard bumps, Ikaru slowly realized that their pace was slowing. He knew that could only mean that they were getting away from their pursuers, but he was unwilling to give up hope that these kidnappers would soon be caught. Eventually, the wagon seemed to be moving rather slow, more at the pace of a horse's walk that a fast trot. It seemed that help would not be there right away. As the evening slowly wore on, Ikuro began to feel drowsy. He saw that Akari had already fallen asleep, and soon he was doing the same, his head on his knees.
Abruptly, Ikaru receive a rude awakening as the boxes were pushed aside by a man with his face mostly concealed, who then roughly dragged him out of the wagon and dropped him to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Seconds later, Akari was dropped beside him and they were both forcefully pulled into a kneeling postion. Ikaru was irritated by the rough treatment. He immediately spoke in an arrogant, commanding voice to the men around them, most of whom had their faces covered. "How dare you treat us with such disrespect! Don't you know who I am?"
Before he could react, one of the men drew his sword, jerked Ikaru's head back by his hair, and put the blade to his neck.
Akari
Akari had pretty much ignored Ikaru the whole entire time, closing her eyes and focusing on keeping herself balanced and not smacking into the wall, and listening to the birds chirp. Eventually, she felt the wagon slow down into a more comfortable speed, and it slowly began to lull her to sleep until she finally just fell asleep.
Suddenly Akariâs eyelids flickered open as she heard shifting boxes and crates and the loud noises of men speaking somewhere outside. She turned to watch as a man grabbed Ikaru and dragged him out, a guarded look soon springing into action along her features as he looked at her. âDonât-â She began before he grabbed her by the legs and dragged her forward to get a better grip on her. He soon deposited her on the ground next to Ikaru without any carefulness to the action.
"How dare you treat us with such disrespect! Don't you know who I am?" Akari simply looked over towards him with one eyebrow arched and a flat look of disbelief on her features. âThatâs probably why they abducted you in the first place. And me too, obviously.â
She shut up as soon as she saw the blade to Ikaruâs neck, pulling her legs as close to her body as the ropes would allow to get away from those men.
Ikaru
"Oh?" The man said, shifting his eye over to Akari with a mocking chuckle as she attempted to move away. "Seems like your lilâ lady friend 'as the idea." He let go of Ikaru's hair for a moment, taking a threatening step toward the squirming girl. Ikaru immediately forgot his anger at the rough treatment. Instead, he felt alarmed at the threat to Akari and frustrated at his inability to help her in his position. Unless--
"Hey, what do you think you're doing, you half-wit?" he called out in his haughtiest tone. Ikaru immediately got the result he expected and more.
The man immediately turned back, replacing the bared blade at Ikaru's throat with a sneer, "You got a big mouth for one in your position, brat." The masked men around them chuckled at the scene. "Two ransoms be nice, but even with one, we'd be livin' like kings for a good while." As he spoke, he added more pressure to the blade until Ikaru could feel a bit of blood dripping down his neck. He gritted his teeth, but refused to look away from the man's eyes, which only angered the man more. Before either one of them could do any more, Ikaru heard a different voice from behind.
"Now, now, shouldn't we treat our guest with a bit more... hospitality?" A broad shouldered man soon came into view, the only one without anything covering his face. The man threatening Ikaru immediately stepped back, sheathing his weapon after a hand motion from the unmasked man. "Time to set up camp," the man said, throwing up one hand in a shooing motion. He stood in front of Ikaru and Akari, watching them a moment as the rest of the men burst into motion taking things out of the wagon, gathering firewood, setting up a couple tents. His gaze was unnerving, and Ikaru soon found himself looking away in near shame.
As soon as Ikaru averted his eyes, the man turned away and joined the activity, calling out orders. Apparently, he was the leader of these bandits. Ikaru wondered what exactly was in store for them here. âWhatever it is, it probably is not good, he thought, wishing he could wipe away the small, irritating drop of blood still trailing down his throat. Every few moments, Ikaru looked over at Akari to make sure she was alright, looking away whenever she glanced over at him.
After a few moments, Ikaru could smell the aroma of food cooking, and realized he was ravenous. He hadnât eaten since⊠it must have been about this time the night before. He wondered if, and how, they would be fed. Suddenly, the Leader motioned a couple of men over to them while saying distractedly, âBind âem to the wheels, you know the way. Then give...â He paused to look at them again with a terrible smile before continuing, âour guests something to eat.â
They were hastily pulled to the two wheels on the side of the wagon nearest the fire and bound to them. Their hands were roughly untied, and bowls filled with some sort of soup from the pot over the fire were shoved at them, along with roughly carved wooden spoons. Though Ikaru struggled slightly and tried to strain his neck to look behind him, the knots securely binding him to the wheel, as well as those holding Akari, were too far to reach. A couple of the men saw him struggling and laughed, making him redden slightly. The youngest of the bandits looked on in sympathy, but the look was quickly gone, unnoticed by the embarrassed Ikaru. He set the bowl beside him and rubbed his sore wrists as the blood slowly returned to his hands, making them tingle annoyingly. He adjusted his glasses, which had stayed fairly well on his face during the whole ordeal.
He soon picked the bowl up again, looking at its contents skeptically, but its alluring scent and his overwhelming hunger quickly had him gulping it down. He slowed when he realized how fast he was eating, but it was still gone sooner than he would have liked. One of the men noticed Ikaru was done, and roughly pushed the young man toward him with a grunt. He walked over and took the bowl, warning Ikaru not to resist as he bound Ikaruâs hands behind him once more, quite gently compared to the others. When Akari was done, the young man did the same to her, taking her bowl and gently binding her hands to the wheel behind her.
Akari
âOh?â Akari practically froze as she saw him look over at her, trying to control her facials but finding she couldnât do so very well, a look of fear and panic subtly underlying the otherwise blank face, but her eyes gave her away and the tremble of her lips as he advanced towards her. She did not like the look on his face, and she feared for herself and had only the worst ideas as to what he had planned for her.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing, you half-wit?" Ikaru suddenly diverted the thugâs attention from her, and a look of relief flooded past her facial defenses before quickly disappearing as the man once more pressed the blade to Ikaruâs throat. "You got a big mouth for one in your position, brat." She winced, turning away at the sight of a bit of blood beginning to start underneath the blade while the others just laughed.
"Now, now, shouldn't we treat our guest with a bit more... hospitality?" A new voice entirely entered the scene, and everyone seemed to take a step back from their previous inhibitions, suddenly straightening up at the sight of who seemed to be the âbossâ. His face wasnât covered, and Akari scanned his features subtly and quickly. "Time to set up camp," The man dismissed the others who quickly began working around the area they had stopped in, bringing out materials and such. He soon joined the others, leaving Ikaru and Akari to watch them bustle around. Except that both of them stole glances at the other, Akari was definitely shaken up by the ordeal that had just happened, not to mention that obvious fact they had been abducted, but she was a bit more worried about the blood at Ikaruâs neck. She caught him looking towards her at least twice, and she blinked a few times, taking the information a bit confusedly. He wasnât usually polite or considerate towards her, so she ruled out him acting gentlemanly.
âCould it be possible heâs actually worried about me?â She turned away from him, not daring any other looks at him. Soon the smell of food cooking flooded the area, and Akariâs head tilted towards the direction of the cooking pot, staring at it hungrily. The boss waved some men over towards them, another feeling of relief running through her as he announced his intentions to feed them. She didnât even really care they would be tied up to the wheels of the wagon, as long as she got food.
As the food was presented to her, and her hands untied, she took a moment to first rub at her wrists which were rubbed raw from the rope, before picking up the spoon carefully and beginning to spoon steaming mouthfuls of the food to her lips. She wanted desperately to just shovel it all in, but she harshly disciplined herself mentally, reminding herself of the time she got stuck up in the mountains. Once she had finished, she looked up at the trees, her eyes subtly gazing for Hikari.
The slightest of smirks flickered across her lips before disappearing as she found her companion hiding among the leaves, and staying quiet otherwise. The youngest member of the group came and retied their hands, a look of pain on Akariâs features at having the rough material against her wrists once more.
Ikaru
Ikaru, now with nothing to distract him other than the noisy conversation of the bandits, began to feel strange for not saying anything to Akari yet. He knew that the more time that passed now, the worse it would be to try to talk to her. They may be able to figure out an escape plan later when they could not be overheard, but even that would be difficult if they could not talk to each other for more than a few seconds before insults started flying. He decided he might as well try to be civil for a few moments, but his words just came out awkwardly.
âThat was not so bad, I suppose. The food, I mean,â he said, knowing she would probably think him foolish.
Akari
Akari looked up as she heard Ikaru speak out towards her. âThat was not so bad, I suppose. The food, I mean,â She tilted her head, looking at him curiously and with a slight suspicion. He hadnât tried to do so before. She waited a few moments for the insult, but it never came. She coughed lightly, âYeah, whenâs the shower?â She grinned ever so slightly, though her face was tired and showed a small bit of strain.
She tilted her head back up for a moment to locate Hikari again. Doing so gave her a sense of comfort, and it helped her to relax ever so slightly. It was good to have a familiar face, and an understanding friend for once. She set her head back down towards Ikaru, not quite sure if he wanted to continue talking or how it would turn out if he did. He seemed to only want to pick a bone with her, so Akari was understandably a bit on edge, ready to make a snarky comment back at him if he decided to go down that path.
Ikaru
A strained moment passed, and Ikaru almost thought that Akari would not even deign to respond. He felt silly for even brining up such a shallow topic. Finally, she made a joking response, and Ikaru tried to bite back a sarcastic comment about cleanliness. Why did she set herself up? It was almost as if she wanted him to insult her again, but he had a different goal in mind than spiting her. Bickering, though easy to get into with Akari, would not help them to escape.
He returned her smile with a half hearted smirk of his own. âYes, I do not doubt that we will be found and rescued soon. Then we can get back andâŠ.â He paused, not wanting to finish the thought. âBut if we arenât, it will be up to us, I suppose.â He stopped short as one of the men passed by, heading out into the darkness.
Akari
âYes, I do not doubt that we will be found and rescued soon. Then we can get back andâŠ.â Akari let out a sigh, turning her head away from him at that comment. âYeah, well, I do.â She mumbled just loudly enough for him to catch if he were listening. âBut if we arenât, it will be up to us, I suppose.â She simply shrugged and nodded her head, turning away from him as a man got up to go relieve himself, probably. She blanched slightly, realizing sheâd eventually have to do so herself, and was rather glad she was turned away from Ikaru in that moment.
With another small sigh, she looked down at the grass, shifting around as to get a better position, and doing her best not to look miserable. She was better than that, and she didnât need anyone thinking she was weak, considering she had to take care of herself anyway. The ropes werenât as bad, thanks to that man, but they were still digging into her skin.
Ikaru
Though Ikaru was trying to start up a conversation, Akari merely shrugged and turned away. She began to shift around, and he wondered if she had decided he was too much of a bother to talk with already. He was becoming frustrated with Akari again, since he had gone out of his way to be polite, and she was already turning her back to him. It is not as if this was easy to do in the first place.
However, when he turned to look at her again, he saw that she did not seem to be simply ignoring him. There was something else there. Is she hurt? he thought, alarmed. He waited a moment, trying unsuccessfully to discern her well-being, but soon decided to take a more direct approach.
âAre you alright?â he said, trying so hard not to sound overly concerned that he almost sounded cold and uncaring. Though this was belied by the expression on his face, that was difficult to make out in the low light.
Akari
Akari almost jumped as she heard him ask if she was alright, turning away from him lightly. âFineâŠ.â She supplied lightly, trying her best not to break down or relax in front of him. It was enough that he was forever picking on her like she was a child, she didnât need him thinking she was weak as well, besides, she figured it was just a formality, considering his tone of voice. She turned her head forward and looked at him out of the corner of her eye, trying to discern whether or not he was actually that big of a jerk by his facial expressions, though the dim lighting made it impossible to do so.
She laid her head back against the wagon, letting a deep breath out before locating Hikari once more, who was peering over a branch looking at her with flustered feathers and an obviously worried demeanor. She flashed the bird a brave smile for a split second before closing her eyes, waiting for sleep.
Ikaru
Ikaru frowned and turned away as she brushed him off once more with an annoyingly brief response. He was done with trying to force conversation, especially if she would not cooperate anyway. He was tempted to say something else, but decided it was not worth the bother.
The bandits seemed to be settling in for the night, a couple of them prowling around to keep watch over the camp, and over them. After all, strange things wandered in the unconquered forests. Now that he thought about it, Ikaru had never slept out in the open before. There had always been some in or some noblemanâs house to stay the night when traveling, but nowâŠ. He started at a noise somewhere out in the forest, but scolded himself for his cowardice. If there was something out there, their kidnappers would handle it. He smiled scornfully as he realized their greatest threat was also their best protection against the unknown dangers of the night.
His thoughts soon began to wander, and he shifted into a more comfortable position. He stared at the fire as it began to burn out, mesmerized by the shifting flames. Before he knew it, he was asleep.