Yasmin and Elfman were making their way into the forest, keeping their eyes peeled for any sort of trickery. The last thing they wanted was to fall into a trap.

But the whole thing was pretty much a trap, and they knew it.

It was getting very dark, and the moon was their only light. Yasmin was holding on to Elfman's arm for support, but honestly, it was really Elfman who needed the support on the inside. He didn't want to admit it, but he was pretty paranoid. If those beasts snuck up behind them in the dark, they could deal some extreme damage.

Elfman whipped around, his imagination playing tricks on him. He thought he heard twigs cracking behind them.

"Ugh. I hate the dark," Elfman said. "It gives us a disadvantage."

"Yeah... A disadvantage..." Yasmin said, gripping Elfman's arm so tightly that he grunted in pain.

"Sorry..." she said, releasing him. Her eyes darted around; she was terrified.

"It's fine," he said. "I think we might have to start looking for clues. We're not getting anywhere by just walking like this."

"Good idea..." Yasmin said, walking a little bit ahead. "Maybe they left stuff for us to―"

She abruptly stopped talking.

"For us to what?" Elfman asked, squinting to see where Yasmin went.

She didn't respond.

"Yasmin?" Elfman yelled, panicking. She was nowhere to be found.

She was here a second ago... She has to be here somewhere... Elfman started to freak out. The darkness really was not his favorite place and he felt like he was in some horror movie. His imagination grew wild. They would come for him next.

Then, he heard rustling in the leaves. Right behind him.

Elfman immediately morphed into his beast soul, and roared to try to frighten whatever it was away.

"Elfman!" He heard a familiar voice say. "Calm down... It's just me..."

"E- Ever?" He asked, turning human again. It was Evergreen, with a hesitant look on her face.

"Hi." She pushed her glasses up her nose, and looked a little hesitant.

"What are you doing here?" Elfman asked, confused. But he started to breathe normally again and he felt less panicky.

"I got the villagers to evacuate. So I didn't really need to be there to protect them... I decided maybe I'd help you. Looks like you need the help," Evergreen said, scratching the back of her head.

Elfman sighed in relief and grabbed Evergreen in a tight bear hug, lifting her off her feet. She squeaked at the sudden gesture, but blushed and smiled. She was glad to see him, but she was even more glad that he was glad to see her.

Elfman put her down and said, "You're right... I really do need your help. It's Yasmin."

The smile vanished from Evergreen's face. Of course it's Yasmin.

"She was here a minute ago, and now I can't find her. I think the Serpents of Chaos might have gotten to her..." Elfman said, frantically.

Evergreen frowned. She didn't want to be insensitive, but this Yasmin girl was completely useless. Not to mention she was really getting in the way of herself and Elfman.

"Well, we'd better go and find her," Evergreen sighed, starting to move forward.

"Wait!" Elfman said. He grabbed Evergreen's hand. "Hold my hand."

Evergreen's eyes widened. All of a sudden he wanted to hold hands? She stammered, "W-what? Why?" She tried to free her hand, embarrassed.

But Elfman kept a tight grip. He held on like he wasn't planning on letting go any time soon. "I just lost Yasmin because of my carelessness. I'm not about to let the same thing happen to you..."

Evergreen paused. "It wasn't because of you, I'm sure..." She said quietly. He only sighed in response. She stood next to him and kept holding his hand. She knew it was a good idea, not only so the two wouldn't get separated, but also because it made her feel safer.

"Let's go find these Serpents of Chaos, okay? If they have Yasmin, we'll get her back," Evergreen said. The two of them started to make their way through the forest again.

"Yeah. And now that I've got you here, we can kick their asses," Elfman said. Evergreen smirked, and Elfman could see it, even in the dark. "I mean, I'd be able to kick their asses without you, too. It'll just be easier with you here. That's all... Stop smirking like that!"

Evergreen smiled genuinely. She was glad she made the choice to come along with Elfman.

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Hey Y'all thanks for reading :)

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P.S. Sorry that my updating schedule is so out of whack... I'm just updating when I'm getting the time.