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They arrived at a long shed made of straw, sea grass, and a dark red-colored wood. The exterior looked beautifully structured, and intricately designed to fit the forest.

It was dark, but the tall torches hanging on the wooden poles helped Harper and Yanpu see. The woman led her up the stairs and inside the house.

The interior was well decorated. There were lots of hand-carved furniture, furs, and decals. There were palm trees planted all around, and a

3 windows hovering over a weaved couch.

There were multiple rooms, but the woman placed a towel down and pointed at it when they just entered. She wanted her to rest Hyde on it, so Harper dropped him. She huffed and wiped her face, covered in rain and her sweat.

The woman positioned Hyde on his back, head up, and started feeling his arms. "Muscles are fine," She mumbled, before moving to his shirt.

But she stopped when she saw the belt around his waist with the two swords. She glanced at Harper and raised a brow.

Her cheeks flushed. Harper tried to think of an excuse as to why he had weapons, but it wasn't easy to explain. The woman removed his belt and slid it aside, far from Hyde's body without asking anything.

Then she raised his shirt and saw the glowing scar. Harper was waiting for her reaction, but the lady seemed unphased. She only sighed standing up and walked over to her cabinets.

She grabbed 3 jars. One full of blood-red colored flakes, another with green leaves, and one full of water. On her table, there was a mortar and pestle. She placed the red flakes in first and then the leaves before crushing them up. Then she mixed the water in.

After 10 minutes of stirring and crushing, she poured the substance into the shell of a coconut. "This should help him."

"What is it?"

"He suffers from poisoning." The woman sat near his body and motioned Harper over.

Harper was wondering if this woman really understood what she was doing. His condition was due to crystallization, not poisoning.

The woman forced the coconut into her hands, pointing at Hyde. "Give it to him. He will wake up soon."

Harper slid her hand behind his head and raised it slightly. She felt nervous, not knowing whether to trust the woman or not. Maybe a taste test would make her feel better? Harper raised the coconut up to her mouth, but the woman stopped her.

"It is for him. Do not drink." She warned.

Harper sighed and wedged the coconut edge in between Hyde's lips. She let the liquid go into his mouth, waiting until the coconut was empty. The residue inside of it was red and pasty.

The woman snatched the coconut shell away and walked over to her small kitchen-like area. "Are you and the boy hungry?"

"I'm fine, but he may be." Harper rested Hyde's head back on the towel.

The woman grabbed a weaved platter, with fish meat coated with onions and peppers, and an unfamiliar purple grilled fruit, next to it. Harper couldn't believe she was putting this much trust in the woman, but she did feel somewhat secure.

Yanpu received the platter.

"When he finishes, you can sleep here." The woman pointed to the couch and placed two small ottomans in front of it. "It is late. Rest well." The woman nodded and disappeared into the other room.

Yanpu dug into his platter, offering Harper a piece of the fruit.

"It's okay, Yani. Don't worry about me, and eat up."

"Bomb says it's not okay to skip meals..." Yanpu was still confused by the entire situation. Arnest wasn't with them, and now Harper was helping Hyde. He found out that the man he wanted to protect Harper from was his older brother.

What exactly happened? Why did Harper take him away? Upon mentioning that name, why did she frown?

"That's true, but..." Harper pulled Yanpu to sit next to her. "I'm okay. I'm not hungry."

"Are you sure?" Yanpu observed her, seeing exhaustion and pain all over her face.

Harper faked a smile and nodded at him. Then she pulled him close and kissed him on the forehead. The action was new. She had never done that before. Her hugs were common, but a kiss was abnormal.

What he didn't know was that she was now taking over a motherly role for him. She vowed right then and there that she would raise him as her own kin. Harper pulled him into a warm hug and stroked his hair, which was still wet.

When Yanpu finished eating, still deciding to leave a few pieces of fruit for Harper to try, he started falling asleep. Harper sensed this and placed the platter aside.

She scooped Yanpu in her arms, and rested him on the couch, spreading his legs and arms over it. There would be no room for her to sleep while he was facing this way, but she decided to sacrifice comfort for him.

There was a thin blanket draped over the couch, and she used that to cover Yanpu. She tucked his arms under and rested his head on a pillow.

After checking him once more confirming that he was completely unconscious, Harper slumped over one of the ottomans and let the sound of crackling from the torches lull her to sleep.

The night drifted away, and the sunlight peered through the windows, irritating Hyde's eyes. He opened them, allowing the fuzziness to go away before he moved around.

There were no trees, well, except for a few on the other side of the room. It wasn't like the forest. He sat up and observed the room cautiously, and reached for his belt.

His face paled when he realized that his swords were gone.

Where did Harper and Yanpu go? Hyde glanced around the room. When he spotted them by the couch, he blinked several times. What happened to him last night?

How did they get here? Where was this place? And who was the dastard that took his weapons away?

Hyde massaged his wrist and realized that he wasn't in pain anymore. Did Harper somehow find an antidote for him? Why else would his scar have stopped irritating him?

But he felt different. It wasn't like before when he would feel exhausted after taking Arnest's medication. Hyde actually felt refreshed.

"Hyde," Harper mumbled and rubbed her eyes. She quickly crawled over to him and raised his shirt. The sudden movement of her hands surprised him.

When Harper noticed that the scar had stopped glowing and that he seemed completely fine, she started to sob.

"Hey," Hyde narrowed his eyes. "Don't start that,"

"You're okay." She nodded and sighed. "You're okay," She repeated as if she was trying to convince herself. "But... what if something else happens?"

She grabbed his arm, and he felt her trembling.

She was under a lot of stress. She wasn't doing a good job of hiding how distraught she seemed.

Hyde grabbed her hand and squeezed it, bringing it away from him. "I'm fine,"

Harper was puffing, trying to stop crying, so Hyde tilted his head and leaned in front of her line of sight. He could see the panic in her eyes.

What in the world had stirred her up like this? He had seen her scared expression before, but this was different. It was like she was having an anxiety attack.

"Breathe." He rubbed his thumb on the back of her hand.

"I'm breathing," Harper argued,

"You're panting," Hyde snickered, "Like a dog."

"I'm not a dog! Don't you compare me to them!" Harper huffed. "Don't mention them!"

"Okay, okay," Hyde grabbed her shoulder. "Not like a dog, like a wildebeest, or some shite... I don't know."

Hyde realized that she wasn't calming down and gave up. He decided to change the subject. "Where are my swords?"

"Um..." Harper finally took a deep breath and looked around. "Over there," She pointed behind him, remembering where the woman from last night put them.

"Good, you both are awake." The woman walked into the room, announcing her presence. Hyde shifted Harper behind him, shielding her, choosing not to put any trust in the stranger.

"How are you feeling?"

"Who are you?" Hyde gritted his teeth.

"She's the one who helped us last night and gave you medicine."

"You let her lace me with drugs?" Hyde glared at Harper.

"You were suffering from poison. You were having a bad reaction." The woman spoke, not understanding his hostility. She had thought she presented herself as an ally, not an enemy.

"I know darn well about my condition. But it gives you no right to touch me."

"Hyde, without her, you would've probably died. We all would've died out there." Harper scolded him.

"Give me my swords, we're leaving." Hyde pushed himself off the ground, but he lost his balance when a headache took over him. He propped himself up, and Harper rushed to help.

"Are you okay?!"

Hyde grunted in response.

"Oh, it is the side effect." The woman explained. "You have to eat. You will feel a lot better afterward."

She handed him a fruit, and Hyde nudged it out of his face. "I don't need your shite."

"He'll take it." Harper pulled Hyde's shoulders down and took the fruit. "Sit down. Stop being a baby. Eat."

"What if it's poisoned? You're gonna let her poison me?"

"It's not poisoned." Yanpu's soft voice spoke from across the room. "It's good."

"No one asked you!" Hyde seethed. Harper peeled the skin off of the purple fruit and placed a piece of it between his lips.

"I'll try it with you to make you feel better. Okay?" She suggested. Hyde stared at it for a moment before taking a bite.

"You'd better pray we don't drop dead. To your overseers or whatever."

"I don't think she has any plans to harm us,"

"You don't know that. She could be planning to kill us and take the kid. Child labor and the Slave trade are big overseas."

Well. That instilled a new fear in Harper.

"This isn't Westona or Itaria, we don't know what we're dealing with."

"Exactly, this isn't. Maybe there's a chance we landed on an island that isn't hostile towards us."

"I'm gonna pretend you didn't say that." Hyde shoved a fruit piece in her mouth. "I've traveled more than you, I know what people are capable of. Don't trust anyone so blindly just because they helped you."

"If she wanted to take Yanpu, she would've done it while we were both sleeping."

"She didn't because we aren't dead."

"Okay, Hyde." Harper groaned. "Considering the fact that she made some sort of antidote for you, can you please just hear her out?"

"I'll consider it. Doesn't mean I have to believe her."

"Why are you being so difficult?"

"Because you're not thinking of our potential dangers. You vowed to protect me, didn't you? You're not doing such a good job." Hyde teased her.

"You both must love each other very much." The woman interrupted their hushed conversation. I'll ease your troubles by introducing myself."

She pointed to herself, "My name is Akamau. I am the healer of this island. I have no intention to hurt any of you."

"You say that now," Hyde mumbled.

"What is your name? Where are you from? I can tell you are foreigners..."

Hyde and Harper eyed each other briefly. It was mutual that they didn't want to share that they both were Westonian. Harper's plan was to hide from Westona to keep Yanpu safe. And Hyde wanted to abandon that nationality completely.

Akamau sensed their unwillingness to share that information. "You don't have to tell me much if you don't want to. But what do I call you?"

"My name is Harper," She omitted her last name, fearing that if anyone from Westona was searching, they'd locate her by it. "This is Hyde," She touched his chest while introducing him.

"You didn't have to tell her my name."

"She didn't react when I said it. She doesn't know you or recognize it." Harper whispered.

"She could be pretending."

"That over there is Yanpu."

"Ah, Harper, Hyde, Yanpu, it is a pleasure to meet you. Is it okay for me to ask why you 3 were walking around in the storm?"

"No," Hyde finished eating and stood up, this time without the bad headache. "We'll be taking our leave now." He walked over and snatched up his belt, clipping it around his waist.

"If you are so unwilling to disclose your previous location, might I suggest you change your clothes?" The woman raised a brow at him as he walked by.

Hyde stopped and looked down at himself. She was right. If she had recognized them as foreigners, no doubt anyone else they encountered would too.

"Shite," Hyde grumbled and rubbed his face.

"Do not worry, I have things that may fit you." Akamau disappeared into the next room briefly before showing back up with a stack of clothes. She handed each one of them about 3 or 4 items each.

"You may change." She smiled and walked away.

"How the heck is she able to read us so easily?" Hyde scoffed when she left.

"You're making it easy." Harper shrugged. "What are you doing?!"

"Changing my clothes," Hyde yanked his pants down without warning, and Harper gasped and moved her eyes elsewhere. He took off his shirt next and dropped all of his clothes beside her.

"Oh my gosh," Harper coughed. "You can't just do that without warning me! Have some decency!"

Hyde placed a hand on his bare waist and narrowed his eyes. "We're stranded in the middle of nowhere, and you're worried about decency?

Our survival going forward should be the only thing on our minds."

"Even still! We should set boundaries!"

"What boundaries? It's not like I haven't seen you naked before. And a few days ago you were feeling all over my chest." He moved forward to reach for the clothes Amamau gave him.

"Don't come over here!" Harper squeaked when she caught a glimpse of his nakedness.

"Get over it," Hyde spat at her. "Get changed, or I leave without you."

That threat was one Harper couldn't tell if he was serious or not. Nevertheless, she didn't want him to abandon her. So she began to strip her clothes.

Hyde stood in front of her, shielding her from Yanpu's view. "Kid, put these on," Hyde gestured at him.

Yanpu glowered at Hyde but did what he said. He still didn't trust Hyde around Harper.

Harper put on a tapa skirt, with grass weaving around her waist and 2 long slits on either side first. They defined her hips and her legs. It was a bit revealing, mainly because her thighs were thick.

The top was cropped, and made of some type of fur. It exposed her stomach but covered her breast. And it had one strap that went over her shoulder. When she finished, she turned around and caught Hyde staring at her lower region.

His gaze went from her waist down to her legs. He thought the fit suited her body well.

Their eyes met for a moment, and Hyde didn't have an ounce of shame. But Harper looked away and kept quiet.

Hyde turned his attention to clothes and fixed his fitted top wrapping his chest. It was also slightly cropped, exposing only his belly button. There was a short-sleeved thin cotton jacket with a vibrant pattern to go with it.

For pants, were made of an unfamiliar fabric, but there was grass weaving over the pant sleeves. He fixed it properly around his waist, with his own weapon belt.

The clothes gave him a hint of where they were. But he wasn't a hundred percent sure of it yet.

Yanpu wore pants similar to Hyde's, with a different weaving of grass for the skirt. Then he wore a flimsy tank top with holes in them.

"Let's go,"

"Ah, wait," Harper grabbed his arm. "Maybe we should ask her for a map?"

"A Map?" Akamau came back in. "There is one on the board in the center of the village."

"And where exactly is it?"

"A 30-minute walk East of here."

"30 minutes!?"

"Big deal," Hyde disregarded Harper's surprise. "Better 30 than an hour."

"Do you think we'll be able to find Shelter there?"

"Shelter? Are you in need of a place to stay?" Akamau questioned, perplexed. Had they just arrived? Was it their first time here? She had assumed they were from the northern part of the island.

"None of your business."

"Yes, we do!" Harper retorted. "I don't know about you, Hyde, but I'm gonna take all the help I can get. Yanpu and I are not sleeping in that forest tonight."

"Ah, if you are looking for a place, the village head is searching for new tenants." Akamau smiled. "I am not sure the average price for the house he is selling."

"We're a bit short on money," Harper admitted, and Akamau's face fell.

"Oh, then it may be hard for you to find refuge. I can offer you to stay here until you've gathered enough funds—"

"No, we're good." Hyde rejected. "Are there any affordable alternatives?"

"You can build your own home. But you will have to give all of your information to the Village head for him to approve it."

"Oh no," Harper frowned. Staying with Akamau didn't sound so bad now.

Hyde nodded and continued out the door. Harper sprinted, trying to catch up. Yanpu wasn't too far behind.

"Where are you going? We should stay!"

"We're not staying here."

"So what is your plan then? How will we survive without a roof over our heads?"

"We'll figure something out."

"Why are you—" Harper walked in front of him and nudged him by the chest, halting him from going any further. "Stop being so stubborn! Can't you see that this isn't what's best for Yanpu?"

"What about what's best for me? For you? For all of us?" Hyde retorted. "Why are you only thinking about him? Do you realize what position we're in?"

"I do." Harper pouted. "I just don't understand what you're planning. If we want to work together, we have to communicate. You have to tell me stuff, and I have to tell you—"

"I already told you, I don't trust that woman."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't!"

"That's not a real reason! You have to give me an answer!"

"Because no sane person in this world takes a good look at this, and THIS," He pointed to his scar, and then his swords, "And is willing to help them out freely. Everything comes at a price!"

"Arnest did. His family did."

"They're gone. This place isn't Itaria, it's not Piccposto." Hyde seethed.

"But it's not Westona either," Harper replied with a heavy sigh. "Hyde, I understand why you're on edge. It's because you are trying to keep safe after everything that's gone on. I get it."

"Do you?"

"I'm terrified right now. I already know there will be a warrant for my arrest in a few days, once Westona catches wind of what I did. Don't you think I'm very weary about what happens next too?"

Hyde closed his mouth. He processed what she said, and decided not to answer.

"I don't deserve it. But can you give me a chance to earn your trust back? Can't we just communicate and work together? We don't have to argue."

"If you don't want to argue, don't aggravate me." Hyde spat, but he instantly regretted his words when he saw her pouty face reacting to them. "I didn't mean that," He brushed his hair out of his face. "Shite, I don't know..."

"Let's make a deal." Harper fixed her posture. "As of today, and from this point on, we're comrades."

Hyde gave her an 'are-you-serious' look, prompting her to continue.

"We look out for each other. This includes Yanpu,"

"Ugh," Hyde rolled his eyes.

"Hey, I'm serious!" Harper snapped. "This is important. We have to communicate."

"If you say communicate one more time..." Hyde whispered through his teeth. "Fine, but what will you offer me in return?"

"Loyalty and devotion aren't enough for you?"

"Nope." He said proudly while smirking at her.

"Well, it's going to be." Harper poked him in the shoulder. "How do we seal it?"

"A blood pact," Hyde suggested glancing at one of his blades.

"You have this weird obsession for bloodshed."

"Sometimes it smells nice." Hyde shrugged.

"We're not doing that." Harper scrunched her face in disgust.

"Why? Are you afraid?"

"Your wound will heal easily. Mine won't. And I'm not trusting you with those swords. You cut me before." Hyde grinned at the memory and she shuddered. "I don't want it to happen again."

"Okay, so...?"

"We shake on it?"

"You're so lame." Hyde chortled.

"Okay! When we were kids, we used to do this thing where we spit on our palms, and shake hands. It's pretty disgusting, but..."

"So you want to swap spit?"

"That's the only way I can think of to show how serious I am."

"You sure about that?"

Harper spat in her hand and extended it forward. "I'm sure." She waited for Hyde to do the same. Hyde stared at her hand for a moment.

He didn't want to touch her hand after that. So he did something unexpected. He lunged forward and grabbed Harper's face before smashing his lips onto hers.

Her eyes widened and she grabbed onto his shoulders to balance herself. "Hyde—"

She opened her mouth, and Hyde shoved his tongue inside. He tilted his head, deepening the action and Harper melted into his hold.

Yanpu covered his eyes, perplexed by it. He didn't know what prompted Hyde to kiss her, but he wanted it to stop.

Their tongues fought with each other, and Harper completely forgot about sealing their promise. He took her breath away, literally.

She didn't realize her hands had glided up his chest and wrapped around his shoulders.

His lips were soft, so she bit them. Hyde pulled away from her and wiped his mouth, with no emotion in his eyes. Harper exhaled and covered her lips with her hand when she realized what just happened.

"You kissed me!" Harper hollered.

"That wasn't a kiss," Hyde rubbed his thumb over his bottom lip. "That was swapping spit."

"That's not what I meant at all when I agreed!"

"Trust me, you would know if it was a kiss. That wasn't one." Hyde released her and walked forward.

"Yeah right!" Harper followed. "You just wanted an excuse to do that!"

"If I had kissed you," Hyde paused his steps and turned to face her. The red in his eyes began to glow. "You would've collapsed from pleasure."

"Are you bragging?"

"I'm confident in myself. Why brag about what's true?" He shrugged. "I don't kiss a woman unless they're willing to play."

"Play? I don't get what that means. You've used that term before."

"A nice long toss in the hay." His eyes darkened. "Which I hadn't had in a while."

"That's disgusting!" Harper gasped when she finally caught on. "Yanpu is right there!"

"And? He doesn't know what it means unless you tell him."

"You are just so..."

"Keep walking. We need to figure something out before the sun starts to set." Hyde ignored her and walked by the plethora of palm trees surrounding them.

~~~