A Walk Through The Forest.

~Luminous~

Luminous: {What do you think about going for a walk in the forest?}

Rimuru: {Yeah, I would appreciate it. It would help clear my mind a bit.}

He stared at the ground and his eyes kept moving, not staying at one spot, as if he was talking to an ant moving under the ground.

I wanted to ask, maybe teas him a bit, saying he's acting like a shy boy on his first date, yet his grip, by shaking and tightening, silenced me.

We move outside the village and into the forest. Despite the lush greenery and the calming breeze, Rimuru's breath was still slow and heavy, audibly heavy.

Luminous: "I didn't know that they would fall unconscious..."

Seeing his state, I decided to bring him out of his thoughts by having a conversation.

Rimuru: "I... Also didn't know that, I just fell unconscious after naming them last time, Hahahaha..."

Yet my attempt seemed to barely distract him for a moment, but it looked as if brought him deeper in... Whatever it is.

Luminous: "Hmmm... Rimuru, since you've lived in this forest and explored it more than I ever did, do you have some places in mind to go to?"

Rimuru: "Ah. Yes... I do know a few places. A river, a few ponds and lakes, some empty grass patches and flower fields, and a few good hills and mountainsides. Where do you want to go?"

'His tone shifted and his expression seems a lot lighter now. That's an improvement.'

Luminous: "I like flowers, so let's go to a flower field. It's been a while since I last went to any place like that outside of my garden."

Rimuru: "There's a big hill close to here, its slopes are covered by flowers, more specifically, roses. Want to go there?"

Luminous: "Sounds like a nice place, so yes. Let's go there."

And with a dash, we reached the hill in a few minutes. It was almost big enough to be called a small mountain, and it was covered by light pink roses, shining under the late noon rays. Each had three blooms, and swirling branches connected them to the main stem.

Luminous: "Ara~ Aren't you flirtatious today?"

Rimuru: "Haha..."

His reply was an awkward laughter, not even commenting on how I was the one who asked to come here in the first place. 'There's something going on, but since he doesn't want to talk about it, I don't think it's that important.'

A few minutes and a small picnic later, Rimuru's grip only got tt tighter on my hand, he was now almost sticking to my side. I didn't think much of it, at least until I felt something slithering around my right arm.

I took a look at what it was, only to find Ouroboros, who was now wrapping itself around my arm, and looking at me with watery eyes.

'This is weird. He only ever cared about Rimuru, he never any shown interest toward me...'

Seeing that it couldn't convey what it wanted to me, it wrapped itself around my neck, covering it like a scarf, which I appreciated as the wind passing over was cooled by the large pond atop another hill, and extending past its edges, forming a waterfall, its sound filling the since between us.

We chose this hill because, other than the lake, waterfall, and calm breeze, it was also covered by a myriad of flowers and roses, making my sitting on the edge of the lake all the more comfortable. And as I said before, I love flowers.

Yet that comfort didn't last long, as I felt something poking on my right cheek. It was Ouroboros, who after getting my attention, pointed with its snout at Rimuru, all the while looking at me with tears full of color from the reflection of his eyes sliding down his body. Seeing its appearance, I couldn't help but pet him with my right hand.

Rimuru, on the other hand, had a shallow gaze on the scenery, opening and closing his mouth, trying to say something, but never finding the words, will, or both to do it.

All the while the corners of his mouth kept getting lower and lower, leaving an ajar expression on his mouth, and with his eyebrows closed the space between each other above his nose.

A.N/Why do I feel like the above sounded slightly confusing and hard to imagine?

'So that's what Ouroboros was crying for...'

Luminous: "Rimuru. Are you alright? Is there something on your mind?" My tone was aptly worried, and unlike every other time in my life, this time, my worry was genuine.

Rimuru: "O-oh! I-I was just thinking about something... About who will we take with us to Dwargon. There's nothing to worry about, I'm-"

Luminous: "Not fine. You're not fine. There's something that's been on your mind, something that's worrying you, that's taking all of your focus. Tell me what it is."

Held into his hand tighter, and looked at him straight in the eyes, making my intention of not letting him avoid the matter clear.

Rimuru: "It's not something that you should worry about. I don't want to burden you with it... I should take care of it alone..."

His face was smeared by a fake smile, trembling and falling down to a frown as the moments pass. His eyes were never able to look at me once, always jittering away in random directions

Luminous: "No. It's not something that you have to take care of alone. And it is something that I should care about. We have been through too much to hide things from each other.

"You don't need to hide things, to try and deal with your problems alone, hold up all of your problems inside of you, and let them ruin you. So tell me, what is the matter?"

'Tell me your problems... I don't want you to destroy yourself, to huddle everything thing inside of yourself... I don't want you to end up like me...'

Rimuru: "I... I-I'm Scare- I'm worried for my citizens- My people... H-how will they deal with everything that going to m- them... W-what if-"

His voice was breaking, his entire body became unstable, and his eyes -despite being a slime with no bodily functions- were now reflecting what little light is falling on them.

Luminous: "Rimuru. I'm not a nation's leader, nor are we in a political meeting. Don't hide behind those excuses, and tell me the truth."

Rimuru looked as if he was about to say something, but he stopped and lowered his head, not knowing what to do, looking for an answer to his predicament, and he found it. But not through raking his mind and storming it for a solution.

He found it by looking down and noticing our hands, our tightly intertwined hands, which were now covered by the droplet which were finally unleashed, letting them vent out all of the pent-up fear.

Rimuru: "I'm... Scared. I don't want to let the same tragedies happen, but... I don't know if I can stop them, I'm scared that I won't be able to stop them, that I will fail again... I already failed a lot. When we were invaded, when trying to stop Chronoa, and more than once in the cave...

"I'm scared of failing... failing my people, failing my friends, failing my family, failing you, and... I'm scared of failing myself... I don't want to lose everything again because of my incompetence..."

He, at last, let his heart free and showed me all of his worries with his maddeningly beautiful face looking at me, tears streaming down his eyes, falling down from his chin, and flushed, red, cheeks, due to the blood running into his head to help processing what to do.

Ouroboros was now on Rimuru's shoulder, rubbing its face against him, trying with its all to help him calm down and share his burden, despite it doing not much more than rubbing its tears on Rimuru.

Luminous: "That's alright. I'm also afraid of failing. I understand you. But... Please, promise me one thing... Promise me that you won't bottle your pain up inside of yourself and that you will share them with others... Or at least just me."

I said with my face getting closer, and my tone turning softer after each word. My right arm curved around him, embracing him in a slight hug.

'Please promise me that... I don't want that pain to befall you. That is something no living being should experience.'

Rimuru: "I Promis!"

His voice rang wide, and his smile shone wider, as it was finally a genuine mark of happiness, not a facade used to deceive others that he was fine. And it was only proven more by him hugging me as well.

Ouroboros, who looked confused but happy, also brought its head up to the sky, removing his tears in the same manner as Rimuru.

...A few minutes later...

Rimuru: "I couldn't sleep enough yesterday. I kept getting nightmares, and... I... Um... Can I-"

Luminous: "Yes. You can. You saved my life more than once. I have a dept to repay."

Rimuru: "... Thank you."

And with those sleepy, tired, words, he laid his head on my shoulder, while Ouroboros moved from his neck to let him sleep comfortably, and wrapped himself around me as well as Rimuru.

'Would I have done as much for him, and even let him sleep on my shoulder, if he didn't save my life?' I asked myself a question that I knew I won't be able to answer.

Taking a last glance at my surrounding, I saw the sun hiding behind the horizon, covering the twilight with sky red and orange, and showering the clouds with its rays, painting them with its light, making them gleam with a calm, light pink hue.

And with that beautiful sight, I laid my head over Rimuru's, closed my eyes, and let my mind drift across the many comfortable and warm dreams it got that day.

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A.N/ 1620-ish words. A bit short, but I wanted to make the chapter dedicated to that interaction between them.

Also, no -Small Extra- cuz it would've ruined the mood, which the A.N. did as well... well, guess I'm biased.

Anywho, Here's my discord: https://discord.gg/nRw9FYTk

Wait, didn't I already put that in a notice on my profile, and also at the end of the chapter from my other fanfic? Yes. But who cares about the notices? Almost nobody follows the author of a story, but everyone follows the story itself. And that other fanfic has, idk, 30 readers that care?

Also, I'm trying to improve my writing skills, as you could see from the difference between the last few chapters and the first five. Plus, I'm trying to expand my vocabulary (Note: Ajar means slightly open)

Do you think I would pass as a full-on Novel (or at least Webnovel) writer? Why I ask? Well, if you've seen the other fanfic, (I think) you should know that I'm insecure as all fuck. And hearing people say that my stuff is actually good makes me feel slightly better.

And by slightly I mean having a full fucking smile for the next 10 minutes (trust me, that's something big for someone like me.)

Anyway, me aside, I hope you liked this chapter, have a good life, and see you whenever the next chapter is~