Assassin's Hideout

Tim and Kyora were on the run. They arrived outside Monmouth and reached a brand-new area. "So, why'd you bring me on top of the coldest area? I'm going to freeze to death!" Tim squeaked, screaming in the air.

Kyora didn't budge, moving her hand on her hip. "We've checked every corner, but the mountains look heavy with snowstorms." Tim was freezing, unable to talk properly. "How... Are you able to withstand harsh cold like this?! My body feels like it's about to become a popsicle." Tim's entire body was shivering, and his teeth were rattling.

"I'm used to living in cold environments, so my body became used to heavy snow like this. I'm pretty warm, so I shouldn't need to worry about~!" She didn't finish and suddenly felt Tim's entire body wrap around her.

She felt his weight pressing into her shoulders. She freaked out, uncomfortable and red in the face. "What are you doing?! You're embarrassing us!" but Tim cared not. He continued hugging Kyora with his might making sure to use her body heat for himself.

"I... I'm cold... I-I can't help it! Y-You brought me... here!" She tried to throw him off her body but never succeeded. "Come on! You're going to knock me down!" she shouted.

Tim didn't stop.

It passed minutes, and Kyora stood in front of a wall. She looked up at it, confused but calm. "I don't think that Flare could've gone up there." She thought, and Tim continued hanging around her body. She became unimpressed. "Also... Can you not be so tight? I won't be able to move if you're pressing all your weight on me." Tim acted like a casual person.

"Maybe I could go up and check." Kyora freaked out in astonishment and looked at Tim over her shoulder. "You're crazy! You won't be able to climb this mountain in this snowstorm!" Tim exchanged looks. "But what if your friend's up there?"

Kyora seemed to have gotten used to Tim riding on top of her, so she ignored him and looked up at the mountain instead. "I mean... It's possible, but how would she get up there?" Tim vaulted over her head, pushing her back. "Ah!" she squeaked, falling back into the snow, bouncing it up while Tim stepped in front of the mountain wall.

He reached with his finger on top of his head, scratching it. "But if she is up there and we don't check it out... we wasted our time." He explained.

Kyora stood up from the snow, looking upward. "Well, if you're going, I'm coming as well. I'm not going to risk your life because I've been a horrible owner." Tim looked at her, confused. "Are you sure? I don't think that's a good idea. You know if I fall, you can at least catch me." He told and pointed his finger at her.

"Well, I can't just let you go up alone." She toughened up, becoming solemn, placing her fists onto her hips and leaning forward. "If you fall from a too-tall height, I won't be able to catch you. It's either; we both climb up, or one of us dies because of an accident. If you're putting your life in danger, I'll do so too." Tim was amazed by the sudden loyalty he received.

He blinked several times, feeling confused as though Kyora had put her life on the line for him. He became irritated, impatient, and frustrated. "No, I'm not losing my one and only navigator." He claimed. Kyora barged in with her furious expression. "I'm *not* your navigator! We're friends, that's all!" Tim laughed out loud, putting his left hand on his stomach and the other stretching in front, pointing at her.

His sudden laughter befuddled Kyora more than it already did, and she didn't know what was happening. "That's the funniest thing I've heard the whole day! You're going to join the crew! I can already tell!" he shouted, nearly crying from funniness.

Her face continuously heated up because of annoyance. "I'm NOT!" she shouted louder. "Yes, you are!" Tim was nearly rolling on the snow. "I said that I'm not going to join your crew! I'm not a pirate!" Tim became serious for a moment, looking into her eyes.

There was silence for a moment, but Tim couldn't hold back but laugh even louder, rolling in the snow. "Well, you ought to be one soon!"

The more Kyora tried to deny his words, the more it became hopeless. Her face became exhausted, silencing her. "The more I talk to him, the dumber I become. I can't handle it anymore. I surrender..." She sighed but then gathered courage. "Fine! I'll join your crew, but only if we find Flare and cure Etuna's illness, but *only* then! If we don't, you can forget about it!"

Tim bounced to his feet, looking into her eyes. "You promise?" he asked. "W-What?" she paused for a moment. "I won't stop bugging you unless you promise and keep your word." He called, smirking. He stood a foot away from her, looking into her eyes.

"I-I... um. Fine, I promise!" Tim squeaked in enthusiasm, raising his arms in the air. "Awesome!" he jumped at her and hugged her into a tight squeeze, her breasts pressing into his chest. "What are you doing?!" she was uncomfortable but soon felt her whole body lifted in the air. "Let me go!" she begged.

Tim laughed out loud and started spinning around from excitement. "Please, stop! I'm going to puke!" the more she tried to hold it together, the more it caused her eyes to tear up from getting spun around at a fast pace.

"I got a new navigator!" he shouted, not stopping. "Stop! You don't know that yet!" Tim lifted his arms mightily, "Yes I do!" and accidentally tossed Kyora high up in the air.

She screamed out like a little girl, and the higher she flew, the quieter her voice became. "Now! Let's climb!" but suddenly Tim realized that his hands weren't holding anything.

"You're going to kill me!!" she screamed. He blinked, confused. He noticed Kyora high in the air. "Oh, sorry about that!" he laughed awkwardly. "Shut up and catch me!" Tim laughed innocently and moved under Kyora's body, stretching his arms.

Kyora's body dropped into his grasp. His right arm slipped beneath her kneecaps and his left arm beneath her back. He wasn't worried and continued to giggle, unlike Kyora, whose pupils were swirling because of dizziness.

She slowly spoke, her right arm leaning onto her stomach. "I'm feeling dizzy..." Suddenly Tim realized the importance. "Oh, right!" he accidentally dropped Kyora, who fell in the snow with another squeak, "Climbing time!" he dashed toward the mountain wall. "You coming, Kyora?" he asked, looking behind him.

"Give me... a moment..." she called, slightly raising her finger.

Natan arrived at a designated area. He hid behind the snow-covered trees, waiting for the assassin to come by. "He should stop here soon, but I shouldn't act until Raoul is ready." He claimed, noticing that Raoul dropped on the opposite side.

There were two forests, but in between them, there was a snow field. It was out in the open, and there was a cave with a built-in door. It was an obvious hideout.

Raoul and Natan waited patiently, but suddenly they noticed somebody appear in the middle of that open field. "There he is..." Raoul believed, but Natan wasn't confident. "Hold on... If he's here... why isn't the bracelet beeping a green light?"

Natan also noticed that the person between them didn't hold their weapon. They held nothing else but a pink pendant that reminded Natan of something. "Huh? What's going on? That pendant. It looks identical to the one Tim has." Natan claimed.

He became hesitant, noticing that the bracelet still didn't stop blinking red. "Hold on... could that be somebody else?"

His question turned out to be truthful.

Instead of hearing a masculine voice calling out, he heard something else entirely. "Hey! I've got the pendant!" it was feminine.

It was a questionable experience.

To be continued...