Carnelia

Tsukiko looks at Natsu shocked but the guards look surprised at the first one chuckles.

"Heh! take this!"

The guard yells as he brings his sword up to strike him but his eyes widen in shock when they are surrounded in smoke and he drops his smoke while tall the guards start coughing and Tsukiko's eyes widen when Natsu grabs her hand. But she holds her breath when they run through the smoke.

Natsu runs as fast as he can while holding Tsukiko's hand tightly and when they run out the smoke he quickly runs into the forest.

"Alright we made it.
Now follow me."

He says when he lets go of her hand and he runs further into the forest but stops at one of the tree's and climbs in it and hides on the branch.

"Don't break..."

Natsu thought when he looks down at the branch but goes on his knees and holds out his hand to the ground where Tsukiko is.

"Grab my hand."

He whispers with a calm expression.

Tsukiko gasps when they make it out of the smoke which quickly disappears when they are in the foret and the guards looks around confused.

"Where did they go?"
"What happened?!"
"They got away!"

Several of the guards shout while Tsukiko watches run farther into the forest and she tries to follow him and she stops a few feet away from the tree and She smiles up at him warmly and she nods at what he says before taking his hand.

"Thank you..."

Natsu tightens his grip on her hand with a small smile.

"Heh we're almost out of here...Tsukiko."

He says with the same expression while he pulls her up next to him.

"We just have to hide here for a little while."

Natsu whispers while he leans against the tree and they can't be seen because of the leafs.

"These guards..did they never help you to escape this place?"

He asks in a curious tone.

Tsukiko nods at what he says with the same smile but she closes her eyes when he pulls her up but opens them again when she feels the wood under her feet.

"Alright... until they give up... right?"

She asks with raised eyebrow, as the fifty guards spread themselves out in the forest, but Tsukiko looks at him surprised at his question and her smile weakens before she looks down toward the ground.

"Anything but.... they pitied how my father and his wife treated me.... but they didn't want to pay their lives for letting me go..."

Tsukiko says with a shrug before closing her eyes.

Natsu slowly sits down while his back is still against the tree.

"I see..."

He closes his eyes and crosses his arms.

"Well you escaped that place...so let's make sure you don't get caught.
With other words...sit down."

Natsu says with a small smile and opens his eyes.

"But..yea...we can only leave this place when they give up.
I can hear them...you hear that?"

He asks while he looks around and raises his arm and the blade slowly shoots out his sleeve again so that it won't make any noise.

"Just in case..."

Tsukiko nods with a sigh and she sits down when he tells her too.

"Yes... all thanks to you..."

She says with another warm smile.

"I owe you my life..."

Tsukiko says before closing her eyes to hear the footsteps and she sighs.

"Yes.... they are a little far... but I hear them...."

She whispers before opening her eyes again and she looks at him with a small smile.

"by the way... before.... you said you would have killed me if you didn't recognize me... how did you recognize me?"

Natsu nods with a small smile but he shrugs.

"Heh..all thanks to me?...you helped me too.
Umm...well...everyone knows you...
I mean...your a princess after all...so your picure will come up here and there or in the news paper."

He points at her hood.

"And that wasn't on your head."

Natsu whispers with a small smile but closes his eyes again.

"Anymore questions?"

He asks with the same smile while he opens his eyes.

Tsukiko looks confused when he says she helped him to but she blushes in embarrassment when he explains and she looks down worriedly.

[i]"Well one... how did I help you? and two.... why were you looking for Magus?"[i]

She asks sounding serious but she manages to look up at him with a worried expression.

Natsu looks up at her with a calm and slightly happy expression when she blushes embarressed.

"Yea for not letting those guards chase me when i climbed on that building."

He whispers with a small smile but a serious expresson goes across his face when he hears her question.

"He destroyed my life.
I already told you didn't i?"

Natsu whispers in a serious tone while he looks down in thought.

"But...he's not the only one.
There are others...they all destroyed my life.
I had to leave my parents for three years.
Now i am planning to go back..but..i am not just going to go back like nothing happend.
Those people are going to pay for what they have done."

He whispers while closing his eyes with calm expression.

Tsukiko looks surprised at his happy expression and she smiles warmly in response.

"You don't have to thank me for that... your a good person.... and it would have been horrible to let a good person go to jail when he has done nothing wrong..."

She says with a shrug but she looks confused when his happy expression changed to a serious one and she looks a little upset at his response and she looks down while a guard passes by their tree but doesn't notice them.

"But how did he ruin your life? Your alive... and so are your parent's right? what did he do wrong?"

Tsukiko asks in a whisper while she bites her lip hard.

Natsu looks up at her and slowly looks down again.

"Tsukiko......i was a really happy and outgoing kid three years ago.
Now i am a cold hearted assassin only showing my true self to people that i trust and that are like three or four..with you included."

He whispers in a serious tone.

"I've become..a assassin because of them.
Because my uncle told me that i had to become one so that i could protect my family..my parents..and my friends...and so...i became...what i just told you.
A cold hearted assassin."

Natsu whispers while he opens his eyes with a sad but also calm expression.

Tsukiko's eyes widen at his explanation and she smiles softly when he said she was one of the people that he trusted but she looks down sadly before reaching out for his hand.

"I'm sorry I brought it up.... and I know it might anger you if I ask... but please don't kill him..."

She asks looking down sadly afraid of his reaction.

"He.... is supporting his wife.... her mother..... and two small children right now.... and he is the pillar of that family... I understand he himself might deserve to die.... but I would never be able to forgive myself to cause the death or pain of his family..... just because he died... it.... it's wrong..."

Tsukiko whispers as if pained and she closes her eyes.

"I'm sorry to ask of you so selfishly.... but please..."

Natsu shakes his head in disbelieve.

"Tsukiko..."

He closes his eyes.

"Amazing...when you give royalty a chance...to talk..."

He let's her take his hand but he slowly pulls it away and opens his eyes.

"After you..told me that..i won't kill him.
He is the pillar of that family...your right...what i am doing is wrong..."

Natsu whispers with a small smile and closes his eyes again.

"Heh...Tsukiko...........shut up............."

He whispered in a angered tone before he opens his eyes with a cold expression but soon closes his eyes.

Tsukiko looks at him confused at what he says and she smiles softly thinking he understood but her eyes widen in shock and her jaw drops when he told her to shut up and she stares at him in disbelief after the thought that he wouldn't treat her like she was normally treated broke and the light in her eyes seemed to dim and her face turned emotionless while she closed her mouth.

"Ah... of course.... my mistake..."

She says with an emotionless tone with a fake smile before dropping her hand which clings to the tree branch branch tightly while the guards all go back to the gate, all shaking their head showing that they couldn't find them and they all go back into the city.

Natsu keeps his eyes closed until he hears the guards walking back to the city.
He opens his eyes and jumps down on the ground.

"Come on, let's go."

He said when he looks up at the tree with a calm expression but looks around just to be sure that the guards were gone.

"Tch..."

Tsukiko nods while keeping the same expression but also keeps silent while she jumps down to the ground before looking around to make sure no one else was around and she starts to walk in the direction opposite of the city.

"Guess I really am unwanted...."

She thought sadly but kept the emotionless expression and kept walking.

Natsu notices her emotionless expression and he grabs her hand to stop her from walking.

"Hey...what i said back there...it wasn't...to hurt your feelings."

He loosens his grip on her hand and looks down in thought not knowing what to say.

"Anyway it's pretty far from here so we have to sleep outside.
I don't know if you ever did..that but I got enough food and water for the both of us."

Natsu lets go of her hand and starts walking ahead deeper into the forest.

Tsukiko stops when he grabs her hand and she closes her eyes after hearing what he says and she takes a deep breath.

"It's okay.... I'm used to it..."

She says in a calm tone before letting her hand fall limply to her side before opening her eyes halfway and they look a little lighter, a sign of accepting his apology and she nods at what he says.

"It's alright.... thanks again..."

Natsu turns around walking backwards.

"Thanks..."

He slows down and walks next to her with a small smile while he grabs her wrist and pulls her hand to his face.

"Hey..Tsukiko..accept this as a apologie"

Natsu whispers with the same smile and he pushes his finger on his lips before he pushes it against the palm of her hand.

"A kiss on your hand would be pretty strange because we just know each other."

He tilts his head with a calm expression.

"Heh.."

Tsukiko closes her eyes again and she shakes her head.

"No need to thank me for anything..."

She says softly but she looks surprised when he grabs her wrist and she looks at him with the same expression when she hears him.

"H-Huh?"

Tsukiko says confused but blushes when she see's what he does and she looks down at her hand surprised and at a loss at what to say while the blush stays on her cheeks.

Natsu slowly let's go of her wrist and claps his hands together.

"When i was five...my mom always did that to me whenever i felt sad.
I thought i should use it as a way to apologize but also...to cheer you up."

He said with a happy expression when he remembers his parents but he quickly looks around and turns back to her with the same expression.

"Anyway i hope that cheered you up...
Um this is the place where we're going to stay for the night."

Natsu says with a small smile.

Tsukiko looks at him surprised but smiles at him warmly.

"It did.... thanks..."

She says with a happy expression before looking around and she nods.

"Alright then! umm... should I look for firewood?"

Natsu looks at her with a small smile.

"Great."

He shakes his head.

"That might track attention.
It's dark so it can still be seen from far away.
I only got one so we got to share it if that's okay with you?"

Natsu asks while he puts the back pack on the ground that was on his back the whole time and takes out a blanket.

Tsukiko looks worried when he said it might attract attention but she nods.

"Ah.. alright then... and it's fine...."

She says with a soft smile before looking around worriedly.

"Would it be alright to take my cloak off?"

Tsukiko asks looking a bit worried while she takes her pouch off and puts it on the ground beside her while taking the belt off along with the scimitars and lean them next to the pouch.