Chapter 25: A Safe Place
( — 0.0.0.0.0 — )
The forest remained peaceful. The breeze continued to gently stir the leaves in the trees, while rays of sunlight filtered through the gaps between the branches, illuminating the ground with patches of light.
Beneath the shade of the great tree, two young travelers continued to rest. Although, for one of them, resting did not mean staying still.
Naruto was still training.
After hearing Mikasa's suggestion, he had begun practicing with small stones, fallen branches, and any objects he could find nearby.
At first, it wasn't easy. More than one branch ended up snapping between his fingers. Several stones were reduced to powder under the pressure. But, little by little, those accidents began to happen less frequently. He was still far from mastering his strength. However, he was making progress, little by little.
Not far from him, Mikasa sat quietly, watching him in silence. Every now and then, she would see him pick up a stone.
He would focus on holding it carefully and moving it, only to end up destroying the rock anyway. Even so, the Uzumaki continued with his basic training.
It was a strange way to train. But she understood why he was doing it. Naruto was far too strong, and that was precisely why he needed to learn how to control that monstrous strength.
The hours passed slowly. The sun began to sink toward the horizon, and the shadows of the trees started to grow longer.
Naruto remained completely focused on his training.
Mikasa raised her gaze toward the sky.
"...It's almost dark."
She stood up calmly. After looking around the forest, she began walking among the nearby trees.
She gathered small, dry branches. Some leaves. And several thin logs that could be used as firewood. She gradually carried them back to the place where they planned to spend the night.
Naruto glanced at her for barely a few seconds before returning his attention to the stone he was holding between his hands.
He continued practicing.
Over and over again.
Until the last ray of sunlight disappeared beyond the horizon. Darkness slowly began to envelop the forest.
Naruto let out a slow breath.
"I think that's enough for today," the young Uzumaki said, carelessly letting go of the stone.
He walked over to where Mikasa was, where the young Ackerman had already prepared a small campfire. She had arranged some stones around it, and shortly afterward, the flames began to softly illuminate the area.
The crackling of the flames broke the silence of the night.
The two of them remained seated in front of the fire.
For several minutes, neither of them said anything. They simply watched the flames.
Finally, Naruto spoke.
"Today, I learned that controlling my strength is harder than I thought," the blond said calmly as he watched the campfire.
Mikasa turned her gaze toward him. "But at least you improved, didn't you?"
At Mikasa's words, the blond nodded, having noticed a few small differences between how things had been before and how they were now.
"A little," Naruto replied in agreement. "You did a lot of things today, too."
Mikasa tilted her head slightly.
"Me?"
Naruto nodded.
"You were the one who got the basic necessities, and you also told me that I shouldn't use food as a training tool," the blond began calmly. "And since I can't help out for now, you were the one who gathered the firewood again and lit the campfire."
Mikasa remained silent for a few seconds, watching the flames. Her fingers curled slightly around the fabric of her clothes.
She wasn't used to someone pointing out those things. To her, getting food, gathering firewood, or keeping a fire burning weren't accomplishments; they were simply things that needed to be done.
"...I just did what I knew how to do."
Her voice remained calm, almost empty, but her eyes shifted away for a moment. She didn't know how to respond to someone noticing her efforts. After everything she had lost, having someone see her that way... felt strange.
Naruto accepted her answer.
Afterward, they continued talking. The conversation was simple. Nothing particularly important. Just two children sharing the end of a long day.
After a while, Naruto raised his gaze toward the night sky. The stars were beginning to appear one by one. Then, he remembered something.
He turned his head toward Mikasa.
"Mikasa."
The young girl looked at him.
"Yes?"
Naruto remained thoughtful for a few seconds before speaking.
"We've already crossed the second wall."
Mikasa nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"Then..." Naruto began, gazing beyond the darkness of the forest. "I think it would be a good idea to head to the third wall."
Mikasa thought about it for a few moments. She didn't really have any reason to object. There was nowhere else she wanted to go. And ever since she had lost her parents, Naruto was the only person she had been traveling with.
Finally, she responded with a small nod.
"All right. We'll go."
Naruto nodded calmly.
The campfire crackled softly. Its warm, orange glow illuminated the small clearing in the forest, while the shadows of the trees stretched beneath the vast night sky.
Above them... thousands of stars shone peacefully.
The forest remained silent.
Naruto approached the enormous tree where they had rested for most of the day. He leaned against its wide trunk.
Then, he loosely folded his arms and closed his eyes.
He wasn't really tired. His body still had plenty of energy left. However, sleeping gave him a strange sense of peace. As if, for a few hours, all the questions about his past would stop haunting him.
Little by little, sleep began to overcome him.
A few steps away, Mikasa also settled down beside the same tree. She leaned against the trunk, leaving a small space between them.
She glanced sideways at the blond.
Naruto didn't react. He simply remained still, breathing calmly.
The young girl lowered her gaze.
Silence settled over them once more.
Several minutes passed. The campfire continued to burn slowly. The wind gently stirred the leaves in the trees.
Mikasa raised her gaze again. Naruto was still asleep. She watched him for a few moments. His breathing was slow and peaceful. He seemed completely carefree. As if, for the first time since she had met him, there wasn't a single question occupying his mind.
The young girl continued looking at him. Without realizing it, her eyes began to slowly wander across the blond's face.
His golden hair, illuminated by the fire. The three marks on each cheek. And those features that, even at such a young age, were surprisingly pleasant to look at.
Mikasa had already noticed it before. But that night, she found herself thinking about it again.
'Naruto... is cute.'
It didn't matter that he was a stranger who had suddenly appeared in her life, or that he couldn't remember his own life. Not even the fact that he talked to someone invisible.
None of that changed the fact.
When she realized what she had just thought, a faint blush spread across her cheeks. She quickly turned her gaze toward the campfire.
She remained that way for a few seconds. Trying to calm the strange embarrassment she was feeling. Finally, she looked at Naruto again.
He was still exactly the same.
Asleep.
The young girl watched him for a few more moments. Then, she checked once more to make sure he was truly fast asleep. Only then, very slowly, did she begin to move closer. She did so with small movements. Almost imperceptibly. Until she was right beside him.
Her heart was beating a little faster. She didn't even understand why she was doing this. She only knew that, since the previous night, whenever she was near Naruto, she felt a sense of peace that was impossible to explain.
As if all the fear, all the sadness, and all the insecurity left behind by her parents' deaths were gradually fading away.
She took a deep breath.
With some hesitation, she very slowly rested her head on Naruto's shoulder.
She waited a few seconds.
He didn't react.
He remained fast asleep.
Mikasa let out a small sigh of relief when she noticed this. She stayed perfectly still, listening to the blond's calm breathing.
That feeling of security enveloped her once again.
It was warm.
Comforting.
Strange.
And, at the same time, she found it impossible to pull away from it.
She didn't understand these new feelings that were beginning to bloom in her heart. She only knew that, when she was beside Naruto, she felt protected. As if, after losing everything, she had found someone who meant she no longer had to face the world alone.
Little by little, her eyelids began to grow heavy.
Sleep began to claim her as well. And without moving away from Naruto's shoulder, she slowly closed her eyes.
A few moments later, the young girl fell fast asleep.
Several seconds passed, but then one of Naruto's eyes slowly opened. His gaze rested on Mikasa for a few moments, filled with curiosity, before he calmly closed it again.
The campfire continued to illuminate the clearing with its warm glow. Above them, a vast sky filled with stars seemed to watch over their rest.
And, in the middle of that silent forest, the sight of the two children leaning against one another formed a simple, peaceful, and beautiful scene.
( --- The Next Day --- )
The first rays of sunlight filtered through the treetops.
The small campfire from the previous night had already gone out, leaving behind only a faint smell of burnt wood.
The forest slowly began to awaken.
Naruto opened his eyes calmly. He stood up slowly and, after taking a few steps, began stretching his arms, shoulders, and legs.
His training the previous day had been useful.
He still had a lot of room for improvement. But he had taken the first step.
While doing a few stretches, he noticed something.
He turned his head slightly.
Mikasa was sitting beside the tree. However, whenever he looked in her direction, the young girl immediately looked away. And whenever their eyes accidentally met, Mikasa's cheeks took on a faint reddish hue. She would even pull her scarf a little higher to hide part of her face.
Naruto tilted his head slightly.
"...That's strange," the Uzumaki muttered to himself as he watched her. Even though he had witnessed it the previous night, he had absolutely no idea what was going on.
She had also acted in a similar way the previous morning.
He thought about it for a few seconds. But he couldn't find any explanation.
Meanwhile, Mikasa could barely keep herself calm. Her mind was still replaying what had happened just a few minutes before Naruto woke up.
( --- A Few Moments Earlier --- )
That morning, she had slowly opened her eyes, still feeling somewhat drowsy.
Confused.
"What...?" she murmured, then noticed something. Her head was still resting against something warm.
She blinked several times. Then, she slowly raised her gaze. And there he was. Naruto was still fast asleep, with her head resting against his shoulder.
At that moment, all the memories of the previous night came rushing back. How she had approached Naruto herself. How she had rested her head against him. And how she had ended up falling asleep that way.
An intense blush immediately spread across her cheeks. She looked away for a few seconds. But, without realizing it, she found herself looking at Naruto's sleeping face again.
The peaceful expression he wore as he slept. His blond hair. And those three marks on each cheek that gave him such a distinctive appearance.
She didn't know why. But she found them... pretty. And before she realized what she was doing, she slowly raised one hand.
With great delicacy, she brushed one of his cheeks. His skin was surprisingly soft.
Mikasa gently caressed it. Then, she heard a sound.
"...Huh?"
Naruto began to let out a soft purring sound while remaining fast asleep.
It was a low sound.
Peaceful.
Strangely relaxing.
Mikasa's eyes widened slightly. She had never heard anything like that from another person before. And without even realizing it, she continued to slowly caress his cheek.
The purring continued.
Soft.
Steady.
That sound, combined with the peaceful way Naruto slept, left the young girl completely still. His face was incredibly soft. Although his features were already more defined than those of a child his age.
Mikasa's blush gradually deepened. She couldn't bring herself to move her hand away. Nor could she stop listening to that strange sound. Until Naruto shifted slightly. As if he were about to wake up.
Mikasa's eyes widened in surprise. She immediately pulled her hand away. Then quickly moved away from him. And leaned back against the tree, pretending she was still asleep.
She hid almost her entire face behind her scarf.
Trying to make sure Naruto wouldn't notice a thing.
( --- Present --- )
Now, whenever she looked at him, those memories kept coming back again and again. That was why she couldn't look him directly in the eyes.
And every time Naruto turned toward her, her face would turn red all over again.
Naruto finished stretching. He observed Mikasa's strange behavior once more.
"...She's still acting weird."
He waited a few seconds. But when he received no explanation, he simply stopped thinking about it.
There were more important things to worry about.
He began carefully putting away all the supplies Mikasa had bought the previous day.
When he finished, he looked toward the path stretching between the trees.
"Mikasa," he called to the young Ackerman, who raised her head upon hearing him call her name. "Let's go."
She simply nodded.
The two of them left their makeshift campsite. They walked a few meters away from the tree, where Mikasa stopped while Naruto continued walking.
Naruto bit his hand, and a golden bolt of lightning descended from the sky. Before Mikasa, the enormous Jaw Titan appeared once more.
The gigantic Titan crouched down. With the same calmness as the previous day, it allowed Mikasa to climb onto its head.
Naruto lifted her up, while Mikasa settled into place naturally.
The quadrupedal Titan began to walk. Step after step. Calmly making its way through the forest. Their next destination had already been decided. And, without knowing it, every step they took brought them a little closer to the place where fate would once again bring them into contact with new people.
( — 0.0.0.0.0 — )