The soft hush of the forest surrounded them as Akashi and Selene walked side by side, their boots pressing into the damp earth. The early noon sky was painted in sunlight and greys above the tree line, and the chill in the air seemed to pull Selene's thoughts into quiet corners where fear and curiosity tangled together.
Akashi walked with his usual measured pace, his hands tucked behind his back, his gaze sweeping the treetops more than it settled on Selene. He appeared calm, but there was a subtle tension in the line of his shoulders, as if each step cost him more than he would ever confess. Beside him, Selene's pale hair lifted in the faint breeze, strands catching against the collar of her coat as she tried to focus on the crunch of twigs instead of the emptiness pressing at her chest.
This could have been easy, Selene thought, but her doubts were making it harder.
