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The vast jungle that had grown within Flower King seemed to stretch on forever. When the trio had first arrived at the entrance they managed to get a lay of the land, a tall tree standing over the canopy where they could easily spot the fountain, and the overgrown castle walls that had been built around it. From their vantage point the trip seemed shorter, but traveling beneath the leaves and vines on foot was proving to burn precious festival time.
Kris lead the way as usual, using their sword to cut through any thick patches of greenery that stood in their way. Directly behind them was Susie who kept an eye out for trouble, occasionally stepping in to move heavier objects out of the way. Behind her was Ralsei, keeping mental notes and leaving markings behind to ensure they didn’t get lost or turned around.
After convincing a flower patch full of darkners to stop fighting, the three heroes decided to take a break, carving out a small clearing between the trees and having a seat in the dirt. Kris dismissed their sword but kept their shield close, bending their knees and resting their arms over them. Susie slid down next to them, learning against the tree with a loud sigh as Ralsei plopped down on the other side of it.
“Guys..” Susie groaned, rubbing her head. “How much longer do you think we have to go before we get there?”
“If I had to guess, I’d say…” The dark prince rubbed the scruff of his chin as he spoke, letting out a sigh. “Perhaps another hour? I didn’t account for just how dense the vegetation would be down here. What do you think, Kris?”
Kris shrugged their shoulders, slumping as they rested their head back against the tree. “Dunno. Too long.”
Susie turned her head towards them, lowering her eyes. She knew what was bothering them with this adventure, somehow it seemed to bum them out more than what had happened with Toriel and the TV World the other day. Her hand reached over and gripped their shoulder, giving them a light shake.
“Don’t worry Kris. We’ll pick up the pace and get up there as soon as we can. With our climbing equipment we’ll be up and over those walls before you know it.”
Kris nodded along, glancing back at her with a small smile. “Yeah. I know.”
“If only there were a more clear path through the jungle..” Ralsei thought aloud. “Getting into Cyber City was easy with the rollercoasters, lack of tracks aside.”
“Yeah..” Susie sighed, resting her chin in her hand as she looked around. The plant life was out of control here, every flower, vine, bush and leaf being four times the size of what they’d find in the lightworld. Looking up towards the canopy she could make out the thick vines above, dimming sunlight shining through the leaves. Slowly, an idea began to dawn on her, the realization spelling out on her face as she lifted her head. “Guys. I’ve got an idea.”
“S-Susie..” Ralsei blurted out, his voice trembling as he looked down. “Are you sure about this?” The three heroes stood high above the ground on an extended branch, each holding onto a vine of their own.
“Totally! I’ve seen plenty of people do this on TV and in games. You just swing towards where you want to go, and then jump and grab another vine! Easy.” Susie grinned confidently.
Ralsei looked to Kris for approval and they only nodded along with Susie. “W-Well.. If you’re sure. From here we can just make out the castle ahead, so, hopefully we won’t get lost. If we do get separated, try tossing some magic into the air.”
“And if we have no magic?” Kris asked dryly.
“Oh, right, sorry.” Ralsei chuckled. “You could.. Send up a light, like you did in the church.”
“Oh yeah. I keep forgetting they can do that. Weirdo.” She thumped Kris on the arm before taking a step back, inhaling sharply. “Alright! Let’s do this!” With a battlecry Susie jumped, clinging to the vine tightly as she swung ahead, swinging back with a shout as the vine returned before swinging forward once more, this time letting go and narrowly landing on another branch. “C’mon!” She shouted back at them.
“Um.. Good luck Kris!” Ralsei went next, swinging across the way with a high pitched yelp as he kicked his feet wildly, still managing to land on the branch with a loud sigh of relief.
Kris was silent as they took a step back, hopping off the branch with a grunt and swinging beneath the canopy, letting go and landing next to Susie and Ralsei as they were handed another vine. “Good plan.” They stated.
“I know right?” Susie laughed as she swung ahead, the two following after her as they inched closer and closer to the castle above them. For a while the journey was smooth, the occasional slippery branch avoided by one of the three offering a hand to steady the lander.
Suddenly a barrage of thorns came at them through the trees, narrowly missing the three as they stuck into the trees and branches nearby. A second flurry of thorns forced them to separate, landing on separate branches and taking up their battle stances.
“Who’s there!?” Susie called out to the unseen attackers, pointing her axe in every direction.
“None shall impose on the King’s castle!” A voice called back, though it didn’t make itself known. “Turn back, or face the consequences!”
“Yeah, right! We uh.. Need to see the King! We’ve got his kid with us, so let us pass!”
“The King’s child?” The voice called back, pausing for a few moments as Kris felt someone watching them, uncomfortably shifting on their feet. “I see. Yes, of course, I see the resemblance."
“Good! Then.. We’ll just be on our way!”
“Only the Prince may enter! You two, return from whence you came! Come along, Your Majesty.” A vine suddenly shot out from a different direction, wrapping tightly around Ralsei as he’s ripped from the branch.
“W-Wait, me?!” Ralsei shouted as he was pulled away, quickly being drawn towards the castle.
“Hey! Wait!!” Susie roared as she swung after him, Kris quietly following behind her as they closed the distance, Ralsei getting within their reach as they leapt from the next branch. Before Susie could grab hold of him another swarm of thorns flew towards her. Kris swung in front of her, raising their shield as they took the attack instead, being knocked from the branch and falling towards the ground far below. “Kris!!”
“Susie!” The dark prince shouted at her as he struggled against his constraints, his face full of concern. “Go check on Kris! I’ll be fine, I promise!”
“But..”
“Go!!” With that, Ralsei and the vines that binded him disappeared from sight, camouflaged by the thick greenery of the jungle. Letting out a frustrated groan, Susie gripped onto the nearest tree and quickly made her way down it, sliding along the vines and digging her claws into the tree.
She hit the ground with a thud, chopping through the vegetation as she called out. “Kris!! Where are you?!” Backtracking to where they fell she noticed a torn bit of red cloth hanging from a branch above, frantically pushing through the bushes towards it. “Hey, Kris! Kris!”
“Here..” Their voice was strained, calling to her as they leaned against one of the trees, clutching their side in pain.
“Kris! Oh man, you’re alright! I was.. Oh.” The relief drained from her face when she noticed their bloodied glove at their side and the scratch on their cheek, their cape ripped slightly. “Quick, sit down!”
“I’m fine.. Just got nicked.” They tried to walk towards her but stumbled, falling to their knees before sitting back against the tree.
“You’re bleeding dumbass.” She scoffed, kneeling next to them. “Let me see.” With some prodding, Kris moved their hand and removed their glove, revealing the thorn stuck in their side through their armor. “That looks serious.. Damn that guy, if Ralsei were here, he could easily..” She was cut off as Kris reached out and took her hand.
“You can heal too.”
“Yeah, but, he can do it better and-”
“I trust you.” They squeezed her hand tightly, gazing up at her as the two locked eyes.
“Kris..” The doubts on her face began to fade as she held their gaze, squeezing their hand back and nodding. “Okay.”
Healing magic had come to her a bit better since the last time they were like this. A certain old man had taught her well and given her a new found confidence in the ability, but this was the first time it was truly needed. She held her hand out to Kris’ wound, plucking the thorn from their armor as Kris groaned in pain.
“Sorry.” She blurted out, furrowing her brow as a green glow enveloped her hands.
“It’s okay.” Kris managed a small smile as they watched her, the glow beginning to grow brighter.
“Do you.. Feel that?”
“Yeah..” They nodded, gripping her arm as they winced once more.
“Just a bit more..” Susie closed her eyes as she focused on the feeling. How badly she wanted to help them, and how tightly they were gripping her arm now. She let out a deep sigh as the glow grew even more, enveloping the wound entirely as it began to close, Kris’ grip loosing on her as they let out a sigh of relief.
“Susie..” The strain in their voice had begun to fade, gently resting their hand on her face.
“Y-Yeah, Kris?” Her focused expression softened, the human’s soft hand grazing her cheek.
“Thank you.” Kris smiled at her as their eyes met once more.
“Of course.” Her hand reached up to meet theirs, resting over it as her large hand overtook theirs. Silence fell between them as the healing light faded, only the distant sounds of the jungle ringing in their ears. If they listened just a bit closer, they might have been able to hear the other’s heart pounding.
Susie cleared her throat, her eyes falling to the now healed gap in their armor. “You uh.. Had me really worried there. Jumping in to save me and getting yourself hurt.”
“I couldn’t just watch.”
“I.. I know. That’s not the kinda person you are.” She smiled, looking back up at them. “Don’t do that again, dumbass. At least not when we’re so high up, okay?”
“No promises.” Kris smiled with a chuckle, sitting up as they slid their hand from her face. “You missed a spot.”
“Huh? Oh, right.” The monster girl snorted, the glow returning to her hand as she ran her thumb across Kris’ cheek, the cut on their face beginning to fade.
Kris leaned into her touch, closing their eyes and resting their much smaller hand over hers as Susie’s face flushed. Their smile only grew once they noticed.
“W-What are you smiling about?” She blurted out.
“It just.. Feels nice.”
“You weirdo..” Susie sighed with a smile, lifting her hand away as she rose to her feet. “Do you think you can walk?”
“Yeah. I think so.” They took Susie’s hand when she offered it, shakily standing back up and leaning on her. “I’ll walk it off.”
“Just keep leaning on me. We’ll stick to the ground for a while.” She wrapped an arm around them, helping them move as they continued onward. “I’m sure Ralsei is okay. Your Dad is a good guy, he wouldn’t let anything happen to him.”
“Yeah..” Kris nodded, holding onto her as they walked before coming to a stop, nudging her slightly.
“What’s up? Did you get hit somewhere else?”
Kris shook their head, pointing back to their cheek. “Still hurts.”
“Uhh.. Looks pretty healed to me.” She tilted her head, examining their face carefully. Kris kept pointing to the spot, tapping it for added effect. “Dude, it’s healed.”
“You’re supposed to kiss it better.”
“What the hell’re you saying now?” Her face heated up once more, leaning away from them as they frowned. “Get your Mom to do it when we get outta here!”
“Guess I’ll deal with the pain.” Kris replied dejectedly, slumping their shoulders for extra emphasis.
“Ugh, you’re such a..” Susie groaned, suddenly grabbing Kris’ shoulders and pulling them close, this time causing their face to heat up instead.
“Susie?”
She leaned in closer, planting her lips where the small cut used to be and gently kissing them, pulling away and instantly walking ahead. “Alright, let’s move!”
The human tenderly touched the spot on their face as they watched her, unable to hide their smile as they followed after her. “What about helping me walk?”
“Uh, yeah, I think you’re totally fine now! Come on!”
“Aw, c’mon Susie..”
“Move it! March!”