The rain didn't start all at once.
It crept in.
A soft tapping against leaves. A whisper across branches. A shift in the air that cooled the skin and dulled the scent of blood lingering behind them.
By the time anyone noticed—
It was already pouring.
The forest darkened beneath the storm, shadows stretching longer as clouds swallowed what little light remained. Rain hammered the ground, soaking through clothes, weighing down every step.
No one spoke.
Not after what had happened.
Ren walked ahead of the group, his pace steady, his expression unreadable. His eyes were closed again—but now, it didn't feel like calm.
It felt like restraint.
Behind him, Daiki let out a frustrated breath.
"…Tch."
Water dripped from his hair as he wiped his face with the back of his hand.
"…This is stupid."
Shin glanced over.
"…The rain?"
"No. Everything."
His voice wasn't loud.
But it carried.
Daiki clenched his fists.
"…We actually thought we were doing something back there."
No one responded.
"…We took down two of them," he continued, more force creeping into his tone. "Two. And we were already struggling."
Aikari's gaze lowered slightly.
"…And then he just—"
Daiki stopped himself.
Didn't need to finish it.
They all saw it.
They all felt it.
Shin adjusted his glasses, though they were already fogged from the rain.
"…That wasn't just strength."
"…Yeah," Daiki muttered. "…No kidding."
Kuroha walked slightly behind them, her hood pulled low, her eyes forward.
Silent.
Watching.
"…We're not there yet," Aikari said softly.
Daiki laughed once under his breath.
"…Not even close."
Another flash of lightning tore across the sky.
Thunder followed.
Closer this time.
Shin looked up briefly, scanning through the trees.
"…We need shelter."
Ren didn't slow down.
"…There's a cave ahead," he said.
Everyone looked at him.
"…You can tell that?" Daiki asked.
Ren didn't answer.
He just kept walking.
Shelter
They found it not long after.
A natural break in the stone, half-hidden by overgrowth and shadow. The entrance was narrow, but it opened up just enough inside to keep them dry.
The rain outside roared louder now, pounding against the earth like it was trying to break through.
Inside—
It was quiet.
For the first time since the fight—
They stopped moving.
Aikari knelt near the entrance, wringing water from her sleeves.
"…At least it's dry."
Daiki leaned against the wall, arms crossed, still restless.
"…Barely."
Shin moved toward the center, already scanning the space.
"No signs of animals… no recent tracks…"
"…Good enough," Kuroha said quietly.
Ren stood near the back of the cave.
Still.
Still as stone.
A Small Fire
It took a few minutes.
Shin gathered what dry material he could find deeper inside the cave. Aikari helped, carefully stacking what little they had.
Eventually—
A small flame flickered to life.
Weak.
But steady.
The orange glow pushed back the darkness just enough to make the space feel… human.
Alive.
They sat around it.
Not close.
But not far either.
For a while—
No one spoke.
Just the sound of rain.
And breathing.
The Conversation
Daiki broke first.
"…Why didn't you use it?"
The question cut clean through the silence.
Ren didn't move.
"…From the start," Daiki continued. "…You could've ended that fight in seconds."
Aikari glanced at Ren.
Shin stayed quiet.
Kuroha didn't react.
Ren opened his eyes slowly.
"…Because I don't control it."
Simple.
Direct.
Daiki frowned.
"…You looked pretty in control to me."
"…You didn't see everything."
That made him pause.
Shin leaned forward slightly.
"…What happens?"
A beat.
Ren's gaze shifted toward the cave entrance.
"…It pushes back."
The fire crackled softly.
"…The longer I use it," Ren continued, "the harder it gets to stop."
Aikari's expression tightened.
"…So you hold it back," she said.
"…I have to."
Silence returned.
He wasn't afraid of the power.
But he wasn't in control of it either.
And that—
Was worse.
Reality Hits
Daiki ran a hand through his hair.
"…So not only are we weaker…"
He laughed once.
"…We're relying on something that might kill us anyway."
"…That's not what I said," Ren replied.
"…It doesn't have to be," Daiki shot back.
The tension in the cave shifted.
Not anger.
Frustration.
Shin exhaled slowly.
"…We're missing something."
Everyone looked at him.
"…Those bounty hunters… they weren't stronger than us individually."
"…Yeah," Daiki said. "…but they still almost took us out."
"…Because they worked together," Shin said.
That landed.
"…They knew their roles. They didn't hesitate."
Aikari nodded slightly.
"…We held back."
Kuroha finally spoke.
"…We fought alone."
The words were quiet.
But heavy.
Everyone felt it.
Because it was true.
They weren't a team.
Not yet.
A Shift
The fire flickered stronger for a moment.
Daiki looked down at his hands.
"…Then we fix it."
No hesitation this time.
"…We get stronger. All of us."
Aikari smiled faintly.
"…Together."
Shin nodded.
"…We'll figure it out."
Kuroha said nothing.
But she didn't disagree.
Ren watched the fire.
"…We don't have a choice."
Outside
The rain hadn't stopped.
If anything—
It had gotten worse.
Water poured down the forest in sheets, washing away footprints, blood, and any trace of what had happened earlier.
But not everything was gone.
Far beyond the cave—
Hidden between trees—
A figure stood.
Watching.
Not moving.
Not approaching.
Just… observing.
The faintest glint of light reflected off something in their hand.
A signal.
Already sent.
Already received.
The hunt hadn't ended.
It had only begun.