Fear Garden 2: Scarlet's Bloom (An IDFB Fanfic)

I Love You.

Pin,

I didn't want to believe it at first. I thought it was just from the panic. Then, I thought it was from the smoke inhalation.

Seriously. I can still taste the smoke.

But what I saw was real.

​​This wasn't you, was it? It wasn't the real you.

Something happened. Something... I don't know what, but.. it wasn't actually you, right?

I didn't expect to see you. I can only thank mint that nobody saw you- your name was never mentioned when everyone was trying to figure out the cause of the fire.

There's no need to panic, either. I know you didn't start it.

She made it very clear.

....was it her, Pin? Was it Evil Leafy who did this?

I don't mean the fires- no, I meant.. you. What you were forced to do.

She must have had something to do with it.

I wish it didn't have to come down to this. I don't know what we could have done to deserve a reality like this. It's silly, but.. whenever I have the chance to, I think about the possibility of a time machine existing- all thanks to TB and GB, of course.

I know, you probably think it's silly, but at least it could bring me back. To warn you.

To save you.

I still have dreams about you. In one of them, I had let you go. My hand slipped free, and I smiled, watching you fall from grace. This nightmare continued to appear, over and over. Until I noticed the claws that clasped at your ankles, dragging you away.

Was it hell that she forced you into? I wish I could agree. For my entire life, you were an angel. You were heaven itself- and now, you're heaven for a sinner like myself.

Your name is fading from Yoyle City. But I can't lose it- I can't lose you again. Everybody's still scared of you, yet I refuse to let you fall into the damned void of banishment (believe me, I've heard Leafy's stories. I've been worried sick about you, ever since day one).

I have so many questions. And with those questions, I have hope. Hope that somehow, despite everything- you're still the Pin I came to know and love, oh, so dearly.

I don't think I've gone through anything as painful as this. All I've ever wanted was a life with you. An existence where we could compete through life's challenges, together.

I still want that, Pin. Mint knows that I do.

....

But I can't get it if I keep pretending here.

I know you don't want me to. But I've helped you for this long. If it makes it any better, I'll bring some extra food and water. More goodies to have, if I find you.

I want to make sure you're okay. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if she hurt you.

If she...

No. No, don't write that. Can't write that. Too much for me to think about.

Nobody knows that I'll be looking for you. Not even Leafy and Firey. Both have been worried sick about me- but it's time I take this into my own hands.

Even if it means giving up my life, or everything I've done, it would have been worth it. I'd do it all for you.

Please, forgive me for everything I have to do. For everything I was too cowardly to do.

I won't say goodbye. It'll kill the hope to meet you again. And as you know by now, I'm the worst at letting go.

I promise, we'll find each other again. And maybe, just maybe, we can have a chance to talk.

...We deserve a gentle epilogue, captain. Because I know- that deep down- we are both good people, and our suffering has gone on for far too long.

Don't stray too far from me now, ok Captain?

I love you.

-Coiny

Coiny picked his path carefully. He was in the familiar thicket where he left his supplies for Pin- and now he had to figure out a way to find where she would often leave.

The only time he watched, was the only time he was nearly caught by her. He managed to hide in the knick of time, and seeing that face of hers was enough to make the roses of love bloom within his heart.

Now, here he was. In the dead of dawn, with a bag full of supplies, and no Pin in sight.

There was no way he wanted to venture forth without any way of knowing. So he conjures up Pin in his mind.

'Don't worry Pin,' he thinks. 'I'm here now. I'm here. I promise.'

Moving forward, he got a better glimpse of the woods where Pin had resided in. Tall trees, endless fields. A hill here and there, and, if he turned at the right angle, he could hear the serene sounds of the river, signifying a source of water for her.

Now that spring was in bloom, a meadow was sprouting from the usual purple fields. Little flowers grew here and there, from buttercups, to dandelions, and no matter which one he saw, he was sure to step away from them, not wanting to crush them with an accidental step.

Another turn, and he looks around, scratching the back of his head curiously. Ever since the fire, his train of thought had become noticeably slow, and the thought of Pin kept him up for as long as he could recall. It was the same vision. Pin, reaching for him. The claw. And Evil Leafy's cursed grin.

For a second, he could feel his muscles relaxing, his eyelids growing heavy as a yawn threatened to escape from the back of his throat. He finds himself walking towards the left, until...

Snap!

The sound of a breaking branch zapped any exhaustion away. His reflexes were quick, and in that moment, he immediately grabbed a nearby stone, aiming it over his head with a cry.

"STAY BACK!" He shouted. "I'M WARNING-"

That's when his eyes meet her's. That familiar, scarlet hue. One he had fallen in love with, then feared, then missed... and now, one his heart fluttered at. 

"..You.."

"Coiny...?"