Tyson lead the people further up the dimension. The sky above them was beginning to shift in coloration becoming a hue of purple. It was clear that they were reaching unknown terrain for him. But he could not let himself become fazed by things unknown to him. After ten years coming to this place he had long gotten use to unknown things happening to him.
He was not worried when it came to rough situations. It had never caused him to waver in the past when dealing with the dimension. Now things were different. Tyson now had people he had to look out for. This complicated things for him in a way that he was not use to.
"Tyson? Are you alright?" Chi's gentle voice caused his worried expression to fade quickly into a smile to mask his worry.
"My little rabbit, are you worried about me?" Tyson teased him as he placed his hand on top of Chi's hair.
The sudden touch caused Chi's face to flush instantly at the affection that he had not been prepared for. His body jumped away quickly trying to calm his heart from pounding out of his chest. He was worried about Tyson but the man was toying with him to avoid being honest about his own worry. This frustrated Chi more then the fact that Tyson acted oblivious to Chi's feelings for him.
"I'm not your rabbit! I was trying to be serious because I can see something bothering you." Chi grumbled under his breath and wrapped his pink scarf tighter around his face to hide the fact that he was blushing. Quickening his pace to put a bit of distance between the two of them.
"My little rabbit~" Tyson smirked as his mood began to pick up at the sight of Chi's reaction to such a simple action by him. It made him want to tease him further. "Are you saying you're too exhausted to walk on your own and need a break?"
"What are you talking about?" Chi asked with a huff as he turned to glance back at Tyson.
Caught by surprise, Chi found his body being hoisted over Tyson's shoulder. His butt in the air as Tyson continued to walk forward with Chi hanging over his shoulder. The young man's arms struggled to free himself from the situation. It was all in vain.
"Put me down! What are you doing?!" Chi panicked with a face flushed heavily from embarrassment. He felt completely humiliated in the situation.
"T-Tyson? Aren't we marching for the elf city? Are you sure it's safe for you two to be joking around like this?" Zeal's face paled as he tried to understand what he was seeing.
Zeal was not use to seeing Tyson in such a playful manner before. In all the years they had been struggling to keep themselves alive the man had never become attached to someone before. It was not impossible to say Tyson would willingly kill Zeal if a situation called for it to happen. When it came to his own survival Tyson had always put his own life first. Something about Tyson's personality had been twisted causing him to become desperate to keep pushing himself forward.
To see him actually interested in others... It was completely unlike all the previous images Zeal had seen of Tyson up until he met Chi.
"Let the people take a rest for a while. Have Tai scout the area thoroughly." Tyson said so bluntly that the previous high spirited mood he held had completely washed away as he gave Zeal those orders.
"Pardon?" Zeal was slightly caught off guard by the quick change but it was not beyond his expectations for Tyson. The more serious version of Tyson was more comforting to Zeal. He was not quite use to stomaching the warm version. It made him feel complicated in many ways to see someone he once watched brutally kill people for years being warm like a puppy out for affection.
"After the blue phoenix everything became nothing more then stories and rumors I've gathered over the years in here. We can't risk mistakes that can be avoided. Tai will use the crow to check the terrain up ahead before we move further again. The city should be at least a few days of travel but that doesn't mean other things wont be targeting us as well out here." Tyson explained his choice while still firmly holding Chi over his shoulder who had gone silent to listen in on their conversation.
As much as Chi hated the position he was in, he did enjoy the fact that he could listen in on their conversation. Since Tyson was not making him leave for them to talk privately it almost felt like he was giving in to him a bit more.
"You mean Zeref might follow us? or try to ambush us in some way?" Zeal found this idea possible. It was not in Zeref's nature to let someone off who got in his way.
"He is not the only one I am worried about.. But indeed he will become a problem when the time comes to deal with him. There is no way he would simply let me off for taking care of someone under him that was as skilled as Hide was. It was a waste for him to follow Zeref, but that's just the fate of some when they come to this place." Tyson muttered slightly as his mind wandered with those words.
Fate... How much of that do I even buy into anymore? Tyson asked himself in the back of his mind. The gaze in his eyes had become hallow.
"Tyson?" Chi asked silently as he could feel the tension in Tyson's body worsen.
"Let me know what he finds out. Once people have rested again we will set out once again." Tyson began walking causing Chi to wriggle in his arms once more.
"Where are-?!" Zeal started to protest but quickly closed his mouth as he watched the awkward duo strut off into the treeline together. Chi hoisted embarrassingly over Tyson's shoulder.
"Tyson! You demon-!" Chi shouted as everyone else faded from his sight. The only thing he could see were various unknown plants all around them. "What are you planning to-?!"
Before Chi could finish his words he found his body being thrown down into the grass. Tyson's body quickly dropping down above his own and pinning his wrists so that he could not move to escape.
"Where is it?" Tyson smiled mockingly as he asked that question.
"What are you talking about? Where is what? Why did you bring me out here?" Chi struggled to escape his grasp but couldn't get free of Tyson.
"My journal." Tyson stated the object bluntly. "Before we left the castle did you think I would not notice? My little rabbit, has become so knowledgeable about things that he couldn't possibly know so much about.. and so quickly."
Chi shuddered as he could feel something dangerous about the gaze in Tyson's eyes. Unlike the usual kindness he would give him, the man pinning him down at the moment looked dangerous. It felt as if he would shred Chi apart in order to locate the book in his mind and take it away from him.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for you to hold on to that thing?" Tyson's voice scolded at him as if he was walking with a time-bomb that was about to go off at any moment leaving Chi completely worried about how to respond.
Is he angry? Or worried? Chi could not determine the meaning behind the complicated expression.