The sky was still ink-black, the stars fading into the pre-dawn gray, when Luna was unceremoniously herded out onto her front lawn. It was 4:30 AM.

"Well," Luna mumbled, shivering in the cool morning air. "I've never been awake this early in my life. And I hate it. I hate it so much."

Mrs. Yi was buzzing around them like a nervous hummingbird, checking Jin's pack and straightening Luna's jacket for the tenth time. "Luna, you be careful. Listen to Jin. Do not wander off." She turned to Jin, her eyes sharp. "And Jin Motozawa, you make sure to keep my daughter safe. If she comes back with so much as a scraped knee, I will hunt you down."

Jin bowed deeply, his face solemn. "Do not worry, Mrs. Yi. I will die before I fail my mission to bring her to the village safely."

"Good." Mrs. Yi grabbed Luna's arm. "Luna, a word."

While Mrs. Yi pulled Luna aside, Kit bounced up to Jin, practically vibrating with energy.

"Man, you guys are so lucky!" Kit whispered loudly. "I wish I was the one going off for training. I bet I'd be the greatest Guardian ever. Even better than Lunaclipseia! Jin, take me with you. Please?"

Jin looked down at the boy and smiled, a rare, genuine expression. "I'm sure you would be, Kit. But now is not the time. Maybe next time."

"Yeah, nice try," Kit scoffed. "But I'm not little enough to fall for the 'maybe next time' trick."

Jin chuckled. "No, I'm serious. But you can't come unless you prepare. You need to start training your body."

"But Mom won't let me do martial arts!" Kit whined.

"You don't need a dojo to get strong," Jin advised. "Focus on the basics. Pushups, situps, running. Build your endurance. And drink plenty of juice."

Kit's eyes lit up. "Okay, Jin! I'm on it! Ten pushups, starting now!" He dropped to the grass immediately.

A few yards away, the conversation was less enthusiastic.

"Now Luna," Mrs. Yi whispered, "you know I hate this. I hate sending you away. But it's for your safety. However..." Her eyes narrowed. "I definitely don't like you going off alone with a teenage boy."

"Mom," Luna groaned, rubbing her temples.

"Just promise me one thing. You will not come back pregnant."

"MOM! EW! NO!" Luna shrieked, her face turning crimson. "HOW COULD YOU EVEN THINK THAT?!"

"Luna, I might be 'old,' but I'm no fool," Mrs. Yi said sternly, wagging a finger. "You are a beautiful young woman. He is a fit, attractive young man who has already saved your life. Now you're going to be alone on the road, dependent on him for protection? It's a romance novel setup waiting to happen. So, NO HANKY PANKY. Understood?"

"OMG! I am going to die of embarrassment right here on the lawn!"

Mrs. Yi pivoted toward Jin. "JIN! Come here!"

Jin stepped over. "Yes, ma'am?"

"I expect you to be a complete gentleman during this trip. Hands to yourself. Eyes forward. I am too young to be a grandmother. Do you understand me?"

Jin blinked, his stoic mask cracking. He opened his mouth, closed it, and stuttered, "I-I-I... I have no words. I am... fully understanding. Yes."

"Mom, stop being weird!" Luna hissed. "I have absolutely zero interest in him. He's a robot with swords."

Yeah right, Mom, Luna thought traitorously. Like who would ever fall for a jerk like him? Even if he does have really nice shoulders... Ugh, Luna, snap out of it!

"Um, Mrs. Yi, Luna," Jin cleared his throat, eager to escape the conversation. "We should get going. We have a lot of ground to cover."

With a final round of hugs and a tearful wave from Mrs. Yi, Jin and Luna turned their backs on the suburbs and began walking down the empty road.

Two hours later, the sun was fully up, and the paved roads had given way to dirt paths winding through the countryside.

"So, what's the plan?" Luna asked, kicking a pebble. "Are we catching a bus or something?"

Jin adjusted his pack. "The plan is simple. We walk. Then we walk some more. We take a brief lunch break. Then we walk again until we get there."

"Walk?" Luna stopped. "How long of a walk?"

"If we keep a good pace-which means less talking and more moving-we should be there by the afternoon..."

"Oh, well that's not too bad. I can do an afternoon."

"...of Friday," Jin finished. "You didn't let me finish."

"FRIDAY?!" Luna screamed. "That's TWO DAYS! We have to walk for TWO DAYS?! Why can't we just take a bus?!"

"You got bus money?" Jin asked dryly. "Because I don't. Guardians don't carry cash. Plus, no bus route goes anywhere near Toji Village. It's hidden deep in the wilderness for a reason."

"Great. Just great," Luna huffed, crossing her arms. "Okay then. As the reincarnation of the Great Lunaclipseia, I demand that you carry me."

Jin looked her up and down. "Yeah... that will happen about the same time demons come flying out of my ass."

"Grrrr. Fine!"

By midday, the charm of the countryside had worn off completely. The sun was hot, the bugs were loud, and Luna was miserable. She lagged ten feet behind Jin, dragging her feet.

"OH MY GOD! I'M SOOOOOO BORED!"

Jin kept walking.

"Jin, I'm hungry."

Jin ignored her.

"I'm tired. My feet hurt."

Jin's jaw tightened, but he kept his pace.

"Jiiiiiin... I need to pee. Like, really bad."

Jin spun around, snapping. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT THE HELL UP! We will take a break if it will shut your damn mouth for five minutes! For the love of God, do you ever stop?!"

"Well," Luna sniffed, "you don't have to be rude about it."

They found a shaded spot beneath a large oak tree. Jin sat against the trunk, closing his eyes, while Luna munched on a granola bar.

Rustle.

Luna froze. "Jin. There is something in the bushes over there."

Jin didn't open his eyes. "Just leave it alone and eat. We have miles to go."

"Jin, seriously. You should check it out. It sounded big."

"If you're so worried, why don't you check it out?"

"One: because you're the guy, and that's your job in the horror movie script. Two: you're supposed to be protecting me, so that makes it double your job."

Before Jin could retort, the bushes parted. A creature hopped out. It looked like a cat, but with long, rabbit-like cat ears and powerful hind legs.

"OH MY GOD!" Luna squealed, dropping her granola bar. "IT'S SO CUTE! Is that a Cabbit?! I've never seen a real-life Cabbit before!"

Jin opened one eye. "Oh. Look at that. A stray."

"I thought they were only in Mythios?" Luna asked, inching closer to the creature.

"Travelers bring them back sometimes," Jin explained, bored. "They're rare in the cities, but common in Guardian villages. They make decent familiars if trained. But don't touch it."

"It's so, so cute. Are you hungry, little guy? Huh?" Luna tore off a piece of her food. "You want some?"

"Come on, Luna, don't feed it," Jin warned. "If you feed it, it won't leave."

"Hey, Jin?" Luna smiled sweetly. "Shut up. I want to feed the Cabbit."

She tossed the food. The Cabbit sniffed it, wiggled its nose, and devoured it in one bite. It looked up at Luna with large, soulful eyes and let out a sound that was half-purr, half-chirp.

"Rewo!"

"Aww!" Luna melted. She reached out and pet its soft fur.

"Fine, whatever," Jin groaned, standing up. "Hurry up. I'm leaving."

They resumed walking. An hour later, Luna glanced behind them.

"Jin, look! The Cabbit is still following us!"

"Damn it, Luna. See? This is exactly why I said don't feed it. Now we have a parasite."

"Oh, stop being such a grump," Luna retorted. "Who put the stick up your butt today? Maybe I don't want to get rid of him."

"I just want to get home and complete my mission. The village isn't going to let you bring a stray animal in."

"We will cross that bridge when we get there. But for now, Minou is coming with us."

"Minou?" Jin raised an eyebrow. "What the crap kind of name is that?"

"That's his name. I just felt it." Luna scooped up the creature. "Do you like that name? Minou?"

"Rewo," Minou chirped.

"Whatever," Jin sighed. "Just keep up."

Night fell, blanketing the woods in darkness. Jin finally stopped in a small clearing and dropped his gear.

"Okay. We stop here for the night. Eat, sleep, move out at dawn."

Luna looked around. "Um. Sleep where?"

"Look to your left," Jin pointed at the grass. "Now look to your right," he pointed at a patch of dirt. "Pick a spot."

"Wait... we are going to sleep outside? On the ground?"

"Yeah. What's the problem?"

Luna threw her hands in the air. "What's the problem? I'll tell you what the problem is! We have been walking from sunup to sundown. We took three breaks. Three! And now we are sleeping in the dirt? In the middle of nowhere? I'm sweaty, I stink, I'm starving, I haven't showered, and I don't have a bed!"

Jin stared at her calmly. "Are you done? No, please, if you have more complaints, get them out. I'll wait."

"This sucks!" Luna kicked a pile of leaves. "You suck. This whole situation sucks!"

"Yeah," Jin muttered, unpacking a sleeping roll. "And I'm having the time of my life."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Jin stood up, towering over her. "I'll tell you what it means, Princess. It means I'd rather be fighting a horde of demons than babysitting a whiny, entitled brat like you. The only thing you've done today, besides slow me down, is complain. Those few seconds you shut up to feed the rat-cat? Those were the highlights of my day."

Luna gasped. "You are such a big JERK! If that's how you feel, fine! I'll go sleep way over there!"

"Fine! Do that! You can complain to Minou all night. Maybe you'll bore him to death!"

"I'm not talking to you anymore! GOODNIGHT!"

"Don't do me any favors!"

Luna stormed off toward the edge of the clearing, angry tears pricking her eyes. She sat down heavily against a tree stump.

"Who does he think he is?" she muttered to Minou, who had followed her. "Talking to me like that. I didn't want to come on this stupid trip. Stupid Jin. Stupid destiny. Right, Minou?"

Minou didn't chirp. His ears swiveled forward, and he began to hiss, the fur on his back standing up.

"Hey, Minou? What is it? What's wrong?"

CRACK!

The ground five feet in front of Luna exploded. A massive, segmented head burst from the earth-a demon centipede the size of a school bus. Its mandibles clicked wetly as it lunged straight for her.

Luna threw herself to the side, rolling in the dirt. Minou leaped forward, tiny teeth bared, standing between the monster and Luna.

"Minou! No! Get out of there!"

The Cabbit jumped, scratching at the demon's hard carapace, but the monster swatted him aside like a fly. Minou tumbled into the bushes with a yelp.

"MINOU!!" Luna screamed. Rage flooded her veins. "YOU LEAVE HIM ALONE!! TAKE THIS!!"

She thrust her palm forward, hoping for that red light, but nothing happened. The demon reared back to strike.

"KINETIC PUNCH!"

A blur of red light slammed into the clearing. Jin was there, mid-air, his right fist encased in a swirling sphere of crimson energy. With a roar, he drove his fist into the centipede's head.

BOOM.

The impact was like a grenade. The demon didn't just break; it disintegrated, its body turning to black ash that drifted away in the wind.

Jin landed softly, shaking his hand out. He turned to Luna, his eyes wide with panic. "Are you okay?!"

Luna sat frozen. "What... what was that?"

"ARE YOU OKAY?" Jin yelled, grabbing her shoulders.

"Yes! Yes, I'm okay!" Luna stammered. "What did you just do?"

"That was a Ki attack," Jin explained, his breathing heavy. "Just like what you did in the alley, but controlled. Focused."

Luna looked at him. His hair was messy, he was covered in dirt, and he looked genuinely terrified for her. He can be a total jerk, she thought, but... okay, that was kind of hot.

"Wow..." Then she remembered. "Oh my God! MINOU! Where is he?"

"Reow..."

A weak chirp came from the bushes. Minou limped out, looking shaken but alive.

"Oh, Minou!" Luna scooped him up, hugging him tight. "My poor baby! You tried to protect me!"

Jin walked over, inspecting the animal. "He's tough. Good work for a stray. Now... how about you two come back to the camp so I can keep an eye on you?"

Luna looked up at him, her anger gone. "Okay... Jin?"

"Huh?"

"Thank you. For saving me."

Jin looked away, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah. Just... don't wander off again."