They continued on their journey through the rocky paths all throughout the afternoon, stopping for a short lunch and then once again heading off. Minori was silent for the whole time, in fact everyone was.

The tense atmosphere was weighting upon the children, Gilbert and Peter were just there glancing at the three of them once in a while, worried a bit for them. These siblings have proved to be going to trouble but in the end, they hug it out with a few apologies.

But not this time?

Sakura was hugging Satoshi close while Minori was right behind all of them this time, looking down on the ground and sometimes staring up ahead to the mountains or gazing up to the sky.

When it was late afternoon, about the time when they see the sun going down signaling that night is coming soon. They set up camp in a clean space, Peter and Satoshi made a camp fire, the boy was finally opening up, saying to Peter that this was the first time he has made a camp fire on his own.

They ate dinner, a few fried fishes and some grub from the supplies. Minori mumbles that she takes the first watch and heads off to sit on a rock that was coincidentally there on the entry way where they found their campsite.

She was distant, crunching down to cover her own head with her knees and arms.

Gilbert was feeling bad, even though it wasn't his fault, he was the one who told them about the dragon without keeping an eye on them. He scowls, he seriously needs to stop hanging out with serious people to not deal with these kinds of situations.

He glances at Sakura who was with Satoshi at the campfire area. They didn't feel like sleepy, fully awake and talking amongst themselves, Peter was out doing some stuff that Gilbert really doesn't care.

When Satoshi decided to set up their tents, leaving Sakura in the comfort of the camp fire, Gilbert finally takes this chance to perhaps talk with the girl.

"Hey." He greets, suddenly feeling awkward as he takes a sit on the log beside her. "Oh hello Joker Gilbert." Sakura greets, unfazed a bit from the happenings this morning and smiling a bit.

"Oh uhm, you can call me Gilbert."

"Hehe, seems unfair for Minori but okay." She laughs, that was so innocent which made Gilbert remember of someone special.

"Speaking of Minori...will she be okay?" Gilbert asks, concerned for the depressed girl.

"Oh...well, she will." Sakura gazed up to the girl keeping an eye and in the same time she looking like she was thinking hard and agitated.

"Knowing her, she gathers up confidence and time to think about her faults." The two watches as Minori finally stands up and heads over slowly to Satoshi whose back was turned to her as he prepares the stands for the tent.

"She could finally let go all of the shyness to finally apologize and recognize her faults and learn from them."

Minori taps Satoshi's shoulder and when he turns she suddenly cries in front of him. They faintly could hear words of "I'm sorry" and "It's my fault" and a very long explanation about how she feels sorry for letting her siblings in danger and traumatized and how much she loves him as a brother.

They hugged it out as Satoshi said it was okay with a big smile saying "hey, we don't get to see a dragon ever" and those kind of stuff.

Gilbert watches Sakura's face suddenly smiling, it looked like she was glowing. Gilbert could feel heat rushing up to his face.

Footsteps were heading towards them as they see Minori walking up to them and stopping right in front of them.

"Hey uhm, Joker Gilbert and Sakura...I'm sorry for causing trouble back at the dragon incident. It's not like I'm in a hurry to go home but I just want to see most of this world they can offer, our dimension doesn't have magic and stuff so it makes me excited but I know now that I should considerate of my siblings and watch out for my actions..."

She rambles on and Sakura also hugs it out with her and Gilbert tells her that it was okay, grinning that she finally learned her lesson.

When it was time to sleep, Gilbert keeps on watch since he insisted to Minori to get some sleep.

His heart was heavy, because of something...

.

.

.

.

.

Morning came and they leave their campsite. Gilbert leads the way as Peter was chatting something up with Satoshi who was happy to oblige. He was going to have a silent day as always but Sakura intrudes by saying a greeting.

In all honesty, he was happy to have Sakura by his side during that time.

Though his mind and heart was distracted by something else prodding him.

The five have encountered many things along the way. They passed many animals and critters, exotic looking flowers and fruits. It was a fun experience even though Gilbert and Peter had been here over a few times to go visit the Witch.

The three were up to crazy stuff, laughing and playing around like children they were. Gilbert and Peter actually missed being kids they realized over the course of this journey, now that was a stupid way to think of that.

They passed by a river bank by time it was lunch and the three tried capturing fishes and accidentally starting a water fight, Gilbert was watching Sakura smiling and giggling among the sprinkles of water, they were shining with the sun's rays.

He feels heat rushing again.

Where was Peter exactly? He suddenly realizes, looking around from his great shelter of a tree. He didn't like the sun very much.

He noticed that his partner has been running off lately, he'll find out later.

---

The Joker leaves the three Shizuno siblings to their fried fish lunch after taking a stick of his own chewing on it while handing one out for Peter who came back from his mysterious disappearances.

They both settled under the shade of the tree, they both indeed hate the sun.

"So, Peter where have you been?" Gilbert asks him casually, swallowing a piece of the crispy fish stomach.

"Oh I was...checking on something." Peter was hiding something.

"You know you can tell me anything Pete." Gilbert's tone slightly changed. "We've been partners for years, I know how you look and say whenever you're hiding something from me." He says, finishing off his fish and jots the stick down to the ground.

"Well, I think it's time we go."

"Go? Go where?"

"Back to our mischief adventures of course! We've been cozying up with these kids that we lost track of our purpose—our way of life partner!" Peter states in hushes voices.

"We...We're going to betray them?" Gilbert knew what the answer was, he just didn't feel like it was true. Why on earth was he being so hesitant about this?

"Yes, obviously!" Peter finishes off his fish with one swoop and throws his stick into the forest. He stares up to the older and raises a brow, his tail swishing behind him.

"Don't tell me you're growing soft...are you Gilbert?"

The man scoffs, cat ears stopping. "Yeah right. No one goes soft on me." He stands up, his tail swishing. "I'll think about it." He then takes his leave.

.

.

.

A little time after lunch passed, Gilbert was listening to Peter's and Satoshi's talk, Peter was faking his socializing with the boy, it hurts Gilbert thinks. He too has his share of being toyed with lies and betrayal, he too had backstabbed, betrayed and lied with many people. It never really hurt him, but what is the difference now?

"Hello Gilbert." Sakura greets him.

"Oh hey, Sakura..." He attempts to make his signature smile, hoping it won't fall.

It didn't.

She suddenly laughs, making Gilbert confused. "That was a fake smile now was it?" The man was silent, this girl can read his face well. Peter's plan might collapse if Sakura could read him too.

"Maybe, maybe not~" Gilbert grins, his cat ear perking in mischief again. "What makes you say that little rose?"

"Hm, you look like you're thinking about something very hard, it seems bad and you don't want to show it outside of you so you smile." Sakura explains, a tug up of her lips as she did.

Gilbert was slightly amused.

"People who tend to do that are people who hide something inside them, because they don't want others to know because they don't understand or don't care. People who don't want to let them see pain outside of their shell, they smile all throughout the pain, all throughout the problems." Sakura rambles, she seems to be in her own world.

Where was she getting this information of this from?

"Okay okay, that's going a bit overboard." Gilbert laughs nervously, holding up his hands in surrender and ears back down on his white hair.

"Oh right sorry about that." Sakura laughs, she has her own share of psychology.

Gilbert was silent once again, thinking about this. He shouldn't feel like this, this weird gushy feeling inside in him, feelings for the girl beside him. It was all wrong, he was going all soft, Peter was right and who were they to follow orders of the kingdoms? They secluded him and Peter from their kingdom, isolated them, people amongst people tell them that they don't ever belong anywhere and either will they be to anyone.

"We're almost there to the mountains right?"

"Yes." Gilbert replies. "Maybe we can soon get there in a total of three days or so.

"I would like to say thank you..." Sakura starts and Gilbert's train of thought stops. "Thank you Gilbert, for being a guide and a friend to us in this journey, it's been fun." Sakura smiles.

Gilbert's eyes widen a bit.

She called him a friend.

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.

.

"Hey Peter." Gilbert calls out from his place on the branches. Peter's smile never falters, he finally gets his answer and he knows darn well what it is.

"Let's do it."

END OF CHAPTER 10

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A/N: Horraaayyyy almost finished with this book! *dies* *revives*

So this is still 3rd POV but it was more focused with the Jokers and Sakura so wheeeeee XDD wow it was as if I erased Minori from the scenes especially when they are walking and the Jokers were talking with Satoshi and Sakura, Minori must've been feeling out of place XD.

The story is literally forming into something I can say in a psychology genre because drama is great—lol

I don't know why I incidentally formulate Gilbert x Sakura, I just feel like it, amongst the romance stuff here, most I can do is this ship bwaaaahahaha XDD

Once, again a long A/N XD

MapleMochi, signing off~ *two-finger salutes*