[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/190522/5ec07975271d6ef3e7be9e67e7144f35.png[/img][/center][hr]Kaito sighed. The movement caused a gulp of pure forest air to rush into his lungs, causing a momentary lapse of thought. It felt pleasant, but far too out of the ordinary to grant him any sort of relief among the darkness. It was just another bullet point on the growing list of idiosyncrasies to be tracked and questioned. 

[color=ffe4b5]"It's the only recognizable landmark."[/color] An obvious statement. Not the least bit satisfactory to him. He hated uncertainty, and this felt like less of an answer and more of a path to more questions. He started thinking of all the possible things they could encounter upon nearing the torii, with his mind naturally getting more creative with the negative outcomes. Among the majority of those were dark and wild streaks of a desperate man with a firearm and no certain location. When no one what a person was doing, not even themselves, predictions had the tendency to get muddled.

He followed the other two at a cautious pace, subconsciously taking faster strides whenever the snapping of a twig or any other noise would sound among the forest. [color=ffe4b5]"Going after him could be... dangerous. He asked for some space, so the best course of action should be to respect that."[/color] Asked was too soft of a word. Force of habit, he supposed. [color=ffe4b5]"But, hm... nevermind. He'll probably also go near the torii since it's the only option available."[/color] He brushed away a couple of loose strands of hair near his face, and took a hard look at the darkness surrounding them. [color=ffe4b5]"So we should keep going."[/color] The words made perfect sense. There certainly was reasoning behind them, and the average person could have agreed that it was the smart thing to do. And yet a certain pain gnawed at him from the inside. A certain desire to help others, not only ignored but intentionally suppressed.

The man could find his own way home. He just had to convince himself that it would be the case. 

It wasn't working.