Can't Always be Alone

"Come on, Anna. Its dangerous out here." Lukyo grumbled as he kept lookout for anything dangerous as Annabella picked the herbs near the base of the mountain. She blushed a bit when she heard Lukyo, "O-Ok." She stuttered which earned a confused look from the redhead.

It was a hot summer day and the two were very far from home. Annabella wanted to pick some herbs at the mountain because they were very rare to find but it was too dangerous to go alone, Lukyo said that he would go with her which she was more then happy to accept. She knew the herbs would sell for a very good price, she might be able to finally buy that twin dagger set Lukyo has had his eye on for months.

"J-Just a few more and then we can go, k-kay?" Lukyo grunted a response before turning his attention back to his lookout job. Something suddenly rustled in the bushes before the gleam of metal showed. Lukyo took stance as two large men came out, grinning wickedly, "Ooo, what do we gots here, eh?" Lukyo glared at the two while Annabella hid behind him, "We can take them herbs off yer hands." Lukyo heard the crinkling of the basket which meant that Annabella was holding it closer to her body, "Fat chance pigs so why don't cha bet it." The men glared, obviously not liking the kid insulting them. "Yer got some nerve kid but yer better hand it over if ya know whats good fer yer."

The two men charged at him and it doesn't take a genius to know that Lukyo got beaten up and the herbs take away but he had got stabbed when he tried to save Annabella, "Lukyo!" She cried out as she rushed to his side, This was bad, "I am so sorry!"

"Gah! Geez, its ok. I will live." Lukyo said through the pain and knew Lanana would give him an ear full when she found out what happened. He groaned at the thought which only worried Annabella more. After a few struggles, they managed to get Lukyo to stand. "This might hurt a bit." Annabella said though mostly to herself as she helped Lukyo walk through the forest.

It seemed like hours and both were getting rather thirsty. Luckily, Lukyo was a bit better now but he was still bleeding a little. After decided to head off to the nearby river, Lukyo made it into a game and both laughed a giggled as they raced to the river.

That was when they saw the blood and Annabella, cried out in shock.

Akito had been having a bad day to say he least, but it turned around when he large human males appeared by the river he had been living near. It was an easy battle to say the least, but he prolonged it. After killing the first one, he played with the other. Stabbing him with his long nails and clawing his eyes, it gave Akito a sense of satisfaction. To finish the man off he jabbed his agile hand through the mans chest and ripped out his heart. He crushed it with a small smirk.

As he licked the blood off of his hands he heard a female shriek. He looked up and saw two young and obviously human children. A smirk grew on his face. "Well, my day keeps getting better. First this trash, now scum to play with." he said as he sauntered closer to the two. "Your luck just ran out children." he said, obvious malice in his silver eyes.

Lukyo out stretched a hand to cover Annabella, "Anna, get the hell out of here!" the redhead growled. Annabella looked briefly to him before running with Lukyo following close behind. It made his wounds burn and sting but he had to get them away from the crazy fox guy, "Lue! If you are anywhere out here, we kinda need your help!"

"No need to shout, stupid...." came the cold tone of Lushiga, appearing from behind a tree, "Lana-chan is gonna kill you for going to the mountains."
"Now isn't the time for that, ice nerd."
"That isn't much of an insult, cluts."
"I otta hit you!"
"You never have so far and guess what...never will."
"G-Guys...." Both Lushiga and Lukyo looked to Annabella, "That...thing is still after us...."
"Right, Lanana should be home soon. We aren't too far from home." Lukyo said with a smile and Annabella blushed again. "We better hurry or that crazy fox guy will know where we live." And the three started to run off again.

The arguments of the children infuriated the spirit man. The running was hilarious to him though. He was much faster than those children. He was behind the girl quickly and grabbed her by her long pink hair. "How adorable that you think you can out run a spirit." he said as he lifted her up. "I suggest the two of you stop if you care about the pitiful girl." he said with a sinister smirk. He had more fun playing with the children, it made him feel a sick sense of satisfaction to hear them scream.

Annabella screamed which caused the two boys to stop and Lukyo's eyes widen, "Anna!" He said he said before growling. "Stupid, don't attack him!" Lushiga glared at the redhead who kept his ground, "I will deal with him, you go get Lanana!" Lukyo wanted to argue to stay but knew he had to trust Lushiga. Lushiga turned to the fox spirit, calm but glaring, "Before you do anything to hurt her because he ran off to get someone else...think of it as a better chance to kill more people." Lushiga didn't want to say it but they had to get Lanana here and if getting this guy to see it in a way that he would like was the only way to keep Annabella alive until then...so be it.

Annabella was crying a bit, "Lushiga, help me, please!"

Hearing the girls crys made him angry. "This is why i don't play with the girls." he said as he gripped her neck with his long nailed fingers. "Such annoying screaming." He threw the girl to the side but snapped his fingers creating a cage of fire. "I think i'll let her watch me end your pitiful existence. The things that they say to keep the males alive is always amusing." Akito said before charging the boy. "I wonder if you'll make a fun game." he said snapping his fingers to catch the boy's hair on fire.

Annabella landed with an "uff" and tried to run but the fire cage came up, "Lushiga, please just go!" But the eight year old didn't listen and stared at the crazy fox spirit, not even bothered by his hair suddenly aflamed but just as soon as it started, it stopped, "This otta be interesting...a fire and an ice user fighting." Lushiga's breath froze in the air, even though it was hot outside. He took off his hat and jacket, "Well, are you just going to stand there or are you gonna made a move, crazy fox?" His tone was bored.

"You have an element? This might just be the most entertaining kill i've ever had." Was the last thing he said before snapping his fingers, making flames cover his hands as he ran toward the boy, his ears alert for the sounds of the other two returning. He wasn't noble enough to not use other humans as hostages to kill others. He hatred for humans ran to deep to care for any of them. He grabbed the boys arm twisting it around so that the boy's back was to him. The flames that were on his hand began to attach themselves to the boy and they only got hotter the more that Akito thought about his hatred.

Lushiga let him grab a hold of his arms to only freeze the flames enough to snap the fire before ducking down and swinging his legs under Akito's feet, hoping to knock him down. Lushiga knew he couldn't pin the guy down and he would only melt the ice binds but he could at least keep him busy enough until Lanana and Lukyo got to where they were. "I might be a kid but I am not that easy to keep down, like I said, I have ice so fire won't work against me."

"Your ice will not work against me either. Ice melts." he said, lifting his foot and stepping on the boy's when he tried to trip him. Akito pushed almost his full weight onto the boy's ankle, quite prepared to break it. "Children always think they are so smart."

"There is a difference between thinking you are smart...." Lushiga began before sending a spike of ice through the fox's ankle in five different places, "And knowing you are." He managed to roll his ankle out and maneuvered himself out of Akito's reach. He froze the fire cage and made it shattered, "Besides, I already knew that my ice wouldn't work against your flame but it doesn't mean that I cannot still stabbed your flesh."

Akito winced in pain and scowled at the boy. "alright there is no more need to play with you." He muttered. He ignored he pain in his leg and ran full speed at the pair, tackling the boy to the ground and fully ready to pull the boy's heart out. His silver eyes glared at the boy as he reared his arm back, ready to strike.

"Lushiga!" Annabella cried out before grabbing a rock and throwing it at Akito, "Stay away from him you big bully!" She said before throwing another rock. This gave Lushiga enough time to send spikes of ice into Akito's hands and arms, pinning them where they were. "What in all of Badash is going on?" A woman with green hair came running into the clearing, her chocolate eyes glaring at Akito, "Lushiga, Annabella! Get over here now." They were in such big trouble.

That was it, Akito was going to kill these children they had injured him for the last time. When he heard the woman's voice he looked up and his silver eyes widened. He melted the ice that had him pinned and quickly stood as the scars of his past began to reopen. "Eliana! What the hell are you doing here?!" he questioned, not realizing that the woman wasn't who he thought she was. "I killed you.........I killed you yet here you are...." his eyes filled with pain at the memory of the woman that had betrayed him. His heart couldn't bare it, he turned around and ran back to the river that he had been at.

Lanana wasn't through with him yet but she had to get her kids to safety. Lushiga was panting, obviously tired from the fight so she went and picked him up, he didn't protest, "Its ok, you're safe now." She said in a gentle and motherly tone making Lushiga relax. The three of them went back to the house where Lanana put Lushiga to bed and mended Lukyo's wounds.

That night, Lanana told Path she was going to look for that strange man who attacked the three, "So keep an eye out for them."
"Lana, its too dangerous, especially at night." The blond haired man said as he frowned heavily. "I do not care! I saw the look on his face and he only attacked them because he was hurt. I am going to help him and you can bite me if you don't like it." She said, roughly shoving the first aid supplies into her bag. Path sighed, "You are very stubborn, sister." He mumbled which she only stuck out her tongue. Before heading out.

The night air was cold in the Redwood Forest and it slightly scared her, she was hoping nothing was going to attack her. Once she arrived in the area where she found them, she began to look around to see if there was any sign of where he was, "Hello...Mr. Fox spirit? It's Lanana, I came here to help you." She called out though kinda nervous.

When Akito arrived at the river he burned the bodies from earlier in his furry. His mind was completely berserk right now. All he could think of was the woman that had betrayed him, the reason he hated all humans. Fire coursed around his body, responding to his anger. Hearing the woman's voice made him want to kill her. He turned and saw her. Out of anger he ran up to her and grabbed her by the neck and lifted her into the air. "I don't need the help of a pitiful human such as yourself."

Lanana gasped loudly when he suddenly turned and grasped her throat, lifting her up into the air. It didn't completely cut off her airways but enough to make it hard to breath. Her chocolate eyes stared into his silver eyes, she saw the twisting torment of pain and betrayal in those eyes, it made her feel sad. She didn't know what happened to him in the past so she wasn't going to judge him on attacking her kids...though she was mad at him for that still. Carefully, Lanana took a clean cloth from the bag and began to clean the wounds, not caring if he objected.

When the girl began cleaning his wounds he instantly dropped her as if touching her burned his skin. "Don't try and trick me Human. That's my job" he told, turning away from her. "If you run now i might just let you live." he told. He couldn't bare to look at her, it hurt far to much.

"I am not tricking anyone." Lanana said softly, frowning a bit, "I just want to help you, I can see you are hurt in more than one way." She got up and looked at the cloth for a moment, "I don't know what happened to you in the past so I can't hate you for attacking my children...." They weren't really her kids but Hamashimo would always bring them to her so that she could look after them, they were like her kids. "I will leave you alone...if I could just...help...." Lanana didn't look up to him but kept staring at the cloth.

"I don't need your help you worthless human!" He shouted, his fire raising from his hands once more. Her words reminded him of how Eliana had been, kind and gentle and only wanting to help. He knew it was a trick, his beauty was all that humans ever wanted and that she would betray him in the same way the Eliana had. "Foolish human, leave now or i really will kill you."

"Well then kill me after I have aided your wounds." Lanana said with determination, looking back to the white fox spirit with fire in her eyes and a steady stare, "All I wish is to help you, just this once, and then I will leave you alone. I have always been a woman of my word and I have never given up on people. I do not plan on changing that now nor any time soon!" She stood her ground, firm and strong, dead set on not leaving until she mended him...at least physically.

Akito spun on his heel and glared at the woman. his tail twitched with anger. "I will tell you once more ghost. Leave before i rip your heart from your chest." he told threateningly. He would do it too. He had killed Eliana and several human females after her, he had just never expected someone to look so much like her.

"No." Was her simple answer, glaring back. She had been nice up to this point but she would resort to her other method if she had to. Lanana had to use it on Lukyo so many times that he now obeyed without hesitation, "Either you let me or I make you but those are your only choices."

Akito walked over to her, his bare feet stopping just before her. "You're the most stubborn human i have ever met." he muttered as he stared down at her. "Why do you have her face?" the question was more to himself than to her. A second later he turned away again and ran off, not wanting the help of the human woman.

Lanana sighed and walked to the river, calmly washing the blood out of the cloth and putting it in her bag. She was just about to leave when she stopped and looked back to the bag in her hand. Biting her lip, she shook her head and went to set the bag down near a tree near the river, just in case he wanted to do the damn thing himself. Inside was a cloth, healing ointment, and bandages. There was also an apple and a roll of bread (still hot) with butter and a scarf incase he was cold. Lanana walked away as she hummed a tune to herself.