Sakura rushed out of her house frantically and ran down the street. UXMishi's concert was going to start soon, and she couldn't believe she had actually slept in. She wished her mother would drive her, but her mother had been busy preparing for some kind of mothers' festival. That leaves the public transport, which leaves in fifteen minutes.

She stopped in front of the long alley, known for its "ghosts" and paedophiles. Sakura shivered and considered her options; she could go around the block, which would add an extra five minutes, maybe even resorting to her missing the subway, or she could go through the alley, but she was afraid of the dangers that might be in the way.

Sakura gulped her fear down, and stood up straight. Ghosts aren't real and paedophiles and homeless stalkers were only rumours, she needed to be sure to make it to Kuuga's concert. She was determined to get there on time, no matter how scary the path might be.

She started at a slow jog as she entered the dark path that was before her. She gulped as went a little faster, and she almost screamed as she thought she saw a flash of light at the corner of her eyes. When she turned, there was nothing. She breathed heavy breaths as she thought about what she could do. If she turned back now, it would still be OK, but she would miss the start of the uXMishi concert.

She took deep breath and resumed walking towards the other end. She gasped as she tripped of the garbage bag, and with pale shaking hands, she slowly got back up. She ran a hand over her legs to check for injuries. She bit her lip as she felt bruises over her knees. Checking once more for blood, she was glad there was none.

Once again, she got up and sped up her walking, but she couldn't help but feel unease as noises came to her ear. She gasped quietly when she heard footsteps approaching. She started to run, afraid the footsteps were not her imagination. Sakura could hear the footsteps run faster and she knew she couldn't run on for much longer. She stopped to catch her breath, and whimpered as the footsteps neared.

She sat down with her hands around her bruised knees. She hugged her legs tight, hoping the paedophile would run pass without seeing her, but she realised that was near impossible. Even Sakura, who's used to bright pictures and lights, has gotten used to the dark. She could see the outline and different shadings of darkness of things around her.

She closed her eyes as the footsteps got nearer, and she whimpered again when she heard the man stop. She didn't know what to do, she probably couldn't fight the man…she was helpless. She opened her mouth and screamed as she felt a hand touch her arm. The stranger, who was caught off guard, instantly stepped back.

"Sakura, it's OK, it's just me," the stranger said.

Sakura's eyes opened wide as she recognised the voice.

"It was supposed to be a surprise, for me to pick you up to the concert, but I guess you overlooked my car when you went out. I had to follow you, but I guess it took me sometime to first adjust to the light, and then find your shape.

Sakura stood up and took a step towards the guy; he took the hint and wrapped his hands around her. She whimpered and finally let the tears flow out of her eyes. "I was so scared! I thought you were a pervert or a paedophile... I didn't know what I could do – I didn't know how I could've got out of the mess!"

"I'm sorry for frightening you, Sakura, but it's OK now, because even if there is a real paedophile around these areas, I'll protect you. I'll always protect you, and you can always rely on me. We'll be together, and we'll look out for each other, promise?"

Sakura nodded, and although Kuuga couldn't see it, he could feel the genuine smile Sakura had on her face.

"Sakura, you don't have to enter alleys if you're going to be scared. I'm not going to get mad if you're late to my concerts. Now let's go, before I miss the concert and disappoint my fans."

Sakura laughed, and walked back out the alley the way she came. It was quite a long way, but she wasn't scared – not with Kuuga holding her hand.