For those of you reading my other story, I apologize for the lack of updates. I still plan on finishing it. I just don't know when...

Anyways, this story is just an idea I had to throw our beloved characters into a classic story and add my own twist. I've done this for other series and it's a lot of fun! This particular one is based on Little Red Riding Hood :)

Unfortunately, I've spent so long writing it out that while it's supposed to be funny, it doesn't seem funny to me anymore... Ugh. So hopefully it is as humorous as it was intended to be! Enjoy~

Woodland Adventure

"Akane, are you ready yet?"

"I'm coming!" she shouted back.

Grabbing the last of her belongings from her upper level bedroom, the petite brunette rushed downstairs to the kitchen. Upon entering, she was greeted by a smile from both of her adoptive sisters. They were the ones to raise her since she was a little girl; it was easy to reciprocate their smile. Leaving them briefly, she headed to the entryway where she hung up her cloak by the front door.

"Good morning, Shion-nee, Yayoi-nee," she said when she returned, taking her seat at the kitchen table.

"Good morning, dear. Are you sure you will be alright?" asked Shion, the more outgoing of the two.

"Of course! We've gone together many times. We already told Uncle Tomomi that I would be coming. It would be rude not to go."

"He would understand since it'll be the first time you're going by yourself..."

"I'll be fine, Shion-nee! I remember everything you told me."

"But still..."

A slight frown puckered her brows as she watched her younger sister, but her features relaxed when she felt Yayoi's hand resting gently on her shoulder. Despite her anxieties, she managed to give a smile to Akane. Between the two of them, they had highlighted a map with the path to take and instilled every safety precaution they could into the girl's memory.

"She'll be fine," Yayoi promised. "What was the first rule we told you?"

"Do not talk to strangers," she easily recited. "I must keep my hood up the entire way there, not taking it off until I arrive. I already memorized the map, but I will keep it in my cloak pocket."

"She'll be fine," reiterated Yayoi. "Now let's eat breakfast before it grows cold."

Since it was two against one, there was nothing Shion could say and she sat down. Yayoi did the same before wordlessly piling food on Akane's plate. Thanking her for her assistance, a smile graced the girl's face as she had expected some resistance from her guardians, despite their initial acceptance of the situation. It couldn't be helped that a work emergency had come up for them at the last minute, but she was still looking forward to the planned visit.

After breakfast, her two sisters had accompanied her to the town gate where they once again showed signs of reluctance to let her depart on her own. Shion had fussed with the ribbon on her cloak numerous times and resettled it on her shoulders repeatedly. Yayoi didn't say as much, but the expression on her face portrayed her unease. Knowing that they were concerned about her well-being, Akane didn't rebuke their extra care; instead, she continued to reassure them that she knew exactly where to go, following their detailed guidelines.

"I wish at least one of us could get out of work to travel with you. I would feel so much better," Shion stated.

"I would like that too, but you can't. They need you. Uncle Tomomi is expecting me and we had planned this trip for a while. I would hate to cancel on him so last minute."

"That's true..." replied Shion.

"And I'm sure he has already planned for my arrival with treats," Akane pointed out.

"That's true too."

Akane was prepared to continue her battle for begrudged approval, but her saviour came in the form of Mitsuru's perverted, groping hand. Whatever she had been about to say, it was cut off by the sound of Shion's shriek. Whirling around in surprise at the feel of someone stroking her bottom, her hand automatically reached out to give the town playboy a resounding slap across the face.

"What the hell was that for?!" she lashed out.

"Its perkiness was just begging for my caress," he answered with a lazy grin.

"It was not! Don't you ever do that again!"

"It's just a greeting."

"No, it's sexual harassment!" retorted Shion.

At this, he just shrugged his shoulders. He never learned his lesson and already his hand was reaching out towards Yayoi to repeat his form of greeting. Unfortunately for him, he alerted them to his presence and she was ready for him. In one swift movement, she reached out and pinch twisted the skin on the back of his hand.

"Ow! Yayoi!" he protested. "It hurts!"

Even so, she was unrelenting and continued to hold his patch of skin captive; his punishment for what he was trying to do to her, and what he had already done to Shion. The sudden tension was broken by the soft giggles coming from Akane as she watched the scene unfold with amusement. They were always like this as Mitsuru never seemed to be fazed by their rejection - or any female's rejection at that.

"Oh Akane-chan! Looking as cute as always," he greeted with a wink.

He would have pounced onto her if it weren't for the fact that he would have to break passed both her sisters to accomplish that feat. The moment he had turned his attention towards her, Shion and Yayoi put up a united front to block him from doing so. She was the only girl in town who had yet to be greeted by him - in his manner of greeting. Either one of them, if not both, was always with her to stay on guard against his flamboyant attention.

Giggling as he once again faced the wrath of her sisters, their vigilant guard against Mitsuru had left her open for attack on the other side. Akane found herself weighed down by a pair of arms that wrapped around her shoulders. Turning around in surprise, she found herself the recipient of a quirky grin. While they weren't looking, she had been pulled into Shuusei's embrace. He wasn't a playboy like Mitsuru, but he normally faced the same type of censure from her sisters. Their beef with him was the fact that he showed the same type of over-affectionate behaviour, directed at Akane in particular.

"Ne, Akane. What's so funny?" he asked.

At the sound of his voice, Shion and Yayoi whirled around with disapproving frowns marring their beautiful features. Before Akane could answer, he was assaulted by Yayoi who balled her hand into a fist and brought it straight down on the crown of his head. Pain flared from her strike and Shuusei was forced to release Akane before he could clutch at his throbbing head.

"What was that for?" he whined.

"No touching! Get away from Akane right now."

To prove her point, Yayoi shoved him aside and pulled her younger sister into her embrace. Beside them, Shion had punched Mitsuru who thought he might get away with a second attempt when they were distracted. He was wrong. Once their guard was up, it stayed up around him - especially with Akane in their midst. The antics of her companions had her giggling again.

"Everyone is so silly!" she exclaimed. "I'm okay, Yayoi-nee. He wouldn't do anything to hurt me."

"Exactly! I was just giving her a hug since she's so cute," Shuusei added, throwing in his own two cents.

"Then what about me?" questioned Mitsuru.

At that, Akane fell silent, leaving a gap in the conversation. When there was no answer forthcoming, Mitsuru paled and appeared shocked that he was pegged on a different level than Shuusei. The expression on his face caused her to laugh as she purposely withheld her response to see what type of reaction he would have. She had expected him to protest and plead his case, not fall silent. He was the type of man who always had an answer for anything and everything.

"You're a worthless flirt and you are not going anywhere near her," Shion replied in her place. "And neither are you."

The last part was directed at Shuusei who was treated to a glare. Regardless of what Akane might say, neither of them approved of Shuusei's over-familiar behaviour. Since their sister was still too young to see more into it, they had to be the watchful eyes that protected her from harm that might befall her.

"Aw... So what are you guys doing hanging out by the gate?"

It was an ongoing battle between the two sides with Akane caught in the middle and Shuusei had wisely let the matter drop. Though they thought he was flippant in his attention towards her, he actually cared for the younger girl a lot. Part of his particular attention was the fact that he did like her, but the other part was the fact that it riled them up. Their reactions were always extreme when the issue had anything to do with Akane; it was fun to see what they would do.

"I'm going to make my way to the next town to visit Uncle Tomomi. Shion-nee and Yayoi-nee were supposed to come with me, but something came up so they can't make it," Akane explained.

"Eh? Doesn't he live beyond the woods? It'll be dangerous if you travel by yourself!"

Akane couldn't help frowning at his words as that was the very fear of her sisters' that she had been trying to alleviate for the last fifteen minutes. Now that Shuusei had voiced their very thought, she could see another frown pinching their brows. Turning towards her friend, she shook her head and repeated the same arguments she used on Shion and Yayoi.

"I've been there many times before and I have a map with me. I won't talk to strangers, not that we ever met any in the past."

"I guess... I would go with you if I could, but I already have plans for the day."

"Not that we would let you!" Yayoi retorted.

"I'm sure it's not as bad as you think it is," Mitsuru inserted, a sudden voice of reason as he had dropped the flirtatious speech. "Akane is a smart girl and you both know that better than us. She'll follow everything you have to say."

"Mitsuru is right and Uncle Tomomi will contact you the moment I arrive. I already have my change of clothes so I can stay the night. The two of you will come get me tomorrow. If I don't leave now, it's going to get dark."

"Oh alright," they replied hesitantly.

Despite saying so, she was pulled into a tight group hug before Shion fussed with her cloak one last time and pulled her hood over her head. Akane smiled as she bade them farewell for the time being, assuring them that everything would be fine. She waved at Mitsuru and Shuusei as well since they had joined the party and both of them wished her a safe journey as they waved back. Together, the four of them stood by the gate watching her progress until she was out of sight.

Pausing for a break where she had spotted a large boulder, Akane put down her bag to grab her water bottle. After relieving her parched throat, she pulled the map from her cloak pocket to determine where she was. It had already been twenty minutes, meaning she was already halfway there - if she had taken the correct path. It felt like it since everything she had seen so far matched with her memory and the various landmarks that were highlighted.

"Despite the delayed departure, I still made good time," she said to herself. "I'll rest here for a few minutes before I continue on my way."

As if on cue, her stomach gave a tiny rumble, indicating that it needed to be feed. Smiling to herself, she reached into her bag to pull out a treat. She had prepared for this moment yesterday morning after breakfast. While Uncle Tomomi always had yummy snacks for their visits, she never had anything to give in return. This time, she had convinced her sisters to let her return the favour. After much coaxing and pleading, they agreed to her plan of baking cookies.

They had two conditions. The first one being that they would be around to supervise when she did so. To that, she quickly agreed since it would be the first time she was working in the kitchen. She would need their help. The second was that she needed to make enough that they would also have a share of the cookies, something else she had no concerns about. After that, they had gone out to buy the necessary ingredients.

Biting into the white chocolate, macadamia nut cookie, she savoured the taste and let out a soft sigh. It was delicious! She wasn't only thinking that because she was the one to make it - it truly was. One of her favourites, she was starting to think there couldn't possibly be any terrible ones when it came to this combination. The cookie was still soft and moist despite being baked the previous morning.

Happily munching the first and then a second, she was enjoying the beautiful weather. The sky above was clear and cloudless, a lovely pale blue. In the distance, she could hear the sounds of birds chirping in the background and insects buzzing in the air. It was the first time she had been able to experience this tranquility as the trips with her sisters would be swift and steady; they would only stop long enough to have a drink of water before carrying on their way.

She was just polishing off the last of her second treat when she noticed a sudden silence. All the sounds she had heard before had been replaced by an eerie stillness like they had disappeared. Glancing around the area, she didn't spot anything unusual. It looked exactly as it did when she had first stopped for a break. Admonishing herself for being a worrywart, she was still trying to calm her nerves when there was an abrupt shout and the sounds of branches being broken rapidly.

Whirling around to glance at the source of the noise, she ended up slipping off the boulder just as she watched a large dark-haired man charge straight out of the forest. He was tall and broad-chested, dressed in casual clothes of a fitted black tee shirt and a pair of blue jeans. On his feet, he was wearing a pair of slip-on sandals that didn't seem practical for his excursion. Triumphant about his escape from the woods, he grinned to himself as he exclaimed about the successful detour he had taken.

Wide-eyed with wonder, Akane had no idea what to make of this situation. Somewhere in the back of her mind, her sisters' warnings were playing on repeat, but she was too shocked to move. No one in their right mind would be traveling through the woods itself when there were trails marked for that purpose. She was starting to regret her empty appeasements towards her sisters because she had no clue what she should do now.

Though her heart rate had been returning to a normal speed, it quickly spiked up once more when the stranger suddenly turned with his gaze locked on her. Their eyes met and across the distance, she could see that they were a clear grey colour. Despite the insanity to his method of appearance, he was of sound mind; his eyes hinting at intelligence and rationality. The grin on his face broadened and he took long strides towards her. She had managed to shrink back against the boulder when he stood in front of her, looming overhead.

"Wow! What have we here?" he asked. "Where did you come from?"

That was the question she should have been asking him, but no words would form in her mouth. All she could do was shake her head as she stared up at him. When she didn't reply, he only tilted his head to the side before squatting so they were at the same level. He reached his hand out towards her and Akane let out a mental shriek before she scrambled away from him. He was still grinning at her like it didn't bother him, but she had noticed the way his gaze had sharpened.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he stated lightly.

Despite his words, Akane doubted the validity of his statement and tried to stay out of his reach. His languid movements lulled her into a state of confidence as she attempted to dart passed him, back towards her bag. She thought she would make it, when she felt his hand wrap around her wrist. He gave it a tug, not forceful enough to hurt her, but enough to stop her escape. She soon found herself crashing into his chest. His arms tightened around her even as she tried to break free of his embrace. Unlike the situations with Shuusei where he always released her when she showed signs of displeasure, this man had no qualms of holding her hostage.

"I caught you fair and square," he said smoothly.

Even so, Akane continued to struggle as she glanced up at him, an angry glare directed at him. It obviously didn't have the desired effect because he only chuckled and tightened his grip on her. When she found herself pressed flush against his chest, Akane could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment. She had never been this close to a man before! Her reaction amused him as she could feel his rumble of laughter, as much as she could hear it.

"Let me go..." she protested weakly.

"Hm? So the cutie can speak!" he exclaimed. "Now where are you headed?"

"... Please," she replied, knowing it wasn't a good idea to tell him that information.

She had already broken the rules her sisters had given her; the hood of her cloak falling back when she had slipped and now speaking to this man who was a complete stranger. Despite her heartfelt pleas to be released, he did not comply. Rather, he stared at her earnestly, causing her to blush a fiery shade of red. His gaze was candid, like he could see the very thoughts in her head. His close proximity was having strange effects on her as she felt short of breath and her heart was beating in a restless staccato rhythm.

Though they didn't speak with words, Akane still felt like they were having a conversation; she just wasn't sure what type of message he was receiving. The way he was content with holding her close was nerve wracking. When she rested her palms against him and tried to push away once more, he flashed a quick grin, his arms still firmly around her.

"So where are you headed?" he prompted, obviously not about to release her unless she answered his question.

"... Um..." she hesitated.

"Well, even if you don't want to answer, I'm fine with that. I don't mind holding you all day, and all night too."

To prove his point, he held her with one arm wrapped around her waist. His free hand reached up to stroke her head, petting her like she was an adorable kitten. She didn't think it was possible to blush any harder than she was already doing so, but with this added action, her cheeks felt like the temperature of the sun. For whatever reason, she had captured this man's undivided attention and she didn't know how to escape it.

"Please let me go," she pleaded in a breathless whisper. "I need to go..."

"That's why I'm asking. I couldn't possibly let you continue on your way unescorted," he stated matter-of-factly. "It would be barbaric of me to leave you to your own devices. There are strange people who traverse these paths."

"..."

He didn't peg himself in the category of "strange people" when he was the one who had come bursting through the trees. Akane had no idea how to reply to his statement without offending him. Fortunately, so she thought, the man's focus was broken by the sound of gravel being crunched beneath someone's feet; she was saved from having to answer. Though his gaze had turned away from her, it didn't mean his hold on her had loosened in the slightest.

"Tsk."

He was the one to make that sound of displeasure and Akane shifted her gaze to see who it was who was traveling down this path. If she was lucky, she could count on them to save her. With the unknown man holding her hostage, she was completely behind schedule. Uncle Tomomi was going to be worried by her delayed arrival. Their unexpected companion didn't notice them at first, until he turned around the bend. Stopping in his tracks, he stared as he had not anticipated their presence.

Hoping he could read her message, Akane's eyes pleaded for him to come to her assistance. He was also dark-haired and quite tall like the stranger holding her, but not as muscular. His eyes took in the situation as he scanned the vicinity and finally pushed his silver-rimmed glasses up his nose. A frown marred his features, but Akane didn't know what caused it. Was he annoyed because they had interrupted his leisurely stroll or was it something else?

"What do you want?" the first man demanded. "There's nothing to see here."

"I will have to disagree with your statement. The young lady is quite distraught by your attention. If you will release her..."

Breathing out the air that she had been holding in, Akane was relieved that this second man had turned out to be friend, rather than foe. Since she couldn't break free from her captivity, it was nice to know that there were still people in this world who would come to the assistance of others when they needed it. Even so, she felt apprehensive when she watched her captor's expression darken, an angry scowl as he shot a glare at the second man. He whirled around to face him, still clutching her to his chest; the sudden movement causing her to cry out in surprise.

"Mind your own business!"

"It is everyone's business if you hold a person against their will," he responded coolly. "If you release her, then there are no issues."

"... I get it now!" her captor exclaimed. "You're just saying that because you want her for yourself!"

Her rescuer bristled at the accusation, an angry scowl now taking residence on his face. Inwardly sighing, Akane was baffled by how her day had turned into such an utter mess. If she had known it would have been like this, she would have stayed home in bed where no one would bother her! Since her back was towards the second man, she had a hard time seeing what was going on unless she wanted to maintain that awkward angle of her head.

If she thought she was being held tightly before, she was wrong. The muscles of her captor's body tensed as she could hear the crunch of gravel, the other man approaching them. At this rate, she felt like she would be suffocated to death and die a grizzly death without even knowing why. She had done nothing to garner the attention of either stranger. Why couldn't they just leave her be?

"Ow!"

Suddenly, she found herself entangled in a bout of human tug-of-war. While the first man held her by the waist, the second was trying to pry her away from him by the shoulders. Both men were unwilling to give up and she was jostled around as they tried to gain control... She really should have stayed in bed!

"Let go of her!" the voice behind her demanded. "You're hurting her!"

"You are! She is perfectly safe in my arms. It's you who is trying to rip her away from safety!"

"She doesn't want a buffoon like you embracing her!"

"Ha! What does a scrawny dweeb like you know about pleasing a woman?" her captor lashed back. "You let go!"

"... Please! You're both hurting me," Akane said breathlessly.

Despite her added input, neither man had heard her as they were too invested in their argument. Their attention was focused on each other, one-hundred percent. Feeling woozy from the violent shaking and the extreme heat of being sandwiched between two men on a summer's day, she was surprised she hadn't passed out yet. They were both so stubborn and she seriously didn't know how to get out of this predicament. Her rescuer had turned into a pseudo rescuer as he had escalated the situation, jumping in and getting dragged along with the original pace of things.

"Yahoo! I found snacks to enjoy along with the show!"

Out of nowhere, there was a third man's voice that came from the vicinity of the boulder she had first been resting on. She was the only one to notice it since the other two were still latched onto her, heatedly throwing insults back and forth. Thankfully, they had stopped shaking her around. It was like they had forgotten about her completely. Squirming between them, she managed to free herself enough to glance towards the newest member to join their farce.

Akane couldn't tell how tall he was since he was squatting by her bag, his hand wrapped around her present for Uncle Tomomi. He was slender like the second man, but had long silvery hair that contrasted the ebony locks of the other two. Happily biting into one of her cookies, an amused smirk was on his lips as he watched the drama unfolding before him. That a stranger would so rudely go through her things was the straw that broke the theoretical camel's back. She couldn't take it anymore!

With a surge of adrenaline coursing through her veins, she screamed as she broke free from her captors and charged at the thief. Tackling him to the ground, she grabbed at the bag, but she couldn't pry it free from his grasp. Despite the fact that he was pinned down with Akane sitting on top of him, he only grinned and continued to munch on the snack. Startled by her sudden movements, the other two were frozen for a moment before they slowly glanced over at them.

"Thief! Give them back, right now!" Akane shouted. "You had no right!"

"Finder's keepers."

"Liar! They were still in my bag. Give them back!"

She tugged on the bag again, but he refused to let go. Frustrated that the day was a total disaster, she pounded on his chest, but he still wouldn't relinquish his prize. It wasn't long before the other two snapped out of their daze and meandered over. Despite their presence looming above, Akane didn't pay any notice to them. She had to get those cookies back before he ate them all or she would have nothing to give Uncle Tomomi.

"Hey! Who the hell are you?" her original captor demanded, the question directed at the unexpected interruption.

To this, he only shrugged his shoulders, content to eat the snack he had "found" within her bag. No matter what she did, he refused to give them back. He already finished one, so why couldn't he return them? Instead, he stared back at her with a cocky grin that was starting to irritate her. Rather than help, the other two just watched - one angrily still demanding to know where he had come from while the other gave him a dirty glare.

"Why does he get a cookie and I don't?" questioned the second man.

Her head snapped up at that and she found him watching them with an unhappy expression on his face. His question seemed to trigger similar thoughts in the first man, because he began to complain about it as well. At this, Akane felt ready to rip out her own hair. She jumped up to her feet as she glared at them. They had such audacity to ask when she already said that the other man had stolen them from her...

"Bully! Jerk! Coward! Brute!" she ranted, attacking first one man and then the other. "I hate you! I hate you all!"

So distraught by the injustices they dealt her, she felt angry tears pool in her eyes as she collapsed to the ground, her legs giving out from beneath her. She should be ashamed that they would see her cry, but at this point, she honestly didn't give a damn. Wailing loudly with unrestrained tears streaming down her face, she wished with all her heart she had listened to her sisters. If she had, she wouldn't be embroiled in this catastrophe.

A hand reached out to help her up, but she slapped it away in a fit of rage. Instead, she curled herself into a ball, her face buried in her arms as she huddled on the ground. Her reaction was so excessive that the three men could only glance at each other in surprise, uncertain of what to do. It had never been their intention to make her cry.

The third man languidly sat up, now feeling remorseful that she was crying so pitifully when he didn't return the bag of cookies he found. Lightly tapping her on the shoulder, his attempt for attention was rebuked as she shrugged her body away from his touch. She was still extremely upset with all of them, essentially compounding the damage they had inflicted on her emotions.

"... Sorry I ate a cookie without asking," he said lamely.

"Uh, yeah. I'm sorry too that I couldn't get him to let go of you."

"Well I'm sorry that he tried to take you away from me since I know we get along just fine!" the first man retorted.

His heartless comment earned him a punch on the arm and a dirty glare as he wasn't actually helping the situation. He was supposed to apologize for the fact that he had detained her in the first place. Recognizing their empty apologies for what they were, Akane ignored all of them. She wouldn't be appeased that easily when they had ruined her day entirely - ripped her heart out of her chest and stomped on it until it was shattered into a million pieces.

She had been looking forward to her visit with Uncle Tomomi so much, she hardly slept the night before. Now everything was ruined. She was late and she knew he was worried; she had three strangers who refused to leave her alone; then they even destroyed her present... She would never, ever forgive them in a thousand years!

By the time she was done crying, she felt aches and pains all over from the awkward position she was in. Even now, they were arguing about whose fault it was that she was ignoring them. None of them admitted fault as they continued to point fingers. Finally calming down a bit, it was actually really hilarious that grown men would argue about something like this; and the fact that she could cause such chaos in the first place when she had just been minding her own business, trying to go on her merry way.

Peeking at them from beneath the veil of her hair, she could see the three of them gathered to the side in a small circle. They took turns making jabs at the other, two seemingly ganging up on the third before another comment would turn the tides and accusations would shift. It was so ridiculous she couldn't stifle the gurgle of laughter that tickled the back of her throat, causing her shoulders to shake. Somehow, the three were attuned to her actions because they stopped yelling at each other and rushed back to her side.

"Are you okay?" they questioned in united chorus.

She wished she could respond, but she was trying to hold back her amusement. All she was capable of doing was lightly shake her head. Taking that for her answer, it incited panic as they didn't know what was wrong with her or how they could fix the issue to take away her pain. This led to another round of animated discussion that started off normal enough - until the first man stated quite smugly that he could cure all her problems with a kiss.

Immediately, this started another argument as they all latched onto the idea like this was some kind of fairytale, but none could agree on who should administer the healing kiss; each was thinking that he should be the one. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment that they could unabashedly argue about something like that in broad daylight.

Slowly sitting up, she turned to look at them with a hostile glare, despite the redness on her cheeks. No wonder why her sisters always tried to warn her about men; she didn't understand their concerns until now. Gaining her attention, a hush fell over them as they stared at her expectantly, like she was supposed to provide the answer to their argument. As far as she was concerned, it would be none of them!

"Cookies," she demanded, holding out her hand.

The silver-haired man obediently placed them in her grasp. Then she pointed for him to sit down which he did. The other two began to protest thinking she would actually kiss him, but she silenced them with her hand. Next, she pointed for the man with glasses to sit down next to the other one. At this, he reluctantly did so, now thinking that she was going to kiss the only man to remain standing.

"You too," Akane stated. "Right next to them."

So certain he had managed to convince her of his masculine charm, he was confused that he was told to join the other two. In light of his hesitation, Akane crossed her arms over her chest and waited. Since she said nothing else, he had no choice but to do as she directed. Staring at each of them in turn, she suddenly felt very much like a school teacher punishing misbehaving children. They might as well have been ones with all the grief they had put her through.

"Now then," she said. "I'm a fair girl. All of you close your eyes and no peeking!"

"Eh? Why?"

"... Don't make me repeat myself."

As the first man was about to protest, the one in the middle elbowed him to keep him quiet. At the other end, the silver-haired man had already followed through with her wishes. Watching carefully as they eventually complied, Akane grinned to herself. Perfect. Now that they weren't looking, she could make her getaway. She didn't think she would have too much of a head start before they caught on, but at this point, she would take her chances.

Quietly placing the cookies back into her bag, she tiptoed away from them as she slung it over her shoulder. Once she was far enough away, she would break out into a run and not look back. Whatever happened, she would have to make sure she reached the safety of Uncle Tomomi's house. Glancing back once during her escape, she could feel her heart pounding nervously in her chest. This had to work or she didn't know what else she would do...

"Cutie?" Shinya questioned when they seemed to be waiting and nothing happened.

There was no response and he cautiously opened his eyes despite her instructions otherwise. She was gone. Beside him, the others stirred from their positions at the sound of his voice. Eventually, they glanced at each other, their annoyances resurfacing. Pushing the other two to the ground as he got up, Shinya raced down the path trying to catch up with her as he was certain of the direction she was travelling. There was a commotion behind him as they struggled to get back on their feet before they were hot on his trail.

"Come back here, you coward! How dare you give yourself a head start!"

"I'll make you pay for pushing me into the dirt!"

"No! Stay away!"

Akane knew she would have a hard time escaping from them as they had eventually caught up to her. Even so, she pushed herself to run as fast as her little legs could take her. She was going to ignore the fact that all three of them were a head taller than her. Instead, she was going to focus on the goal line of Uncle Tomomi's arms as he would set them straight once she reached him.

"I caught you fair and square," came his shouted response.

"Don't even think about it!"

She had no idea how they could still run and argue at the same time without feeling tired. Just listening to it was tiring. Even so, they competed with each other to remain in the front. She wasn't even sure what they were fighting for - whether it was to be in front or if it was to be the one who captured her. Either way, she was almost at her final destination. She recognized the clearing that was the location of his cottage just on the outskirts of the neighbouring town.

"Uncle Tomomi!" she cried, racing through the last leg of her monstrous journey.

Expecting her at least an hour ago, he was already outside, pacing back and forth as he kept a lookout for her arrival. Upon hearing her voice, his head snapped up and he started running towards her. She had just flung herself into his embrace when the others broke through into the clearing. Seeing her in the arms of another man, a man old enough to be her father, they bristled and rushed to meet him head on.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I should be asking you the same question," Tomomi stated icily. "What do you want with my niece?"

"... Niece?"

"That's right. Are they the reason why you are so late?"

Akane nodded her head, still clinging to him for safety. She was out of breath, completely exhausted by what should have been a simple walk. It had never been this chaotic before when she made the trip with Shion and Yayoi. Of course everything had to happen on the one and only time that she was travelling by herself. After this, she would never be let out of the watchful eyes of her sisters. Feeling quite petty because of it, she took in a deep breath to calm her nerves before she turned to glare at them.

"He started it when he hugged me and wouldn't let me go, even when I asked him to," she explained as she pointed at the outspoken dark-haired man.

"He what?!"

"Then he came along, I thought to help me, but he didn't. Instead he made it worse and probably bruised my shoulders when he tried to pry me loose from his embrace."

"W-What? I never meant to hurt you! He was the one who wouldn't let go," argued the man with glasses.

"Ha! You just wanted her for yourself. Well too bad, 'cause I saw her first!"

"Are you quite finished talking about my niece like she is a thing to be tossed around haphazardly?" Tomomi growled.

"..."

"And then he started snooping around in my bag while I was detained by the other two. He wouldn't give back my snacks even when I said he couldn't have any," continued Akane.

"If they are just snacks, it wasn't worth arguing with him over them."

"But... They were homemade cookies we all purposely made for you...!"

Once more, she felt overwhelmed by the events of the day, just from explaining them, and tears pooled in her eyes. Treated to a healthy bout of waterworks earlier, all three men accused of crimes against her cringed. As her uncle, Tomomi was no less equipped to deal with her overflow of emotions. If Shion and Yayoi ever found out about this, there was no way they would ever authorize a visit to his cottage again. Most likely, they were already on the way over when they didn't hear back from him regarding her arrival; one reason why he was outside the house because he didn't want to hear the phone ringing off the hook.

Cursing under his breath, he turned a steely gaze on the intruders who had disrupted what was supposed to be a peaceful day with niece. Not only had they delayed her arrival, but each had played a role in contributing to her current disposition. It was unforgivable. Releasing his hold on Akane, he patted her head gently before pushing her behind his back as protection.

"You've done enough to upset my niece. I'll have to ask you to leave and I'm only going to ask once," he warned. "Now get out of here. I don't ever want to see you around here or else..."

"Or else what?" the silver-haired man dared to ask.

"You really don't want to know," Tomomi replied, thinking about her sisters. "You'll leave now if you know what is good for you."

"... Did you tell Shion-nee and Yayoi-nee?" inquired Akane, her sniffles subsiding.

"I didn't, but the fact that I haven't been answering the phone for the last hour... I'm sure they're already on their way here."

"Oh..."

She knew just as well as Uncle Tomomi how they could get when it came to protecting her. Already, their reactions seemed extreme for perceived slights. She couldn't guarantee how they would act in the face of actual incidents. No man would be safe from them at this point in time. As much as they had caused her grief, she wouldn't want to subject them to the wrath of her sisters. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she stepped out from behind Uncle Tomomi and faced her tormentors.

"Please leave now," she stated. "It's for your own good."

"... Well, since you said it so nicely, I'll comply with your wishes," the first man grumbled reluctantly.

"Very well... But could I still get a cookie? It's not fair that he got one and I didn't!"

Sighing softly as it came back to this issue, Akane rummaged in her bag to pull out the cookies. Handing it over to Uncle Tomomi, she let him pass them out to the two dark-haired men who never tried one. Then as promised, they collectively turned and headed back into the woods, picking up their argument of who was ultimately at fault. After being half squashed to death and jostled around like jello, she had run for her life to safety, and then they just walked away – with one of her cookies no less. For all the agony she faced, the conclusion of it seemed anti-climatic.

"Let's get you inside while we wait for them to show up," Tomomi said to her. "I'm sure you could use a break after all that."

"I definitely could. The calm before the storm..."

Chuckling in response, Tomomi escorted her into the cottage where he put on a kettle of hot water to prepare tea. There was no doubt in both of their minds that they would be having the pleasure of her sisters' company. They would need all the sustenance they could get prior to that onslaught - especially him. Since Akane could do no wrong in their eyes, he would be the one to receive the full brunt of their fury. So much for peaceful...