Once again, Akane was running. It was a common situation, whether from that damn stray dog trying to snag away her food that she worked hard to get, or from the pretentious perverts that were trying to touch her body. Sometimes this happened three times in a week, maybe five if she was so unlucky, but she found herself making a game of it occasionally after dealing with the issue for many months now. Parkour was a fun skill to practice anyway and this was the perfect way to do it.

A wall was not an obstacle as she bounded over it with ease, whooping with excitement as she glanced back at the foul man that persisted after her. He didn't stand a chance against her, and it was hilarious that he even tried. She stuck her tongue out at him before disappearing behind the brick wall, continuing her sprint as far as her legs would take her.

A small abandoned shack became her brief resting place to catch her breath, leaning on the tattered wall with a sigh of minor relief. She needed to get home, she needed to check on her siblings, and this sick man was keeping her from getting there. More importantly, she was hungry, but she wouldn't eat until she got home. A few moments passed in her rest, her stomach releasing a loud growl of hunger.

Ugh… so hungry! It should be safe now though. Akane sighed. I better get-

"Hey sweet-cheeks! Where'd you go?"

Akane growled irritably. This guy was seriously getting annoying, but she couldn't afford wasting her breath and energy with him. He wanted her body, just like every other guy that chased after her in such a relentless manner. Normally she would allow perverts to fondle her in order to get it over with but… he clearly wanted way more than what was necessary. He could not be allowed to follow her home. She held her breath, waiting for him to leave. His voice dripped with lust and desire as he called for her, his voice slowly growing quiet.

Akane listened intently with her elevated hearing until even she couldn't hear him anymore, peering out briefly. The loaf of bread in her shirt was getting uncomfortable. If her breasts were useful for anything aside from attracting every man's eye, it was hiding stolen food from everyone else until she could get home to the little ones.

The young woman left the shack, running a hand through her wild chestnut hair. She viewed her surroundings, the area dead and deserted, just like the rest of the crappy town she endured to live in. Her sight dodged the rotting bodies feet away, probably unlucky people falling to the grasp of starvation. She felt sick just thinking about it, her stomach flipping with nausea.

I need to get home, I need to get home, I need to-

"There you are!"

Akane tensed at her shoulder being grabbed forcefully, acting quickly as she whirled around, backhanding the exact same man that had been chasing her this whole time. He stumbled back, hand on his cheek that had been struck, the skin reddening.

"Get the hell off me!" She hissed.

He clicked his tongue irritably, eyes locking onto hers as she clenched her fists, ready to fight him away, "You little bitch!"

Akane glared him down, waiting for him to do something before she would run again. He couldn't chase her home or her siblings would be in danger. He was wrong in the head, and could not be near them. Cautiously, she stepped back once, twice, and the instant he approached her, she attacked. He barely had a chance to accept his fate as her foot slammed into his stomach, knocking him backwards before she bolted away, relying on her speed. Surely he couldn't follow her after that hit, and if he did then, by the gods, he had better pray she didn't punch him in the throat next time.

She glanced back once to try and find him, smirking when he was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she had hot him too hard, but she didn't care to give much of a crap about him. Now she could go home and finally give her family-

Akane shrieked as pain blossomed in her calf suddenly, grasping at it frantically. A knife protruded from her flesh, blood seeping from the wound. She looked back at the pervert limping after her, holding his stomach with a cocky grin on his face from his successful attack. He was seriously asking for death at this rate. Akane pulled the knife out with a grunt, tossing the weapon aside into mud.

"That was a dirty trick…" She snarled, gray eyes locking onto him threateningly.

"It was only necessary." commented the psychotic man, a delirious look about him. "You just won't let me near you. You won't give me the chance to show you what kind of fun we can have together."

"Cowards fight with weapons!" Akane turned to face him, wincing when she placed pressure on her now wounded leg. "You're just a weakling. Nothing about you is worth dealing with, but you insist on pestering me! I swear if you don't leave me alone right now, I will seriously hurt you!"

His eyes darkened with rage as he reached into his pocket and pulled out another switchblade, "I would love to see you try."

Akane flinched. She wanted to fight him off with every fiber of her being, but her priority remained on her siblings. There was no time to waste on him, they needed her more, and if he managed to hit her again with a knife

"Just… leave me alone." She warned, feeling more than aggravated that she was backing down in the end. Akane was never one to back down from a fight normally, but she also despised any fights that included weapons. All that was necessary were fists and spirit.

"I can't do that," the pervert trilled. "Not until you become mine."

Damn it! Akane gritted her teeth. I'll just have to outrun this bastard again then! I hate running from a fight, but I have to get home for them!

She turned and raced off again, ignoring the shouts of the man and the pain in her leg. It didn't hurt too bad, but it certainly stung with every step she took. With blood dripping from the wound, she knew she would leave a trail for him to follow. However, there was no way he could follow her up and over tall buildings. The ultimate gymnast found a sturdy wall high enough to let her leap onto a house where she continued to run, leaping building to building, aware which ones were capable of holding her up without crashing. The entire neighborhood was crappy; its people, its houses, its food, but she figured out where to go over the years. All she had to do was manage a few more months of gymnastics, then she could take her siblings and escape this place entirely…

Akane felt weary the further she went, more than she was used to feeling after a routine escape. While she hadn't eaten much, there wasn't any reason for her to be slowing down so drastically. Her eyes glanced down at her leg, widening when she realized she could see her veins in a bruising shade growing over her knee.

"What's… happening?" Her momentary distraction proved fatal with a misstep on her landing, tripping her over her own feet and sending her crashing to the ground. Many eyes fell on her with surprise at her sudden appearance, confused and cautious.

Akane pushed herself up with a nervous gasp, no longer concerned about her leg, but the loaf of bread that may have been crushed at her landing. No… no she couldn't think about it, she had to keep running. He could reappear at any time.

Forcing herself to her feet, she gaped in horror, leaning her weight on one foot. Her leg was unbearably numb for some reason. Did the knife… have some type of poison on it? Akane limped forward, wobbling viciously with every step on her throbbing leg. She escaped the narrow path of shacks and watchful eyes, using the shambled buildings as minor support. It was utterly embarrassing to be in such a bind, and entirely worrisome. With another step, Akane nearly collapsed if she didn't stumble into a person. She pushed out her arms, fearful that it was inconveniently the very person she was trying to escape, but it served her nothing as her wrist was grabbed by a hand.

"No!" Akane would have kicked if she could, but her entire leg was paralyzed with a numb feeling. If she used her other leg, she would have surely fallen over. She tried to tug away. "Let me go, you bastard!"

"Well that's uncalled for!" grunted a deep voice. "But fine, I'll let go if you really don't need help."

Akane took a moment to look at the speaker, highly aware of the difference in his voice. Rather than it being the persistent pervert who had injured her, it was a taller, muscular man who almost seemed to resemble a professional coach. She would have questioned him if another voice didn't call out to her from behind.

"I've found you again my little vixen!"

Akane reeled around as much as she could to view the man ten feet away from her. She tugged for freedom again, receiving it as the strong man released her wrist, sending her falling back. Frantically, she crawled to her feet, forced to stand on one foot only.

"How about it? Are you done running?" asked the pervert. "You don't have a choice; that little dose from the knife wound has you immobile, and it's probably making you sleepy."

"Damn you!" Akane hopped back weakly, suddenly too aware of the exhaustion sweeping over her.

His smile was sadistic, "Now come along. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. There's no one here that will bother to help you."

Akane felt her body shake with anger. She hopped backwards again, nearly losing her balance as her vision starting to become blurry. The stalker began to make his way towards her, striding confidently.

"I beg to differ." announced the stranger at Akane's side. "It's pretty damn clear to me that something is going on," He stepped in front of the weary girl who eyed his backside cautiously. "And I, Nekomaru Nidai, am not someone to just sit and watched shitty things happen to someone!"

For a moment, the perverted man seemed surprised, if not more annoyed than anything else as he stopped in place. Then, he began to chuckle, until his laughter grew louder and louder with his insanity. The switchblade was pulled out again, Akane cringing at the sight of it.

"What is she to you!?" growled the psychopath. "You don't know who she is! Get the hell out of here before I kill you!"

"I may not know who she is, but I can tell she has a lot of potential." claimed the large man, Nekomaru. "And I can tell you're a sick bastard trying to take advantage of her. I'll offer you one warning; you can leave peacefully, or you can face me, Nekomaru Nidai, to a battle you'll regret."

Akane heard the man scream with fury, charging at Nekomaru wildly in response to his final comment. She barely registered that he was knocked down instantly by some swift movement performed by the larger man and tossed aside like a rag doll, before he fled with his tail tucked between his legs like the coward he really was. Her initial thought was to continue her way home to feed the little ones, the second thought wondering how she could show her gratitude to the muscular man that had just helped her. Neither one of those thoughts came through to her voice, however, as her vision began to darken.

He turned towards her, saying something that she really couldn't understand for some reason. It was all garbled up and weird, like he was trying to speak to her in some foreign language. Whatever he said, it seemed a bit genuine based on how he was looking at her with some kind of concerned expression. He didn't even know her name. She couldn't really remember his despite being positive he had said it at some point. Akane tilted her head at him, dizzy and exhausted. Her mouth opened, words tumbling out slowly, "Is.. the bread.. okay…?"

He then seemed genuinely confused by her random statement, speaking incoherent words again in reply. It bothered her that he couldn't just talk normally to her, she wasn't stupid, she knew how to talk to him. Yet, when she couldn't bring out another sentence, his large hand reached out to her arm. Akane felt the urge to swat him away, but instead she closed her eyes and gave into the darkness that had crept over her so suddenly.