Thank you guys for the positive feedback, it truly brings a smile to my face to see that people are enjoying this story so far! And I will also try my best to go along with everyone's advice! And since I am so excited about getting this story started, I present you with chapter 4! Enjoy :DD!~

Minato shivered, a sudden gust of wind sending chills down his spine. He looked up in the air, noticing dark gray clouds filling the sky. "The weather sure is getting worse by the minute." Minato quickened his pace, and soon he was sprinting down the street. "Where are you, Kagari?"

Minato didn't understand. Why would he run away? "Was it something I did?" Minato thought, recalling all the moments he had spent with Homura, which wasn't very much. Hell, he didn't even know much about the guy. Minato just sighed to himself. "Right now, I just need to find him. Besides, the weather is becoming nasty..."

Homura lied sprawled on the ground, powerless and defenseless, as Junichi continued to rip off articles of his clothing.

If Homura was conscious, he would have killed this bastard with full strength. But for some reason, he couldn't work up one ounce of his power.

"What is wrong with me?..." Homura thought to himself, his blank eyes staring straight at the sky. "Just let this end soon..."

"Covering your chest, I see. What a shame, let me just cut these damn bandages loose..." Junichi grinned satanically, reaching in his pocket.

Homura snapped back to reality, his eyes bloodshot. He couldn't talk, for Junichi still held his hand over his mouth. But Homura could sure as hell take this chance to get away.

"Wait, where's my knife?-"

He was interrupted as Homura bit his hand, his teeth marks swelling in Junichi's flesh. The assailant flinched, and Homura kicked him in the stomach. Junichi fell backwards, grasping onto his bruised stomach. Homura managed to slip out from underneath him and stand up.

Homura was panting heavily, brushing himself off. "You disgusting man..." Homura wiped the cold sweat from his forehead as Junichi struggled to stand up. The shameful man covered his stomach, his cold gaze burrowing into Homura's. "You... YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"

Junichi ran full blast at him, his fist ready to blow. Homura simply pushed a strand of hair out of his face and sighed. "You really are a fool, you know?"

Homura managed to dodge every one of Junichi's punches. "How the hell are you so quick? You were a worthless piece of shit just a moment a go!" Homura didn't answer. He caught Junichi's next punch and simply whirled him around in the air, thrusting him towards the ground. He put his foot on top of him, pushing down on his already bruised stomach. "It's my turn now."

Homura raised his fist. "Please work this time..." He told himself. As a flame sparked to life and engulfed his clenched fist, Homura grinned devilishly. Junichi gulped, his face immediately losing color. "Hey... you don't want to do this..."

Homura lifted his head up, his pupils now the size of dots and his smile growing. "Oh, but I do."

Junichi closed his eyes, afraid of what was about to happen. Homura aimed his fist at Junichi.

But it didn't hit him. Instead, someone approached from behind him and grabbed his wrist. The flame was immediately extinguished.

Homura turned around. "What the-"

The unknown figure gave a forceful blow to Homura's face, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood. Homura looked up weakly, and realized it was Junichi's friend from earlier. He was damaged and covered in horrible burns. But that didn't stop him from smiling. "Forget about me?" He sent another blow to Homura's cheek.

Junichi returned the laugh and stood back up, dusting himself off. "Aha! Nice!" Junichi delivered a blow to Homura's stomach. Homura wrenched forward, blood sputtering from his mouth. "Payback, bitch!"

Homura glared into Junichi's eyes, as if there was still a little bit of determination left inside him. This earned him an uppercut to the chin.

"Not good..."

Minato rubbed his hands together and blew hot breath on them, trying to keep warm. "Jeez, what's with this weather?"

It began to drizzle.

Minato had not stopped running though. "Kagari, where are you?"

Something inside Minato felt for Homura. Worried about Homura. Connected to Homura...

Minato ended up in the woods, and bent down to catch his breath. As he looked up, he saw a girl up against a tree, crying. He walked over and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, whats wrong?"

She continued to weep. "I'm so weak! I saw it... they started hurting him... and I couldn't find the will to fight back... I-I-I'm so useless!"

Minato grabbed her arms and moved them away from her face. "Calm down and tell me what's wrong."

"I was saved by a Guardian... he p-protected m-m-me... I hid behind a tree and w-w-watched, and they dominated him... he was being harassed and b-b-beaten!" The girl was struggling to speak clearly through her sobbing. "And I couldn't find the strength to fight back, so I-I-I ran away... I'm so u-u-useless!" Her sobs seemed to grow louder and even more heartbreaking as the minutes went by.

Minato loosened his grip and patted her on the head. "He put himself out there to protect you. If anything, I'm sure he didn't want you to get hurt again." Then something struck him. "Tell me, what did he look like?"

The girl looked straight at Minato with red puffy eyes. "Well, the most noticeable thing about him would have to be his gr-gray hair and wine r-r-red eyes..."

Before the girl could finished, she was interrupted by Minato's look of horror.

Minato looked down, his face wide with shock. "Kagari!" He thought, pulling on his hair.

The girl cocked her head. "Do you perhaps... know this person?"

Minato nodded. "Do you know where he currently is at the moment?" The girl pointed straight ahead, and Minato nodded thankfully. "Thank you. Can you tell me your name?"

The girl managed to crack a sweet smile. "Yashima."

Minato returned the smile. "Yashima. Thank you for your help, but I must be on my way. I promise we'll meet again!"

Yashima giggled. "Yes, indeed!"

Minato ran straight ahead. "Goodbye!" He yelled back towards Yashima.

"Goodbye!" Yashima waved until he disappeared. She smiled warmly and placed her hand on her chest. "My Ashikabi-kun..."

Minato kept running, ignoring the moments where he needed to catch his breath.

"Damn it!" Minato thought to himself. "I knew I should have went after him immediately!"

The light drizzle began to strengthen. Soon, it was a downpour, and Minato couldn't see a thing. With the night sky and sheets of rain, it was almost blinding.

Minato squinted his eyes and shielded them with his arm. He could hardly even hear himself. "Kagari, where are you?!"

BOOM

A streak of lightning illuminated the sky, giving Minato a moment to see his surroundings.

What he saw made his heart drop.

Junichi delivered a final blow to Homura's stomach with his knee and leaned back to yawn. He shook off his bloodstained hand, Homura's blood splattering off of it and onto the ground. "Meh, this got boring quickly."

Junichi's friend threw his arms above him, using them as a temporary umbrella from the pelting rain. "Hey, this storm is getting pretty strong! You might want to hurry up!"

Junichi kicked Homura to the ground. "Yeah, yeah I know." Junichi climbed on top of Homura, for a second time, and pinched his chin. "I had fun using you as my punching bag, but now its time to claim you as mine." Junichi grinned widely. "And then, not only will I do whatever I want, you'll do whatever I ask of you. Heheheh..."

Homura glared at him and managed to spit out at him with a mouthful of blood. "You sick bastard." Junichi wiped Homura's blood off of his cheek, giving him a disgusting look. "Tch, let's just get this over with."

Homura shut his eyes, his body now tense. "No... this can't be happening..." Homura could feel the hot tears welling in his eyes. "This can't be happening..."

Minato's jaw dropped. Yashima was right. These two men had beaten the life out of Homura. And for what good reason?

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a pocket knife sitting on the ground. Without thinking, Minato picked it up and just stared at it. His eyes widened in horror. "No I can't do that... I couldn't I..."

Minato looked down at himself. "There you go again... being a coward..." He then remembered the small speech he gave himself when he watched Kuu sleep. How he wished he could protect the people he cared about in his life. Minato clenched onto the knife. "Here you are, standing here as one of your dearest friends is currently being beaten merciless." Minato then remembered the incident at the bridge, the moment Musubi's Sekirei symbol disappeared right before his eyes, and how he couldn't do anything about it. The thought made him want to throw up. Minato looked up at the two men, who were now completely dominating Homura. "You're the only one at the moment who can do anything. Your friend's life is at stake, so DO SOMETHING!"

Minato's eyes widened and he gritted his teeth. No way was he going to let an important friend get hurt again.

No way in hell.

Junichi tightened his fingers around Homura's chin and drew closer, his gross breath messing with Homura's faint breathing. "'Forever and ever, bitch!"

Homura didn't budge. He knew there was no hope left for him. He just sat quietly and let the tears roll down his cheeks.

Junichi's friend laughed. "Ha! Giving up already? Too easy!"

Homura gave no response whatsoever. He slowly closed eyes. "It's over for me..." Homura let the tears pour naturally. "If only he... Minato..."

"KAGARI!"

Homura's eyes shot open.

It couldn't be...

Indeed, Minato was running towards them, a look of worry (and secretly anger) plastered on his face.

No way...

Junichi looked up. "What the hell-"

BOOM

The loud sound of thunder rolled through the dark sky. And at that moment, Junichi's friend fell over.

Junichi stood up, his foot holding Homura down. "What's going on?"

Junichi nearly gagged. Minato stood next to his friend's body, a bloody knife in his hand. Junichi watched, terrified, as his friend sputtered and wiggled around, an open flesh wound in his abdomen causing pain to dig throughout his body. Minato stabbed him once more, this time in his neck. He sank the knife into his trachea until he stopped moving. Blood squirted everywhere, splattering all over everyone.

Homura's eyes were filled with bewilderment. This wasn't the shy and sheepish Minato he knew. Minato was a completely different person... yet, Homura felt calm and relieved. Was Minato really doing all this... to save him?

"Sahashi..."

Minato ran over towards Homura and kicked Junichi away. He grabbed Homura's shoulders and helped him up. "Hurry!"

Homura, although shocked at what he had seen, nodded, and got up to hide behind Minato. Minato braced himself, his bloodstained knife grasped in his hand.

Junichi toppled over, but quickly caught himself. He clenched his fist. "WHY YOU-"

Wrong move.

Minato threw the knife, the blade sinking into Junichi's throat. Junichi collapsed to the ground, wheezing as he struggled to breath. He pulled the knife out of his neck, but that was like pulling a cork out of a wine bottle. Due to his idiotic action, blood sprayed everywhere, and Junichi's body went limp.
"No more..." Minato mumbled to himself.

Minato, as if forgetting the current situation, looked at Homura, abandoning any thought of anger he had. "Kagari! Are you okay? You're hurt! We need to-"

Homura placed his hand over his lips. "I'm fine." A warm smile spread across his face. "Thank you."

Then Homura thought to himself, "Minato... he killed two people just to save me... he risked his life... just for me..."

Although quite sickening, the thought made Homura snicker. Minato smiled, his face filled with relief. Homura touched Minato's face. "Look at you, you're completely covered in blood!"

Minato analyzed his body, horrified, and quickly grabbed a hold of his head. "Oh god... what am I going to do? I killed two people!" Minato pulled at his hair. Homura sighed.

Then Minato loosened his grip. "But, I was relieved that I did." Homura gazed into his eyes, which were now serious. "If it meant saving you, an important friend of mine, then it was worth the trouble."

Homura felt warm inside. He touched his chest and smiled weakly. He could feel himself becoming lightheaded. "Again, thank you... Sahashi..."

And with that, Homura blacked out, a smile still stuck on his face. Minato was quick enough to catch his falling body.

"Kagari!"