*

He couldn't think straight. The blood loss was slowly dominating him. And if that didn't, then the poison seeping slowly and surely into his blood stream would soon do the job.

Yet he had to keep on running. I would rather die then let myself fall into their hands once more. This, by the looks of things, is what is going to happen.

However, the weather conditions made it difficult, especially in his current state. The rain was only succeeding in making his footing even more unstable then it already was as he ran, leaving a telltale path of crimson in his wake. Even the rain was doing little to staunch it, betraying his footing but leaving his trail betrayed.

A sudden chill racked his frame as he continued running, a breeze coming from somewhere… he slowed, clutching his side where the poisoned arrow was still imbedded, too far in his flesh to be removed without proper equipment that he didn't have. He blinked, stepping backwards with difficulty as a breeze of sakura blossoms appeared, swirling.

"Kasumi?" he managed to stammer, maintaining his balance only with the aid of a tree. Amber eyes widened as they lay on him.

"What… what's happening?" she stuttered. "How…?"

He slumped to the ground, hand still over the wound. "Kasumi, I can't run any longer. Beware, the DOATEC are only becoming more ruthless in their goal to gain more power. Don't let yourself become a statistic,"

"But-" she started. He shook his head as his vision blurred.

"Be careful, Kasumi,"

As the blackness slowly closed in around him, he realized that he had forgotten to tell her something extremely important. Something that could cost her a great deal, at worst her life.

Hopefully… hopefully she finds out from him… hopefully he can free himself and find her…

The last thing he felt was her gentle hands on his face, before even that gave way to black.

*

"No," her whisper was instantly carried away by the wind as she stared at the motionless body of her fallen comrade. Friend, distantly. Guardian…

"NO!" she screamed, startling the birds in the trees, causing them to take flight. "NO! IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN THIS WAY!"

Yet, it had. As proved by the motionless body now lying in her arms. She felt something warm and sticky seep onto her leg and looked down. Blood, already starting to turn darker. Or it just could have been the light. Blood, tinged with…

She bent down closer to examine the wound. An arrow, imbedded in his side, deep enough for him to have not been able to remove it. Green liquid surrounded the entrance hole of the wound. Telltale poison. He had been hunted down, assassinated. Murdered, in cold blood.

"You… you fool…" she whispered. "You're supposed to be invincible. You're not supposed to die. Not you, Hayabusa-san. Not you,"

Yet words could do nothing. Words could do nothing to bring him back.

"Who did this to you?" she angrily swiped at her eyes as her vision blurred with tears. "Who could kill you? Hayate? Someone else that we don't know about?"

She screamed then. Balling her hand into a fist and slamming it into the soft ground. Hitting a stick, which dug into her skin, breaking the flesh. She glared at the blood angrily, smearing it carelessly on the bottom of her top. "Whoever did this to you will pay with their life!" she declared to the forest. "I will personally hunt you down and kill you! Every single one!"

As tears blinded her vision, she could almost hear his soft, gentle voice echo in her head once more.

Don't worry… Kasumi.

*