Genrou heaved a sigh of anger. Where in the hell had Hayate gone to? It was starting to get dark and it was time for them to head home. ' Damn it, I thought I told that squirt t' stay close by!' He couldn't help but tap his fingers nervously on the saddle of his horse. Something was wrong. He could sense it. He waved to the other bandits to notify them to come close. " I want you guys to go and head home. We lost the kid. It won't take too long to find 'im, so there's no point in y'all stickin' around." The men looked at each other and shrugged, and simply did as they were told. When they were almost out of site, Genrou turned to look down the street. Surely this couldn't take TOO long…
She yelped in pain as the man struck her face. She hit the floor hard, but sat immediately and held her cheek. The men laughed, enjoying frightening her. " I'm not stupid, I can tell what you are underneath those rags." He knelt down and grabbed her by the collar. She turned her head away, not wanting to look at him. He smiled and pulled the front of her shirt down, exposing her wrapped chest. " That's what I thought." She looked up at him abruptly and spit in his face. " Don't touch me, vermin! My friend will be looking for me, and when he gets her you're going to be in a lot of trouble!" They all shuddered sarcastically. " Oooh, you're friend huh? Is she a girl too? Perhaps we can sell you both for a good price." She shuddered. Did they really mean to sell her? She was frightened. She couldn't deny that. But she wouldn't let them take her without a fight. The second man reached forward and shoved her against the wall, pinning her wrists. He pressed his face against her neck, into her hair, and took a breath. Was he smelling her? His lips parted slightly as he exhaled. " Hold her down Sunao…" She fought back a scream as the next man took a step forward and grabbed her ankles. " S-stop it! What are you doing!" The first man smirked. " We're just going to have some fun with you is all…" She felt his hands running up her chest, and she let out a shriek. " SOMEBODY! HELP ME!" They all laughed in unison. " no one is going to save you, you wench. They all know this is OUT turf, and no one would be stupid enough to…"
Before he could finish his sentence, he was unconscious from a blow to the back of the head. She felt his slump down on top of her and blinked in bewilderment. ' What… What just…' She looked up to see Genrou panting, with his fists out. " What in the HELL is goin' on here?" She couldn't help but smile when she saw him. The other men were not so happy. " Who the hell are you? This is our business, don't interfere!" Genrou chuckled and cracked his knuckles. " YOUR business, huh? Well, that's MY friend yer harassin' right now. If you were half as smart as me, you would get yer sorry asses out of here." The men released Hayate and took to their feet. They drew their knives. " You think you can take BOTH of us? Forget it man, you're DEAD." With that, they both lunged at him and Hayate let out a scream. Genrou simply showed the fang toothed grin of his. With two simple, easy movements, he kneed one man in the stomach and elbowed the other in the head. They fell to the floor, but were up again quickly. Genrou unsheathed his weapon. " You don't want to screw with me…" He held it out in front of him. " Rekka… SHINEN!" The flames exploded forth, catching the men's clothes on fire. They screamed in terror and ran to find water, stumbling away in writhing agony. " Jerks… What were they think they were…"
Genrou stopped short when he felt around around his waist. He turned and looked down and sure enough there was Hayate, clinging to him as if her very life depended on it. " Hayate.. What're you…" She wept openly now, holding onto him so tightly he was afraid he wouldn't be able to breathe so. " I was … so frightened…" Her tears stained his jacket. Almost instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. " Hey, it's ok… They're gone now, yer alright." She lifted her head up to face him and his cheeks flared bright red. Even with those tear stained cheeks, she was so…cute… ' Cute! What the hell am I thinking, he's a BOY!' He released Hayate immediately and coughed. " Well, anyway you're alright now, aren't cha?" She blinked, startled that he'd pulled away from her so abruptly. Her cheeks were a deep crimson. It was so warm in his arm. She felt safe. She hasn't wanted it to end. "Yeah… I'm ok now… Thank you…" He scratched the back of his head, fighting off his own urge to blush. " You're welcome…"
