Predator or Prey

Sand ran over Anna's weaving blonde hair, her eyes ache from the overly bright sun. Her tender muscles sore from the walk across the blasted desert, every part of her body was sore. Her mood didn't heighten with the disappearances of Manta, she just wished he had listened to her plead, the desert was merciless in its assault and he wouldn't lasted a week in the relentless whipping sands of the desert. She waited for Manta for the past few minutes in the unforgiving sun, but he never came, she decided to walked away from Manta, grieving for her lover alone.

"Anna…I've been waiting for you…" as the distant voice echoed in a near by ravine, amplifying the rough voice interrupting her grieving for Yoh, turning her tears covered face towards the voice. Anna demanded not in the mood to entertain strangers with her infamous short and snappy voice. "Who are you?"

"You don't need to know that for now, precious…" the distant voice grunted unpleasant with Anna's disrespect for him.

"Precious? I think you are mistaken… and if you aren't you better wish you were…" Anna advised the unknown person her anger rising.

"Anna… You hold the key to my death knights… so you are my precious…" replied the unknown voice.

"Death-knights? Come out you coward…" commanded Anna with an aura of respect and dignity.

Snigger the Fallen Angel, could help but admit this so called Anna's got spunk. Strolling out from the dark shadows of the ravine, he couldn't see why both the Asakura brothers have fallen in love with this witch. The heat send waves of heat beating down on their darken burnt body pouring beads of sweat from their pores, he preferred the shadows but he need the key to his victory over the King of Spirits so he was willing to enter the open sunlight.

"A freak of nature, who've finally shown himself…" Anna said expressionless, staring into the Fallen Angel's dark almond eyes.

The Fallen Angel twisted with those words, his grin turning into a frown. Like his mood, he wanted to kill the bitch that stood before him, without respect for the soon to be ruler of the living world and dead world. Controlling his urges to snap her like a twig, he tried to smile baring his teeth for her.

"What are you? A stalker?" asked Anna,

"No…" the Fallen Angel retorted "But… I will tell you what you are if you carry on mocking me…" Clenching his fist, till his leather gauntlet squeaked beneath his might, warning her not to continue her disrespect for him.

"Out of my way…" Anna said hoarsely, she only wants to be grieving for Yoh. Not to be interrupted or disturbed by this stranger.

Rage submerges the Fallen Angel as he drove his clenched fist into Anna's stomach, leaving her breathless. Gripping her sun-bloomed hair, he pulled her to her feet. Blood ticked on to the sand, coloring them a blossom red. Shoving his hands under her neck, he turned to face her blood and tear covered face. "Question me one more time and I will kill you…"

"I already want death, your just doing me a favor…" Anna said gazing on the sand of the desert. Hearing those words the Fallen Angel tossed her to the jagged edge of the mountain.

Anna nearly laughed when she said those fatal words, she had wished for death since her connection with Yoh disappear but she was too weak minded and fearful and now this stranger was doing her a favor, something she couldn't do. Closing her emerald eye's she embraced death. "Yoh, I'm coming… wait for me" she thought as she fell into the darkness surrounding darkness.

Mosuke's Manta spirit guardian, faded into Manta's slumber. "Manta, is time for you to wake up… Anna is in trouble…" Mosuke's bellowed in Manta's dream. Gradually the dream world dissolved, shutting Mosuke out. Opening his eyes, Manta rose from his slumber. Sand dropping back from once it came. Bits of sand trapped in his blonde hair, and some within his private area.

"Mosuke?" Manta asked staring into the sun baked desert.

"Manta, Anna is in trouble…" Mosuke said, stressing.

"I'm sure she is going to be alright!" Manta said, crawling to his feet.

"She's not… Manta… This spirit or whatever is too strong for her…"

"What spirit?" Manta inquired

"Lets just save her, Manta… She is in real trouble…"

"K…" Manta said following Anna's fast fading footprints, and with the help of Mosuke guiding light, they made fast progress to where Anna is. He knew Anna is in deep trouble if she couldn't stop this spirit, providing the unknown strength to Manta for the fast journey and the battle to come.

Anna leaned against the rocky cliff side, her head bleeding red dark blood. She looked dead, but she wasn't. She had merely fainted with the injuries caused by the Fallen Angel barely alive, yes, but alive. Every breath she took drew a whizzing muffled sound, blood spilling out from her nose. For a brief moment he could see, her goddess side. Beautiful beyond comprehension, her sun bloomed hair reflecting the sunlight, her moonlight skin radiating an orange glow with her emerald eyes she really was a goddess. Clearing his dried throat he stared into her white lifeless eyes, there was life but it was not there presently. Turning his hard dead like gaze away from her, he cursed himself. Why the hell did he suddenly noticed her? She was only just a pawn in a mighty game, nothing more. But he was starting to feel something for her, something he had experience when he was weak and mortal before he became a true god. Could it be? No… the good Kenshi can never overwhelm him.

From a far, Manta saw the dazzled figure of Anna crouched over the rocky cliff. Her head bleeding, and atop her was a spirit. There was never enough time to think in such dire situation, rushing the last few meters towards the unknown spirit Manta summoned his guardian spirit. 'Anna, here I come…' said Manta taking the spirit by surprised. Stretching his fist in mid-air, he summoned his large mallet into his fist, fading into reality. "Mosuke, thanks for guiding me…" whispered Manta, gripping the hard wooden mallet as he galloped the last few meters till impact.

Shocked covered the Fallen Angel's godly face, as he turned his gaze from the goddess known as Anna to her fall-out friend. The shocked came from her fall-out friend a mortal, being a shaman. He wondered in that spilt second what had happen to the world, has it become so tainted that nothing could cure it? 'No…' the word popped in his brain, destroying all other thoughts, 'I can save us from these wannabe shamans, I can… and I'll have my revenge… good can never prevail… Never…"

Manta saw the best result for an assault as he identified it as once in a lifetime, a fatal blow that could extinguish the spirits life. The spirit's tilted his divinity like face as he turned towards Manta's spirit mallet. Driving his energy into the wooden mallet, it spun ever harder, bringing death and destruction for all who stood against its might.

Anna's eyes widen with surprised, her head bleeding with blood pouring over her skull. Her dazzled eyes caught motion in front of her. Her vision blurry saw a short figure charged towards an angel figure with wings flapping.

Firmly gripping his wooden mallet, Manta swung it with his strength. The powerful blow smashed the Fallen Angel's face, blinding him momentarily with blood gushed out from his broken nose. The Fallen Angel raised his hands protecting his blinded eyes, his anger raging like a bush fire absently leaving his stomach exposed. 'Another Advantage' the notion occurred to Manta as he drove another blow into the spirit's stomach, torpedo-ing him against the rocky cliff. Crashing against the rocky to produce a shape of him. The loud eruption, reverberate around the area, causing boulders to flatten the god like creature under its mass.

Mantas breathe heavily, after such an intense battle. True he wasn't a shaman, but he could be for a while. After which would leave him breathless and weak. Walking unsteady towards Anna, Manta's no longer had his spirit control; all he wanted to do was sleep. Like Anna his vision was blurry, and his body weak. "Anna, are you all right?" Manta asked, concerned feeling the guilt of parting with her, he was the reason this happened to her. He promised Yoh, he would protect her before he leaved for Dhobi Village. He failed Yoh.

"Yoh?" Anna muttered, her breathing quickening.

"No, Anna…I'm Manta and is alright, the spirit is dead…" Manta assured Anna, soothingly touching her sun-bloom hair, unknotting the knots and dusting the sand out. Meanwhile checking to see, if it was a terrible wound.

"Anna, I'm no doctor… but I think you're going to be alright… we just need to close the wound… that's all…" Manta laughed nervously.

The Fallen Angel, felt the boulders plummeting from the cliff, beating his body. 'No one takes me by surprise,' whispered the Fallen Angel. He was still alive, nothing could ravel his power, no one ever will. Pushing himself off the ground with the boulders still on top of him, his coiled himself spilling away with out sound. It didn't take long for him to recover from the blow. His broken nose got twisted back in place. His stomach rebuke, and his sword a new sword formed from his blood. The blood sword, harder than any material in this world, and tainted with his evil on its edge and curve, one scratch was all it took for you to, die. Painfully!

"Human…" yelled the Fallen Angel from the distances.

Manta looked back towards the distance voice. It wasn't totally surprising to see his opponent still standing. If he could defeat Anna, clearly he was strong. 'Mosuke, I may die in this battle… when I do. Tell Ren, Horo, Lyserg and Chovolove to come and prepare for this villain… tell them to come and save the world again… tell them Yoh is gone… along with me…' The life of Manta was never courageous; Yoh and the gang always helped him. Now it was time for him, to be what he could never be. It was time for him to help the Anna. Hopefully someone would come and help save both of them. Time is the key.

'Manta… No… you're too weak to do spirit unity…' the thought of Mosuke flashed in Manta's mind.

"Is the only way," Manta grinned staring at the Mosuke's soul. "Besides I will be a hero," he added retaining his grin.

"You may not know this, Manta… But we all know you're a hero… Without you Hao might not have been defeated… You are a hero…in my eyes" Mosuke reminded Manta,

Sighing Manta took a quick glance at Anna distorted face. The time has come for him to be save the different Anna, she was different from when they started the shaman tournament. 'Human, you shall die' the spirit shouted, interrupting Manta thoughts.

"It's time!"

Charging towards the spirit, Manta knew he could survive this. Smiling, he summoned Mosuke into the mallet again, for the last time. 'Mosuke you have been a good spirit, you have also been a good friend…to me' said Manta,

"So have you Manta the courageous"

Swinging his mallet in a futile attempt to attack the Fallen Angel, Manta's mallet was blocked with the Fallen Angel's left palm. Then the Fallen Angel's right hand moved swiftly under Manta's neck choking him. 'Manta, you can stop him…' said Mosuke. Pulling the Mallet which is firmly held in the Fallen Angel's grasp, Manta wished he had another weapon.

Tightening his grip over the Mallet, the wood screeched with fear, threatening to exploded beneath the Fallen Angel's palm, looking into the Fallen Angel's eye Manta saw satisfaction bearing a smirk just as he crushed the mallet beneath his iron fist. The Fallen Angel turned his gaze to Manta's fluttering eyelid. 'Humans' said the Fallen Angel in disgusted, He didn't need his blood sword. The Human's spirit mallet has been destroyed and now it was time for the human to die.

"Good Bye…Mosuke" Manta said, breathless. Drifting into the sleep.

A/N: please review… Hahaha, being lazy for a bit… I finished the next chapter already hope you enjoy.