By the time the sun rose the next morning, Akaya was up and ready for whatever Shin Ryu had planned for her. She knew it would be stupid to sleep in when she could train. Before opening her bedroom door, she flipped her hair into a ponytail. It was still short, but it was growing out; however, in the back, some of her shorter hairs fell out and grazed the back of her neck. She dismissed it and progressed into her living room.

It was empty. Akaya found her shoes near the couch's side. They weren't flashy or in the best shape, but they were shoes. Akaya chose not to complain much about it. She shoved her feet into them and raced out the door. She surveyed the area. No one was anywhere near her house. It was apparently too early for everyone. Akaya shrugged and made her way up to her training ground.

It was a lovely spring morning. The relaxing breeze blew through the trees and soon blew against her face. However, it caused to Akaya tense up and freeze. If she didn't have a pulse, she might have been mistaken by someone as a statue.

Akaya didn't want to believe it because it couldn't be true. It shouldn't be true. She knew that she had to be imagining it. The wind picked up its intensity, and Akaya knew that Tajek was near. His scent was too recognizable to her. She didn't realize that she had started walking. Her brain was completely shocked by the fact that she could see him again. She didn't notice when that walk turned to a brisk jog, which quickly became a complete sprint.

The breeze now increased into a gust of wind as she climbed the hill that led to her training ground. She desperately hoped that her nose would not lose the scent. As she resided on the top of the hill, looking around the forest, the pain set in again. Akaya knew that her ankle would be sore, but she didn't predict that it would take this long to become manageable. It apparently needed more time to rest.

But she knew that she may never get an opportunity like this to see him again. She saw the numerous trees that laid on the other side of the hill. It wasn't like she had never gone into a forest before; it was, more or less, the fact that she had never explored the one next to her house. That thought made her uneasy as she quickly darted in. She hadn't lost the scent yet, but it would eventually fade. And she knew it. She wasn't going to lose it before she found him.

It was several hours later when Akaya realized that she had no clue where she was at. She sighed solemnly as she realized that she had forgot to leave markers. She stopped sprinting when she realized that the scent had faded, and that she had been defeated by nature. The breeze stopped, leaving no trace of the scent.

She pushed her hands in her pockets, which caused a small smile to show on her face. Tajek always did that.

"Did you need help, miss?"

As Akaya turned around, she saw a man looking at her from only a few feet away. He was tall and muscular. Akaya could tell that he hadn't shaved in weeks, and his clothes reeked of wet dog and smoke. She was exhausted, but she knew that she had to get out of this situation. He was a sketchy character, and anywhere was better than here.

She remained calm. She can gain an advantage on an enemy if they think they have the advantage. The problem here was that he actually did have the advantage. "I'm fine, but thank you. I'm just strolling."

She gave her best smile, hoping that would send him on his way.

He placed his hand on her shoulder. It was hard and cold. The hands of someone who had intentionally hurt people for his pleasure. "You look tired. You should rest at my cabin. It is only a quarter-mile away."

A chill went down her back. She tried to control her breathing. "Thank you for your offer, but I do have to be getting back to my village soon."

She turned to walk in the opposite direction from where they stood. Unfortunately, he yanked her back into his arms. She reached for her kunai, but he held her wrists. He then squeezed her wrists painfully tight until she dropped the weapon. She felt her heart drop as he whipped her into the nearest tree, holding both wrists with one hand and slowly moving his other hand down her stomach and getting closer to her pants.

She started to panic. Tears welled in her eye ducts. She gave him a fight, kicking and screaming. Tears started to roll down her face. He was too strong, and her training was useless. She looked around for her shadow demon but saw Akira nowhere. As he put his thumb on the elastic band on her pants, she closed her eyes. She couldn't witness what was inevitably going to happen to her. She would have to embrace it and hope that it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be.

She paused in her thoughts as she choked up tears. She had never had sex. She was saving it for the person that had gotten her into this situation to begin with. Suddenly, she fell and hit her forehead against the ground. She heard a thud hit the forest's floor. She was afraid to open her eyes as she sat up onto her knees and began crying again. But as she opened her eyes slowly, she saw Tajek stand over the man.

His voice sounded harsh towards the disgusting creature. "Don't ever touch her again or I will fucking kill you."

It was a tone she had never heard from him before. The man fell into unconsciousness as Tajek turned around to look at Akaya. He weakly smiled at her. She looked so frail and so beaten compared to her usual strong-willed self. And yet, as he looked down at her and traveled unknowingly closer to her, she was amazingly beautiful. He reached her side and noticed her swollen ankle and the bruise marks on her arms. "Are you okay?"

She simply shook her head and fell into his chest. He stroked the few loose strands of hair that fell out during the incident. She cried into him as he held her. She managed to form words as she was crying heavily. "How'd you find me?"

She tried wiping her eyes, but Tajek lightly gripped on her hand and held it down as he used his fingertips to slide them off of her face himself. He kissed her forehead, and she lifted her head up to his lips. They both smiled in the kiss.

"Are you okay yet?" His light voice approached his vocal chords as he stood up, helping her to her feet. He then realized that he had never answered her question. "Akira came looking for me. She knew she couldn't handle an ex-Bingo Book ninja by herself."

He looked down at the man. "Akaya, you had no chance. Almost no one had any chance against him."

Akaya didn't dare look at the man. She wanted to forget it and move on. She just looked at Tajek. He had grown into someone else. Someone who was now a teenager rather than a boy. But as she gazed into his gray eyes and looked at his spiked green hair, he was the same person she had fallen for.

Tajek glanced back at her and simply chuckled. "I'm guessing that you're surprised to see me."

She nodded. She looked at him for awhile before she began speaking. "I have something I need to tell you." She paused as Tajek intertwined their hands. She took a breath and began again. "I…I love you."

She stuttered over the words and looked down at her swollen ankle.

He looked at her and smiled. "I already knew that, Akaya." He lifted her head up to his level and kissed her on the lips. He missed that feeling more than anything. "I have always loved you as well."