Part 11!

This Means WAR!

The Chase

Akari didn't like the way this day was turning out. Still in a horrible ticked off mood she made her way to the carpentry shop in search of Luke who was just the person to cheer her up. Regardless of the fact he had been used as one of Gill's pawns and thus betrayed her. Unfortunately when she got there the bandana clad boy was nowhere in sight. Dale appeared upon hearing the door chime and smiled at the girl who was frowning furiously.

"What can I do for ya Akari?" He asked as he slipped his hands out of his rough gloves.

"Oh, nothing." She said with a sigh. "I was just hoping to talk to Luke is all."

"Well he went out a while ago to chop some wood for me. I'm sure he's not far off."

"Okay, thanks Dale." Akari said turning back towards the door. "I'll go look for him."

"Hold on." Dale said placing a hand on her shoulder. "Gill just came in here a few minutes ago looking for you…He seemed pretty upset." Akari's eyes widened.

He's upset!? What the heck for!? I'm the one who is upset!! Akari thought bitterly, unable to hide the look of disgust that washed across her face.

Dale continued, "Now I've noticed the two of you don't particularly get along…"

That's an understatement…

"But I've never seen him so worked up over something. And I've seen him worked up over a lot of things!" He said chuckling. "Like the time Luke ran into him and spilled the tomato juice he was drinking all down the front of his brand new sweater vest! Boy, that was a classic!" He bellowed, slapping her heartily on the back. "He was spittin' hell fire at Luke for weeks! Or the time Luke called him feminine!" He had to hold his sides to keep from laughing and even Akari had to crack a smile at the image in her head of a pissed off Gill.

"As I was saying…" Dale said wiping the tears from his eyes and pulling together a more serious expression. "Gill is mad. Hella pissed, if you ask me. And I don't know what you've done to get him like that, but I advise you keep away from him." Akari smirked.

"I can handle him. I'm not afraid."

Dale sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Alright. But don't say I didn't warn you… Like I said, I've never seen him this mad, not in my entire life. Looks as though he wants to kill somebody…."

She rolled her eyes. "It's just Gill. He cant do anything to me."

---

She was allowed to leave the carpenters shop only after promising Dale that she would be careful. Sheesh, you would think Gill was a mass murderer the way Dale was cautioning me. She thought as she walked down the road. It's just stupid Gill. Stupid, cocky, infuriating Gill who steals kisses from the unsuspecting. She scraped her foot across the dirt and kicked a rock with the tip of her boot. It sailed up into the air and landed with a loud 'OW!' in some bushes. She paused. Bushes don't say 'Ow'….

A shock of blue hair appeared from the bush, followed by a pair of cat-like golden eyes. Catching sight of her, Luke put his gloved hand up to his cheek and went, "Psssst!" She looked to her right slowly and then her left. Is he talking to me?

"PSSSSST!!!" It came again more urgently this time. She looked at him and raised her eyebrow as he frantically waved her over to the bush. She sighed but walked over and knelt down beside his hideout. "What is it?" She said, not trying to hide the annoyance in her voice. He looked over his shoulder as if worried someone was trying to listen in. "Hurry and get in here with me!" He said in a loud whisper. "It's not safe out there unprotected!"

"Not safe from what?" She asked irritably.

"From…." Another cautious look over his shoulder. "Gill!!"

"Oh jeez…." she shook her head. "Not you too…"

He retracted his head back into the bush until only his eyes were showing. "No I'm serious! I've never seen him this mad since I told him he looked like a girl!"

"So you think a bush will protect you from homicidal Gill?" She asked skeptically.

"It's safer than just hanging out in the open!" He exclaimed defensively. "Besides it's not me I'm worried about, it's you! I think he wants to kill you!"

"And what gave you that idea…?"

"Um, probably when he walked by saying, 'Akari….Akari….I'm going to kill Akari…." Luke stuck his head out again. "Luckily I jumped into this bush before he could take his anger out on me."

So Gill came by here too….creepy. She got to her feet and looked around as if he could have been right there leaning up against a tree. The sun hung low in the sky, soon it would be nightfall and Chihaya would be awaiting her at her house, but that wasn't a safe place right now. "Maybe it's not such a bad idea that I avoid him for the time being…" She mumbled more to herself then the boy in the bush. Then she started walking off in the direction she came, wondering where she could go to avoid running into the ogre. "Wait!" Yelled Luke from his hiding place. "It's not safe! Hurry and come hide in the bush! Akari! Akari!!!" She glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Remind me later to ask you about the time you told Gill he looked like a girl. That sounds like a great story." And with that she disappeared down the road.

---

Bwahaha! We're going to find her! We're going to KILL her! This is great! (Shoulder Devil)

This is NOT great! This is horrible! What do you think you are doing!? You're not REALLY going to kill her! You can't! (Shoulder Angel)

Hear that? Pretty boy here doesn't think you can do it! Well we will prove him wrong! (Shoulder Devil)

"Would you shut up!? I'm not really going to kill her! It's just an expression! I'm going to metaphorically kill her!" Gill spat at his inner voices. (no he is not crazy…well, maybe not.) It just so happens Annisa was walking opposite him on the road and upon hearing him yelling at himself and seeing the bloodthirsty look in his eye, she quickly skipped away.

Not going to kill her, you say? Metaphorically, you say? She seduced you! She tricked you! (Shoulder Devil)

No she didn't! It's not her doing. Akari is too nice of a person to purposefully trick you like that. Maybe it was just your hidden emotions acting out? (Shoulder Angel)

That's ridiculous! (Shoulder Devil and Regular Gill simultaneously) Gill remembered to not talk to his voices out loud this time.

I've had enough of both of you! Now go away immediately, I need to concentrate. (Regular Gill)

Fine! (Shoulder Devil)

Okay….just don't do something you will regret…" (Shoulder Angel)

Finally he was alone with his own thoughts and that almost scared him. What had she done to him? When did she do it? It was as if in that moment when he kissed her all logic left him and he was left with an overpowering emotion with no name that took control. Never before had that emotion come upon him, and since it was Akari who brought that feeling to the surface it only made sense that it was her fault. She had seduced him.

Now he was searching for her wildly as if everything depended upon him confronting her and accusing her of the horrible deed she had done to him. Only then could he go back to his happy lifestyle of ignoring everyone. But he couldn't find her. And every time he looked into a shop or a house in hope that she would be there only made him angrier.

---

Akari was hiding behind the counter in the fishing shop. It had been nearly impossible to convince the owner, Ozzie, to let her but finally succeeded when she told him it was a matter of life or death. She was pretty proud of herself for picking such a great hiding place too, I mean who would think of looking for her here!? She hated fishing! And she had made that perfectly evident every single time Toby came up to her asking if she wanted to go fishing with him. And every single time he asked she would give him the same speech about how boring she thought it was. So she had been sitting behind the counter for the past half hour picking the bits of dead leaves off the bottoms of her boots, watching Ozzie organize his lures by color and size and thinking she was safe. Ten times safer than Luke is in his dinky bush! She thought happily.

Just then the chime above the door signaled someone entering the shop. It's probably just Toby. She thought confidently.

"Why, hello Gill!" Ozzie said cheerily. "Sure don't see you coming in here often."

Akari felt all the blood drain from her face. Why does it seem the person you are trying to avoid always shows up when you really don't want them to!? She cried inside her headasaneerie silence filled the shop.

"Is there something I could help you with….?" Ozzie asked his customer with the slightest bit of worry ringing in his voice. Akari quickly looked up at the shop owner's face and was stunned to see a look of horror there. Oh crap! Is Gill that scary!?

"Akari…" She heard her name said by a icy voice. She held her breath worried that he would know she was there if he could hear her breathing. "Do you know were Akari is?"

Ozzie looked down at her as if waiting for his line. She waved her hands in front of her face, shook her head and mouthed 'I'm not here!'

"I haven't seen her." Ozzie said, letting Akari sigh with relief. "You know how she doesn't like fishing. The only time I see her is when she is at the bar with Chihaya. Why don't you check there." Akari could have kissed him for not ratting her out, apparently he realized her situation really was a matter of life or death.

"Hmmm…maybe." She heard Gill say. "You don't mind if I take a look around first do you?"

He didn't buy it! He KNOWS!

"Why would you want to do that?" Ozzie asked quietly.

"I've been thinking about taking up fishing…"

Liar!!!!

"Oh? Go right ahead then…" Ozzie's face fell. Akari buried her face in her arms awaiting her impending doom. This sucks! This sucks so bad!

The tip of her boot was nudged gently by Ozzie's shoe. She looked up and saw his finger pointed toward the door then he glanced at her and mouthed 'GO!' She didn't need to be told twice.

She leaped to her feet, hoping and praying Gill's back was turned as she vaulted over the counter and sped out the door. She was running faster than she had ever ran in her entire life, adrenalin pumping through her blood, her heartbeat echoing in her ears, and the wind rushing through her hair as she ran into the night. A second later she knew he was behind her. His footfalls were loud and unsteady. She could easily outrun him.

"Akari!" He growled like a wild animal. "Stop running!"

"Um. No thanks!" She called over her shoulder as she kicked up her speed even more.

"It's useless! I'm going to kill you!"

"Psh! Yeah right!" She gave herself one more boost of speed and then suddenly tripped over a rock, falling head first into a bush. She suppressed her need to yelp in pain as something sharp stabbed her leg, and held perfectly still

A second later she saw him jog by and for a heart stopping moment she thought he was going to stop, but he just turned and went a different direction. Maybe there is some method to Luke's madness…..No! He just got lucky being right about how bushes were good hideouts. Deciding to wait just a little longer to be on the safe side, she wiggled around uncomfortably in her bush, rubbing her throbbing leg. Why does he want to kill me? What did I ever do to him? Well….besides torture him daily and play merciless pranks on him….but still, he couldn't have just suddenly snapped…could he?

---

Gah! I was so close! So close!!!! Gill thought as he wandered around realizing he had completely lost her. He fell into a squatting position and ran his fingers through his hair. Boy, was she fast. He couldn't think of anywhere else to look and so he decided to start backtracking. And this time he was going to catch her!

---

"Hey Akari, bet you're having a fun day." Came the sarcastic remark from the little girl with the pigtails as Akari walked into the tailor's shop.

"Oh yes, loads of fun…" Akari replied with just as much sarcasm.

Luna grinned and jumped off the counter she had been sitting on and walked up to inspect Akari for damages. "Looks like he hasn't killed you yet…" she said almost disappointedly. Candace came in from a back room and gasped, "Akari! I was so worried!"

"So I assume he has come through here already….you don't mind if I,….hide here for a while do you?" Akari asked looking from one sister to the other.

"No, go right ahead." Candace squeaked.

"As long as you don't bring the wrath of Gill along with you." Luna piped in.

"No promises." Akari admitted with a weak smile. "I seriously don't know what I've done to the guy to send him off his rocker. I mean, he has really lost it…"

"I know." Luna said springing back up onto her perch on the counter and swinging her legs contently. "When he came barging in here earlier he said you seduced him."

Akari must have not heard that right. "Come again?" She asked turning her ear so as to hear better.

"You se-duced him." She said emphasizing the last part.

"WHAT!?"

"Are you deaf or something?" Lena asked folding her arms in annoyance.

"No….It's just that's….that's….so ridiculous!" Akari spat, her eyes rolling as she held her head with one hand to steady herself as the room began to spin.

"That's what I said." Luna said with a shrug. "I mean, of all people who would want to seduce him…?"

"Exactly!" Akari gasped finding herself in a heap on a wooden chair.

"…And honestly, I don't think you could seduce anyone if you tried…" Luna added with just the slightest amount of venom in her dainty voice.

Akari's eyes narrowed as she sized up the shorter girl. "I'll have you know I can be an amazing seducer when I want to be."

"Oh yeah?" Luna said skeptically.

"Yeah!" Akari exclaimed.

"So you decided to seduce Gill…?" She put one delicate finger to her chin and looked down at Akari over her little nose.

"NO!!!!" Akari howled throwing her hands up into the air. "That's just….sick." And suddenly the image of Gill leaning down to kiss her flooded her mind making chills run down her spine. But it was the good kind of chills…. "Oh! I hate today!" She shrieked covering her face with her hands.

Luna smirked, then Candace appeared near Akari's elbow and said, "I actually think the two of you would make a cute couple…"

"What!? No!" Akari bellowed at the same time Luna started cackling.

"No think about it." She said tucking a long strand of blue hair behind her ear and spoke more than all the times Akari heard her speak added together. "You compliment each other. You both have a rough side, and that's good because neither of you would become dominant or submissive, you balance each other. And also, Akari, there is a lot of good in you. You have qualities that Gill never took the time to learn, such as being a good friend. By being with you he would learn from you and that way the good parts in him would become more evident." She suddenly became nervous as the other two just stared at her, listening intently. "I-I've already s-seen a change in him…since you f-first came here, I-I mean."

Akari just tipped her head to the size quizzically.

"He says sorry."

"Sorry….?" Akari mumbled while Luna chuckled doubtfully.

"Well, Akari." Luna said with a 'there you have it' attitude. "Should we pick a wedding date?"

---

Gill's stomach gave a growl. He was starving. Having realized he had gone the entire day without his usual tomato juice pick me up, he became even angrier and his intentions toward Akari even more murderous. If she would just not have seduced him then he wouldn't have to be running around Waffle Town trying to find her and thus would be home right now enjoying a good book with a full stomach. But NO! He was wandering around in the dark searching for the stupid farmer! His stomach growled again in warning to him. Fine! He thought bitterly. One more shop and then its time for dinner.

So he walked briskly to Candace and Luna's shop and pushed the door open with one hand gripping his stomach and a terrible grimace over his face.

"We are not harboring the criminal know as Akari, okay?" The shrill voice of Luna rang into his ears. "Besides, we are closed. And I would appreciate it if you would get out of here."

"Luna, don't say that." Candace said softly chastising her sister. "She didn't mean that, you can stay. Do you need anything in particular?"

"I need to find Akari." he said as his stomach gurgled again.

Luna's head perked up at the tone of his voice. He didn't sound demanding anymore, in fact quite the opposite, he sounded like he was pleading. "I told you, she's not here…." She said, watching him intently for his reaction.

He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "Well okay then, I'm sorry to bother you." Then he took a step back and opened the door. Now what should I make for dinner…? He thought absentmindedly.

"Wait!" Luna exclaimed one arm stretched out to him. "Did you just say 'sorry'!?"

Gill's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Yes?"

"I told you." Candace said grinning at her sister.

Luna shook her head in disbelief, her eyes wide. Now Gill was totally lost. Had he missed something?

"She's back there." Luna said shifting her eyes to the back of the room.

Gill followed her gaze and saw Akari's head pop up suddenly. "Luna" She said incredulously. Then her eyes locked on him and he felt his stomach do a summersault. There it was, the beginnings of her seduction. But now he had finally caught her and could call her out on what she had done. And then eat!

A slow smile spread across his face until it was an evil grin.

Worry flashed across her eyes. He was blocking the door, she couldn't escape. There was no hope.

He crossed the distance between them with long strides, snatched her roughly by the wrist, and pulled her outside after him. All the while she shouted threats to him as well as Luna.

After the door shut behind them and Akari's curses faded away like fog, Candace turned to her sister and asked uncertainly, "Did we do the right thing…?"

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There you have it!

Please tell me what you think of this chapter! Reviews give me inspiration and help fuel me to write the next part faster! So they really help! Thanks everyone!