Fighting Side By Side

Stalker

The next morning you got ready and walked down to the market. It was extra crowded that day but you didn't mind. You bought some more rice and began your walk back up. You weren't even out of the market yet when someone tapped you on the shoulder. You turned around to see a tall, muscular man dressed in dark clothes. "What's your name?" He asked. Thinking he was just being friendly, you told him. "My name is Maiko. What's yours?" He paused for a moment as if he was thinking. "Hikaru." He finally answered. "Don't think I'm being weird but you would make a beautiful wife for someone." He said. "Thanks..." You responded, trying not to be rude. "How old are you?" He questioned. You began to feel uncomfortable with what he was asking. "Listen, I don't mean to be rude but I would prefer not to answer that." You stated. "That's fine, Doll. Hey, why don't you come back to my place?" He suggested. You started to feel extremely uneasy. "I better not. I need to get home." You replied, trying to get away. "Makes sense. Where do you live? I could walk you there." He offered. "No, I think I would prefer to go alone." You answered as you turned and began to walk away. You didn't even care that you were being rude, he was clearly a creep. As you walked along the path leading up the mountain you tried to get your mind off of it. You were still walking when you suddenly heard a branch snap under the trees beside the path. You told yourself that it was just a rabbit and continued on. A little while later you felt as if something was watching you. You started thinking about the guy from the village and that he could be following you. You started to walk faster and dashed inside the house as soon as you got there. You set the rice down in the kitchen before walking over and looking out the window. You saw the silhouette of a very similar person watching the house from the tree lines only they had a mask on so you weren't completely sure. You grabbed your sword and held it tightly. You stayed quiet and turned before beginning to make lunch. As the evening passed you had almost forgotten that he was there if it weren't for the uneasy feeling you couldn't get rid of. By this time it was almost sunset and you were just doing your thing when you caught a glimpse of a person looking in through your window. It disappeared after you looked over at it. You tightened your hold on your katana and began to tremble. "A-Akaza... a-are you there?" You called quietly. "Are you ok?" Akaza asked, suddenly right beside you. "Some creep followed me back from the market and I think I saw him looking in the windows." You explained, ever so slightly calmer. Akaza gently rested his hand on your shoulder, smiling slightly. "I'll go check." Akaza walked over to the door and opened it, softly closing it behind him. He glanced around, looking for the man you had mentioned. The man stayed quiet but kept an eye on him from where he had retreated to under the trees. "I was sure she wasn't married but whatever. Still... he doesn't seem even human for some reason... What am I saying? That's just stupid." The man whispered to himself. Akaza turned his head towards where the man was hiding. The man stopped talking and just watched. "This guy looks ridiculous! I can probably kill him if I catch him off guard." The man thought. Akaza glanced away, scanning the forest. The man grabbed a twig and broke it before adjusting his position slightly and causing the leaves to rustle. Akaza's head quickly snapped towards the man's direction, going completely backwards on his neck. "What the hell is wrong with this guy? It's dark and this dude is creeping me out. I should go and come back some other time when I can kidnap the girl with no trouble." The guy planned. Akaza's body turned around and he walked towards where the man was hiding. "Crap! I gotta make a run for it!" The guy internally freaked out. He suddenly jumped up and ran out of the bushes and towards the path right in front of Akaza. Akaza smiled and stepped towards him. The guy continued to run until he got on the path. He then began to run down the path, trying to escape. Akaza leaped towards him, grabbing him by his arm. He smiled and killed him with a swift blow to the head. Akaza began to devour his remains. You had looked out the window and finally breathed a sigh of relief. "I am glad Akaza killed him. "I hate creeps." You said to yourself. You sat down on the bed and looked at your sword which you still held close. "What's the point of having this thing if I can't even use it? The only thing it does is intimidate a bit and make me feel safer." You thought to yourself. You continued to think while you waited for Akaza to come back. Akaza walked back into the house after a few minutes, a bit of blood smudged on his face and hands. "Thanks again. It must be annoying to have to protect a defenseless human." You sighed, setting your sword down. Akaza smiled slightly. You suddenly started to get angry. "People like that are the real monsters. They all can be eaten or killed for all I care."  You took a deep breath to help you calm down. "Sorry, I'm just... a little annoyed." You apologized. Akaza continued to smile slightly. "I know how you feel." "Really?" You asked, slightly surprised. Akaza shrugged. "Humans can be monsters sometimes." "Agreed. Still... it can't be fun protecting me all the time because I can't defend myself." You said. Akaza just shrugged again. "Thanks. I'll try to be more careful next time." You promised in almost a whisper. Akaza continued to smile slightly. You were still trembling slightly without even knowing. "You sure you're ok?" Akaza questioned, tilting his head slightly. Without a word you jumped up and hugged him. You didn't even have time to control yourself. "If I die, I don't even care anymore." You thought to yourself. Akaza seemed slightly surprised but gently hugged you back. You were about to pull away and apologize but him hugging you back convinced you otherwise. It had been too long since you had felt such a comforting touch and you selfishly didn't want to let go. Akaza continued to gently hug you, smiling slightly. You finally pulled away, not trembling anymore. "Sorry! I don't know why I did that." You apologized. "It's fine." Akaza replied. You sat back down on your bed and glanced out the window. "I wish I had a way to defend myself." You mumbled, not noticing that you said it out loud. "Don't you have your sword?" Akaza asked, tilting his head slightly. "My grandfather taught me a bit but other than that I don't really know how to use it." You admitted. "I could teach you some martial arts." Akaza offered. "Really?" You questioned, sorta surprised. Akaza nodded. "Thanks! That would be great!" You smiled. Akaza smiled slightly. "But when would we do it?" You asked. "I dunno." Akaza shrugged. You began to feel tired. "Well, we'll figure it out later." You suggested. "But for now I think I better go to bed." Akaza walked away. "Good night!" You called after him. "Good night." Akaza replied. You laid down and soon fell asleep.