Author's Note: I got a request 8 months ago from a lovely reviewer who went by the name "Kay."

I hope this story lives up to what you were expecting.

The sun begins to set as you walk along the emptying streets of your town. You can't help the chill that runs down your spine as you take note of this while taking a step into the bakery.

A small ring announces your entrance.

"Hello, [Y.N.]," the baker, Mr. Tsukino calls when he sees you.

"Hello," you respond politely as you nod in his direction. You go and grab a few loaves of freshly baked bread, and also a few sweets besides the cash register.

"Is this all you want to buy today?" he asks as you begin to take the money out of your wallet.

"Yes. There's not many of us at my home tonight," you say quietly. The note of sadness in your voice is not lost on him so he decides to add a free bonus.

With a quick wink, he whispers, "Don't tell the Mrs. that I gave you free pocky."

You smile warmly at his gesture but try to say it's not necessary. But he won't have any of it.

"You eat that pocky, and you enjoy it, you hear?"

He says it so sternly, you can't help giggle at the silliness of it all.

"I will, Mr. Tsukino. Thank you."

He gives you a bright smile as he nods, crinkling his eyes in sincerity. With that, you go out and begin your walk home down the empty streets.

You've walked this road many times, yet you can't shake this sense of uneasiness that follows you like a shadow.

A quiet tap, tap, tap registers as the shadows get longer with the sun now starting to dip into the mountains. You pull your shawl closer to you, trying to shake of this uneasy feeling, but it just won't go.

When you're not far from home, you can hear shallow breathing echo in the quiet of the alley closest to you.

Though you know it's a dumb thing to do, you can't help but call out like so stereotypically happens in all horror stories.

"Hello?"

The whoosh of the wind drowns out your voice, and it's then that you hear a distinct crash.
It's not far away, up in the rooftops, and immediately you bolt home.

No walking for you anymore!

You run past the few remaining alleys, take turn after turn, and see the shadow of something leaping back and forth from the rooftops.

Something is following you, you know it. But as you run, you know that whatever it is, if you go back home it will follow you there.

'Who will protect my family?' you think to yourself in horror.

So rather than take that final turn right, you make a sharp turn left and run towards the only path that you know well.

You run into the dense forest.

You can hear the pounding of your heart, and the feel the blood rushing through your veins.

If it is what you think, no amount of hiding will help.

It'll smell you...

Suddenly, a tall young man with Mahogany hair and blue-grey eyes steps in front of you.

There's nowhere for you to run so your efforts to turn away from him are in vain. It's then that you see a startling grotesque figure jump forward, out of a tree.

It looks like a human, but with an elongated mouth and talons for fingers.

Its clothes still has blood, as do its fingers.

Before you can do anything, you feel an arm wrap around your waist from behind and suddenly you're flying backwards.

"This will be over in a minute," the mysterious stranger states as he places you down beside a tree.

You like around wildly, desperately, as you search for a recognizable landmark.

You breathe loudly, your heartbeat resounding loudly in your ears when you finally see it.

A bright red ribbon in a tree, right beside the Utseru tree, the Father tree.

You ran quickly towards it and dig frantically at the roots.

You hear the sounds of fighting behind you, but avoid wasting time to see how it's going.

The dirt under your nails hurts as do the fresh splinters the roots have cause you.

You feel a nail crack but you don't care as you quickly grasp the item you were looking for.

A gleaming brown box covered in dirt is firmly yanked out and roughly opened.

With one hand, you pull out the weapon hidden within and with the other, you get a good hold in case you need it as a shield.

No sooner had you turned than did the mahogany haired man come flying towards you- behind the monster!

You use the momentum from your turn to throw the box, making the creature veer off course enough.

As it goes flying past you, you follow the creature's path with the gun, cock it, and as crashes against the tree, shoot.

You shoot carefully and precisely into the creatures skull five times.

After the third time, it was dead.

The fourth time was for your uncle.

The fifth for your dad.

As you ready the gun for the final shot, you feel a hand suddenly grab your shoulder.

Immediately you point the gun at the stranger's chest.

His apathetic face irritates you to no end as he says, "That's an interesting way to thank the person that saved you."

"Saved me? I think I was the one who did the saving."

He looks down his nose at you before turning.

He walks towards your forgotten groceries and says, "thank you for the rescue then, Ms. Warrior. I'll take this pocky to calm my poor nerves."

"Hey!" you call indignantly.

You get red with anger when you make eye contact, but blush when he begins to bow and maintains it.

A small smirk creeps onto his visage as you lose your strength to continue this staring contest.

"I'll see you around."

With that and he's gone.

'What the hell was he,' you wonder.