Luda gripped Rathi's throat.

"Don't tell me what to do." He breathed.

Rathi gasped and reached for Luda's hand, but fell silent as two figures moved through the forest toward them.

"I know I heard something." Adamanti said as Ryou looked around the area- his gun at ready.

Luda's grip loosened on Rathi's throat as he watched the two men with narrowed eyes.

Rathi relaxed and moved in front of Luda protectively, his eyes alert and his body tense.

"Get back, I'm going to kill them." Luda said.

"There it was again, over there!" Adam pointed.

Rathi jumped forward without warning, his tail snapping up defensively as he hissed for a few seconds, before pausing as he realized who it was. "Ryou-!"

"Rathi, I almost blew your head off!" Ryou burst.

"What are you doing here?" Rathi inquired, still looking tense.

"Does it matter?" Luda asked. "They're armed."

He stood up and Adam stepped back.

"I know that voice!" He told Ryou hurriedly.

Ryou lifted his gun again.

"Both of you, stop," Rathi said, calmly. "No one has to die!"

"They may not have to, but that doesn't mean they won't." Luda replied. "You think you could be something on the same level as me and you're just too weak Rathi."

"I'm not weak, I'm kind," Rathi informed. "I know Ryou - he wont kill me. I can't say the same about you, however."

"Then what's the point." Luda smirked before his eyes began to glow.

Suddenly, Rathi's tail shot out and dug into Ryou's stomach. Ryou's eyes shot wide and his mouth fell open, his gun dropping from his hands to the ground as a red patch spread on his front.

Rathi's eyes went wide and his tail snapped back. He spun around and tackled Luda to the ground, pinning him with an angry snarl.

"Can you kill me Rathi?" Luda asked- still smirking. "Really?"

Ryou stumbled back a little- looking down at the growing, red blotch on his shirt in shock. He reachined up and grabbed a handful of his hair as his hand trailed down to cover his wound before he fell back into Adam's arms.

Rathi's eyes flashed dangerously for a few moments, before he suddenly snapped out and grabbed hold of Dolly, tearing the fabric in half with a loud growl.

Luda's eyes shot wide and reached for the halves.

"No!" He cried out.

"Don't panick...a faster heart rate will make the blood flow." Adam told Ryou.

"Nngh...Ne...Neko..." Ryou breathed.

Before Luda could react, Rathi had sprung up and moved over to Adam and Ryou.

"Grab hold," He said quickly as he pulled Ryou into his arms and gave Adam his back.

"Wait, where you going to take him!" Adam asked urgently.

"Give him back!" Luda growled- getting up. "You give him back to me, NOW!"

Adam looked over before he took off into the forest while Luda seemed a little distracted.

Looking alarmed, Rathi took off into a run, cradling Ryou close to his chest.

He felt something slam into him from behind and fell to the ground, partly crushed beneath the tree that Luda had brought down on him.

"Rathi, run..." Ryou said weakly. "Just go."

"I said give him back!" Luda crashed through the brush.

Rathi looked up in alarm and tried to pull his lower half out from under the tree, but wasn't able to. He winced and cowered, covering his head with his arms - as if it would stop Luda's rage.

"Luda, stop!"

Rathi's body went still as he heard Glace cry out a few feet in front of him.

The boy hovered a few inches above the ground, his arms stretched out, protecting Rathi and Ryou.

Luda stopped and blinked.

"...He...killed you." Luda said- pointing at Glace. "He just up and killed you!"

Rathi could feel Ryou's blood pooling up against his chest.

"I'm not dead!" Glace cried. "He killed dolly... but she was just a doll, Luda! You actually hurt a person!"

He pointed at Ryou.

"I kill, that's what I'm made for!" Luda growled. "Why are you protecting them!? They want to hurt us!"

"Rathi, you really have to get out." Ryou said faintly.

"I can't leave you," Rathi winced as he tried again to wiggle free.

"Calm down!" Glace snapped at Luda - he wasn't talking in his normal sweet, childish voice. "Luda, look! You hurt his friend, so he hurt yours! You attacked first!"

"If you don't attack first, you die!" Luda took a step forward.

Glace slowly moved forward and wrapped his arms around the brunette, hugging him tightly.

"They aren't the mean man," He whispered, his childish voice back. "They aren't going to hurt you or me, Lu-Lu..."

"They all hurt, even you know that." Luda said stiffly. "We stopped trusting people when we were little kids!"

"But he's not a person," Glace reminded, nodding at Rathi.

"He's the enemy- they're ALL the ENEMY!" Luda burst.

"They're only the enemy if you make them!" Glace burst. "You know that, Luda- or else I wouldn't be saying it to you!"

"You're something I can't be anymore because of what they did." Luda told Glace. "That's why you have to live."

"But that wasn't them," Glace reminded, nodding to Rathi. "Let him go, Lu-Lu. Stop holding the tree down and let them go."

Rathi cursed. No wonder he couldn't use his mind to lift the tree up... Luda was pressing it down on him!

"If I let them go, they'll come back." Luda told Glace.

"Rathi isn't going to hurt you," Glace informed, before he puffed his chest up. "I'll protect you!"

"You can't do anything Glace, because you're not real." Luda sighed. "And it's not a matter of he won't hurt me he just can't hurt me."

"But he wont!" Glace whined. "I mean, look at him, Luda-! Yeah, he can't get that tree thinggie off of him... but he could easily try and attack you with his mind and he's not!"

He floated over to Rathi, who was still trying to push the tree off in vain. The dark-haired boy frowned up at him, but continued to try.

"His friend is dying." Luda said. "He just hasn't shaken it off."

"Lu-Lu, you're not being reasonable at all!" Glace whined, stamping his foot.