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!"