A Simple Business Trip


The sun shined brightly against the ocean waves and the waves crashed against the dock with force. A single inhale of a cigarette and a release of breath into the air added to the various sounds of the city around Rock. It was days like this that momentarily made him forget where he was at and what he did for a living. The world he was a part of was not for the wary or weak of heart, at least that's what Revy always shouted in his face whenever he would think about it or speak of it. Grabbing his drink from the ground, he took a swig of it and let it take affect slowly of the others that he had swallowed down.

Peace and quiet, a calmness that he seldom experienced.

"Rock! Get your fucking ass off the ground and get moving! We got a job!" Revy came shouting, grabbing his bottle and taking a swig of it for herself.

Peace and quiet lost.

"You don't have to shut Revy, I can hear just fine." Rock responded, picking himself up and stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Ah shut up, I'll yell if I want to." Revy responded with a smirk. "Besides, ain't no controlling what I do."

"Someone will find a way someday." Rock responded with a grin.

"What the fuck did you say?" Revy glared at him.

"Nothing, nothing at all." Rock replied calmly and walked onto the deck of the Lagoon.

"That's right, now come on; let's see what Dutch has for us!" Revy shouted as she launched herself down into the hold of the ship. Rock followed suit and arrived into the ship to find Dutch sitting at the controls.

"Revy says we got a job Dutch, what is it?" Rock questioned his employer.

"Not sure, got a call in and Benny was the one to get it. But he was told to wait until we all were present before he told us." Dutch motioned over to Benny while he took a gulp of beer down.

"Well since we're all here finally, if one of us was late." Benny replied.

"If you're talking about me cocksucker." Revy growled.

"I didn't say that at all. Anyways, the job involves two parts of it. It's a delivery of two packages that go to two different countries, thanks to our friends at Hotel Moscow." Benny explained to everyone.

"What are the two countries?" Rock asked sitting back on the floor.

"One is in France, the other is in America." Benny answered.

"How much are we getting for this?" Revy quickly questioned, not wanting to waste her time going across the world.

"Two-hundred thousand, that's in American." Benny replied.

"Fuck yeah! I call France then!" Revy shouted in joy.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news Revy, but our friends don't want you going to France as part of the deal. Apparently the guy we're delivering the package to doesn't believe women should being doing work." Benny informed her.

"Son of a bitch! I'll teach that motherfucker a lesson about women!" Revy shouted kicking over one of the chairs by the couch.

"Calm down Revy, I'm sure we'll do just fine going to America." Rock assured her with a smile. Revy shot him a glare in response.

"Who says I'm going with you Rock?" Revy asked him crossing her arms.

"I do, he'll be able to keep you calmed down more than I can." Dutch replied.

"Aw come on Dutch!" Revy protested, if only to keep up her appearance to him and Benny.

"Don't push it Revy. Rock actually knows some things about American culture, seeing as his company dealt with them and he has experience. It'll be easier for him to make the transaction and hopefully keep you under control." Dutch explained.

"Rock in no way will keep me in his control!" Revy shouted.

"Enough, that's the final word of that. The real question I have is why Hotel Moscow wants us to deliver these two packages well outside of our usual area." Dutch turned to Benny who simply shrugged.

"I didn't get a straight answer from them, but they simply said they trusted us to get the job done. It's weird since Balalaika didn't say it herself, but they said it was on her orders. We actually have two planes that will fly us there, private of course since this is a high profile job.

"I would question it, but it's still the Russian Mafia and I'm not gonna fuck with if it's ordered." Dutch said.

"Anyway, the pay is two-hundred thousand so that's roughly fifty-thousand for each of us." Benny detailed further.

"Well then what are we waiting for?! Let's get these fucking packages delivered and get our money!" Revy smiled in earnest.

"The flights aren't due to leave for another day so we have time to kill for now." Benny added in.

"Are you kidding?!" Revy shouted.

"Nope, so tonight we can drink or do what we want. Here are your passports, fake of course, and the keys needed to get into Moscow's private jets." Benny replied, handing the others everything they needed. Rock opened his packet and studied it over carefully before placing it back into the envelope.

"Well, I guess that's it then. But I need to go take care of something before we leave and….I may need help from you Revy." Rock turned to her.

"What the hell you need my help for?" Revy questioned leaning back onto the sofa.

"Just come with me and you'll see. I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy it." Rock smiled nervously as he stood and headed for the hatch, turning his head before he stepped out. "Or don't, it's your choice."

Rock then stepped outside and onto the deck about to step onto the dock. Revy just starred in shock at his gesture and apparent attitude that he didn't care. Dutch just simply smiled, he knew what Rock was doing and it usually worked.

"Get back here ya jackass! You aren't going anywhere without me!" Revy shouted quickly following his path. Dutch simply chuckled and looked at Benny.

"Crazy as it sounds, those two are about the only people that can control one another." Dutch smirked.

"Wonder what will happen on their trip across the Atlantic." Benny leaned forward in his chair.

"Who knows with those two?" Dutch shrugged and started back on his closing preparations for the ship.

"Rock, get your ass back here! Where the hell are you taking me?" Revy demanded as she caught to him and punched him in the shoulder.

"So you decided to join me after all huh?" Rock laughed in response rubbing his shoulder.

"Cut the crap, I didn't join you because I wanted to, I joined because knowing you, you're gonna get in trouble." Revy protested.

"Whatever you say Revy, but this has been on my mind for a while." Rock said quietly. Revy's curiosity got the best of her and she looked at him puzzled.

"Spit it out then." Revy told him bluntly.

"I need a gun." Rock admitted quietly.

"A gun?! You?! That's the funniest thing I've ever heard!" Revy laughed uncontrollably. "Seriously, what is it?"

"I need a damn gun." Rock said louder and more open. Revy looked at him, wondering how serious he was about this.

"You don't use guns, you hate guns Rocky baby. Why the hell would you want one now?" she asked him seriously.

"Because if I get myself in a jam where it's an absolute last resort, I can at least defend myself and not put you or Dutch in harm's way." Rock explained.

"You don't have to worry about me damn it. You know I'm stronger than that, you've seen it firsthand." Revy laughed at her exploits.

"Revy, I take no pleasure in killing a man and I damn well won't go batshit crazy for it either. But if I can at least protect myself when needed, even if it's a small pistol, then I'll have a better chance. Being here long enough has taught me that some things are for the best and have to be done to survive." Rock, quietly said looking towards the sky.

Revy was unsure what to make of this change of heart for Rock. On the one hand, it was a much needed improvement from his businessman persona and it would help knowing that he may be able to handle himself in a fire fight….barely. However, the inner thoughts of her mind wondered why the one thing perhaps keeping her human, keeping her ties to reality was doing this.

'Am I going nuts? Why in the hell am I so concerned for this guy like this? We both know what this world entails, but for whatever reason, I can't bring myself to accept what he's doing.'

"Are you sure you want to get a gun Rock? It doesn't suit someone like you." Revy replied shaking herself out of her thoughts.

"And I don't think mass killing suits someone like you, but you do it and I don't question it." Rock rebutted back.

"If it hadn't been for me going crazy and killing motherfuckers left and right, you'd probably be dead ten times over." Revy glared back at him.

"Yes, but do you have to become so damn aggressive with people?" Rock replied calmly.

"Watch what you say Rock." Revy ordered him a similar tone.

"Or you'll kill me?" Rock grinned still looking at the sky.

"No, but I'll beat you to within an inch of your life." Revy replied. She wondered why it was that she was so calm around Rock and no one else. She had a vague idea, but at the same time she didn't want to admit it.

"Well, until then, let's go shop for my weapon and hopefully this job will go without a hitch." Rock said as they stepped into the gun shop.

"Whatever you bastard." Revy quietly replied as she stepped in, ready for a drink.

Within thirty minutes, Rock was inspecting his new weapon, something that Revy still had trouble accepting for a multitude of reasons. The main one however was the one that he actually chose.

"I still can't believe you picked that M-1911 as your weapon of choice. A fucking .45 caliber gun with a good amount of kick." Revy smirked at him with astonishment.

"It felt good in my hand to shoot and while it has some kick, it felt controlled for me. Besides, the U.S. Army used them for over a century, nothing beats reliability I always say and it's by far the more reliable hand gun I've known." Rock explained.

"You said you didn't like guns yet you know which is the most reliable? If that's the case I could've given you one of mine Beretta's or gotten a revolver." Revy joked.

"Yeah, and I'll jump off a bridge before you give me one of your guns. And a revolver has a smaller amount of shots and takes longer to reload." Rock joked back as he stood up and took aim down the iron sights of the gun. "Let's see if I can hit that can from fifty yards off that fence."

Rock took aim while Revy looked on to see what the result would be. Shooting at a big human target was one thing, or rather a sheet of paper. Shooting at a tiny can from fifty yards took accuracy. Rock took aim and adjusted for the low wind and quickly pulled the trigger. The M-1911 ejected the shell casing and fired the bullet, hitting the can dead center. Revy simply dropped her cigarette from her mouth in shock.

"How in the fuck did you do that?" Revy stood up and looked at the gun while Rock was still in his stance.

"Being a math guy does have its advantages. Doesn't hurt that I do some simple workouts like pushups and such to keep it steady as well." Rock explained putting the safety on and holstering the weapon.

"You could be a regular killing machine with that kind of accuracy. But don't forget, a real firefight is different." Revy laughed at the thought of it.

"I told you, it's a last resort. I don't take joy in killing like that. In self-defense, I may call the guy a cocksucker or something, but I'll never take the first shot." Rock looked at her sternly, causing her to step back slightly.

"Ok Rock, I get it. But you do look badass with that thing, even with a tie and white collar shirt." Revy smirked crossing her arms.

"Whatever you say. Anyway, want to hit the bar?" Rock suggested.

"Now you're talking my language! Let's get wasted!" Revy shouted and leading Rock to the bar for a night of drink.


"So when we get to Paris and drop off this package, what will we do afterward?" Benny asked Dutch as he zipped up his suitcase and put it off to the side.

"Get the hell out of there. I hate the idea of being in a piece of shit country like France." Dutch replied drinking his beer.

"Not a big fan of France huh?" Benny replied with a smile.

"Last time I was there, I was a soldier and the country wasn't exactly receptive of us or rather me. So fuck 'em." Dutch replied setting his drink down.

"Then why not go with Revy to America. I think myself and Rock can handle this." Benny joked.

"You're so full of shit right now." Dutch laughed loudly.

"Yeah, no shit I am. Rock and me by ourselves? We'd have a better chance of winning the lottery than surviving a fire fight together." Benny laughed.

"Yep, just unreal how bad that would be." Dutch replied.

"You think they'll be alright heading down to Miami? A lot of crime goes on there." Benny asked him.

"As long as they don't stray too far from what they're supposed to do, they'll be fine. We aren't known in Miami in the underground crime rings so it should go down without an issue." Dutch replied.

"That's not what concerns me though." Benny replied standing up and grabbing some water from the cooler. Dutch's curiosity was now raised.

"Dutch, Rock was talking about buying a gun the other day." Benny told him, almost making Dutch's heart drop.

"Damn it, that's the last thing I want to hear. You know how I feel about that." Dutch said putting his beer down on the counter.

"I think that it was for self-defense only, at least that's what he told me." Benny replied lighting a cigarette up.

"Self-defense or not, he didn't need a gun. I guess it'll make him feel safer, but I don't trust him with one." Dutch answered.

"I'm wondering what Revy thinks of it though, if he's told her that is." Benny replied.

"She'll love it or she'll hate it. There's no other choice." Dutch smirked. "That ought to be a good show to watch." Dutch then laughed.

"I think they'll be alright Dutch." Benny replied.

"I hope you're right Benny. Weird as it sounds, they are a perfect match for each other, at least on jobs. As far as anything else, I stay out of it. We'll see what happens. Worse comes to worse, Rock will be able to get out of it using his smarts and Revy with her guns." Dutch said taking an inhale of his cigarette and looking out onto the ocean.


"So how many drinks have we had tonight? I've lost count Rock." Revy slurred as she downed another drink of Bacardi.

"I've have no clue Revy." Rock slurred back as he swirled his drink in his hand. It had been about four hours since they had started drinking and they had downed at least a bottle and half of Bacardi, much less than what they could usually take down. They did have a job to do after all.

"Well, let's take one more and get out of here. We have to be up in the morning for our long flight." Rock said as he finished his drink in one gulp. Revy sighed in disappointment but finished hers as well. Paying their tab and not destroying the bar for once, they took their leave and began to walk back to HQ. Revy was stumbling a bit so Rock took her arm and placed it over his shoulder to help her balance.

"What the hell are you doing Rock?" Revy slurred out as they walked.

"Making sure you don't fall over onto the ground." Rock smirked.

"I don't need your help Rock." Revy said, tripping over her own feet.

"Just let me help Revy." Rock said, more of an order than a suggestion. Revy was too disoriented and drunk to argue or fight with him, not that she wanted to.

'Feels nice to have someone help, as if they actually care about my wellbeing.'

Her past was something that had haunted her for her whole life. It was hard to trust anyone, especially men. It was hard to see light in the world. But this man, this one man, brought a slim line of light back into her world, one that had not been visible for most of her life.

'What the hell am I thinking….'

Within a few minutes the pair was at HQ. Rock helped Revy walk her way into her room. He removed her arm from his shoulder and gently set her down on the bed. She sat on the edge with her head tilted down and held one of her hands to her head.

"I'll get you up a few hours before the flight. It's going to be a long day tomorrow so you'll be able to sleep off the hangover on the flight." Rock told her as he turned around made his way to the door. "Good night Revy." He said quietly as he left the room.

Revy lifted her head and starred at the door that was slightly ajar. She didn't know what to make of her mixed emotions right then. She judged it that it was partly the alcohol, ok, it was all the alcohol. She removed her jean shorts as she always did when sleeping and laid down on her side waiting for sleep to take her for a few hours before having to get up, for more sleep.

Rock shut his door and stared at his room wondering what to do first. He wasn't as affected by the alcohol as Revy had been and felt that he was coherent enough to lay out some clothing for the trip. The business attire he was accustom to was always what he wore. But for this trip they were going to Miami in the middle of summer. And it never hurt to have something different so that he wouldn't be recognized. He hoped that Revy would agree but he kept his hopes low there. Rock walked over to the closet and pulled out some clothes from his trunk, one of which was the Hawaiian shirt that Revy had given him.

'This shirt is ugly, but hopefully it'll keep Revy calm and it could work as a decent disguise, just in case anyone might recognize us.' Rock thought placing the shirt in his suitcase next to the trunk. He was packing light, probably for only a three day trip at the most. He continued to pack everything that he needed from shirts to pants, but no white shirt or ties in there. Sleep could wait a bit, he'd have plenty of it for the plane ride over the ocean.

Sleep for Revy however did not come easy or rather not at all, even after ingesting a nice amount of liquor into her system. She tossed and turned having a recurring nightmare every few minutes and waking up in a quiet gasp. The nightmare was the same and it wouldn't go away. Rock holding his new gun, shooting at enemies around him, protecting herself and Dutch as they lay injured. But it's not enough; reinforcements come in with sub-machine guns of different types. Rock tells them to get out of there to the protests of Revy. Dutch understands though that it's his final wish and grabs Revy and with one good arm carries Revy to the safety of the Lagoon, but she screams Rock's name as he smiles at her and Dutch and begins to shoot again, taking out a few enemies before he is rattled with bullets.

It's not the first time that she has had that type of dream.

'Why do I keep having these dreams? Every single one he sacrifices himself to save us. Every time he does that. I've killed hundreds of men before so why does the possibility of his death scare me so much?' Revy thought sitting up in her bed, part of her tank top hanging off her shoulder. She didn't feel the effects the alcohol anymore, it had been a few hours. She couldn't sleep though, not without knowing he was safe. She was a killing machine and didn't care about anyone else, but yet he kept creeping back into her mind. Her legs moved of their own accord and stood her up. She walked to the door and down the hall to his room and opened the door which was still ajar. Rock was asleep on his bed, his back facing her.

'Bastard, how in the hell can he sleep when I'm having nightmares about him.' Revy glared at him. However, her anger subsided and she walked into the room and noticed the suitcase at the foot of his bed packed up and his gun on top.

'All ready to go, figures.' Revy smirked as she walked closer to his bed. Kneeling down, she reached out to him and shook him gently.

'What the fuck is wrong with me? Why in the hell don't I just shout him awake? I must be losing my mind.' Revy thought in disgust.

But she didn't stop what she was doing.

"Rocky baby, wake up." Revy said a little louder, feeling the last effects of the liquor kick in one last time. Rock mumbled something before moving slightly and waking himself up. He took a moment to collect himself and see where he was. He flipped over and saw Revy kneeling next to him and looking at him with a calm face.

"What? Revy, what's going on?" Rock asked slightly confused and sitting up in his bed. Revy didn't reply and just looked at him for the longest time. Rock put a hand to her forehead to check her temperature.

"Are you sick or something? Why are you so quiet?" Rock asked her removing his hand. Revy began to growl and then quickly stood up.

"Damn it! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Revy shouted at him.

"For crying out loud, I thought you were sick or something! You sneak into my room half naked, wake me up and then shout at me?!" Rock shouted back. Revy shot him a glare and turned around heading for the door.

"Figures, guess I'll go back to sleep." Rock groaned and turned over.

"Rock, wait." Revy spoke back up.

"What?" Rock turned over, annoyed. However, his mood changed when he saw her standing before him. Her eyes, they were different. They were the shade of a sad person, someone that Revy was never known for. She never had shown that to anyone as far as he knew.

"Revy?" Rock asked again. Revy simply walked over to him and sat down on his bed not looking at him.

"Can I stay with you tonight?" Revy asked without looking at him.

"What?" Rock asked her, slightly shocked.

"Please don't make me ask again." Revy requested in a more serious voice. Rock wasn't sure how to answer this one. She had never been like this before.

"How do want to sleep?" was all he could muster. Revy simply smirked at his question.

"Like a couple would I guess, holding each other and shit?" Revy suggested. Rock was slightly taken aback by the request but didn't blush or anything of the sort. There was always an attraction between the two of most unlikely pairs. A white collar business man and a homicidal, gun toting chick, a match made somewhere in the insanity of the world.

"Sure thing Revy, but, can I ask why?" Rock questioned her. Revy didn't answer him right away, still figuring out her own answers to those questions.

"We have a long plane ride tomorrow right? I'll tell you then." Revy closed her eyes and scooted closer to Rock. He didn't argue with her, some things weren't worth arguing when it came to her. He grasped her around the waist and pulled her down back onto the bed with him. The contact was unusual for her but she didn't ignore it, it actually felt nice, something that she rarely felt.

'Feels really nice, not sure if I should feel this way at all though.' Revy thought, instinctively wrapping her arms around his torso and resting against his shoulder. It was something that she never felt or at least hadn't felt since she was a little girl. She couldn't recall. Right now though, it didn't matter, she was content and….happy, truly happy for the first time in a long time.


"You see Revy or Rock?" Dutch asked Benny.

"Nope, not since they left the ship. Could be drinking right now or at HQ." Benny answered sitting back in the chair after packing his things for France.

"Nice." Dutch sighed. "Not a good thing to hear, but I guess they've gotten in worse trouble when sober. Hopefully it'll go over without a hitch."

"Hopefully is an understatement. By the way, you comfortable with lending them the car? You do know I cherish the hell out of it." Benny smiled.

"Nope, it deserves to see its home country, and I doubt it'd stick out in Miami of all places." Dutch replied calmly.

"And you're sure that Rock will be able to operate it correctly?" Benny asked him.

"I wouldn't call it operating, but yeah, I have faith in him." Dutch turned his chair around and looked at Benny. "You know that saying about the quiet ones?"

"That you should watch out for the quiet ones?" Benny countered.

"Yeah, I think that's a load of bullshit. I think that because he's the one that keeps the human element in this life we live. And yet the human element is a twisted one. The people that live life in comfort or what they think is supposed comfort, things like Rock used to have, don't understand that the human mind is a fragile thing, that it can be broken in an instant." Dutch explained.

"So we're now officially in a lecture in college?" Benny smiled.

"Maybe, but I'm trying to get something that's been on my chest for a while. Saying that a mind can be broken in an instant is true, but it can also be broken over years of torment. The mind can be destroyed at any given moment. These are lessons I learned in Vietnam over my years of combat and watching my comrades be killed, go insane from the fighting, from the death around them." Dutch said taking a inhale of his cigarette.

"Surprised that you would even tell me all this." Benny closed his eyes and took in his words.

"However, the human body, the human mind especially is an amazing thing. It can be healed, in time, with help from others and in the rarer cases, with love. What I've found is that in twenty plus years since I left the service, what's helped me be able to cope with the loses of the men I fought with, good friends of mine, is that I remember what we did in the war, that we fought to try and save people from evil. We didn't succeed looking back on it. But we did for a brief time until the world took a turn and they took it right back. What I realize then is that some things couldn't be stopped but that at least my comrades and I fought the good fight."

Dutch took looked outside the window to the night sky.

"Night's like this came seldom for us, a calm that settled over the air. And we were scared for our lives, wondering if this was the night we would die? And we thought, this is what the German's must have felt like in their last days of war. I don't pretend to compare Nazi Germany to America, because one country didn't do the things another did. But then we decided that we could decide what was right or wrong and that what we were doing was truly right, not because history says so, but because we said so. I assume German troops did the same in their war as did the Vietcong, This is what drives lesser people insane, but it's what keeps me going, knowing what I did was right, that saving lives of other people from oppression that would see them killed, that doing everything we could do was what made it worth it." Dutch finished taking a drink of water.

"And I'm guessing this has something to do with Rock and Revy?" Benny replied.

"I'm not going to say that she will ever be a normal person, none of us are really. But I think if anyone can help her, it's him. When I hired Revy, I did because I saw a chance to fix a person that needed it, but also because of her skill with a gun. However, I knew that she couldn't be repaired by me but someone else. So she remained because of her skill." Dutch explained.

"So she was someone that you wanted to fix." Benny chuckled at his statement. "I don't believe that at all."

"Yeah, you shouldn't, hell that's what I tell myself anyways. I probably hired her based on her skills alone and the need for a living. But, bringing Rock on has helped me see it another way, or I'm just going on bullshitting you and myself. Who knows?" Dutch laughed quietly then stood from his chair.

"Gonna get some sleep?" Benny asked.

"Yeah, figure I may as well, you?" Dutch replied.

"Doubt it; I'll sleep on the plane." Benny answered.

"Right, well, hopefully will see the two crazy people in the morning before their flight leaves. If not, hopefully in a few days." Dutch said entering his quarters on the Lagoon for some sleep. Benny nodded and continued his own maintenance.


Said crazy people had woken up, or rather Rock had woken up first and then Revy, in a comfortable way considering how opposite they were. They were still snuggled together at the time, but they didn't make it awkward and simply kept quiet about. Rock wanted to talk to Revy about the situation last night but thought better of it. Revy simply looked at him before leaving the room to get her things together, giving him a rare but small smile. Truth be told, Revy didn't want to leave the embrace, but she would have been damned if she told him that. Two hours later, they were at the landing strip waiting for their flight to take off. They had noticed that one plane was larger than the other, almost as if it was a cargo plane. Dutch and Benny then pulled up in the GTO next to them.

"Still waiting I see, did you two go nuts last night?" Dutch asked stepping out of the GTO but left it running.

"A bit, but nothing we couldn't handle. We're just waiting for the planes to take off. You know what the delay is?" Rock replied.

"The delay is us Rock. The plane you're getting on is simply waiting for us to deliver the GTO." Dutch smiled.

"Wait a sec, Benny, you're letting us take the GTO overseas? What the hell is wrong with you?" Revy asked crossing her arms.

"Dutch is the one that suggested it and said it, not me. Otherwise, I'd never let you take the car." Benny shrugged.

"I have my reasons but you'll need this more than me or Benny will. Take the car and live it up while you're down there, once the delivery is done of course. And don't worry, there's fake license plates on it just for the trip." Dutch smiled as he grabbed his suitcase from the trunk of the GTO and began walking to his and Benny's plane. Rock and Revy simply looked at each other in confusion, but both shrugged it off and got into the GTO.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't." Benny joked as he grabbed his suitcase and followed Benny to his plane.

"Not making any promises." Revy smiled sitting in the passenger seat. Rock simply shook his head and drove the GTO into the cargo hold of the plane. Both quickly got out so the attendants could strap the car down. They were then led by one of the plane's attendants to the door separating cargo from the cabin. Both breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the interior was comfortable and not cramped. The noticed the very nice chairs that many passengers of regular plane trips could only hope for. Rock placed his suitcase by one of the chairs and took a seat, making sure his pistol was concealed and comfortable. Revy simply threw her things to the side and plopped onto the seat and relaxed with a smile.

"Now this is what we need. Fucking chairs like this on the Lagoon would make for a much better place to relax." Revy sighed kicking her legs up and resting her arms behind her head.

"You know Dutch will never do that." Rock smiled taking out a cassette player. Just then, one of the attendants came into the section of the cabin.

"Alright you two, we'll be stopping by in London first and refueling before we hit the Atlantic Ocean. We should arrive in Miami in around twelve hours." The attendant then returned to the front of the cabin without another word.

"Twelve hours, you're fucking joking right?" Revy groaned hanging her head.

"Afraid not, based on weather conditions, the distance of the flight and refueling, we're lucky it's not a longer flight." Rock replied.

"Great, a long flight and you've already bored me." Revy looked at him with a blank stare.

"Sorry, but it can't be helped. Anyways, I'm going to just listen to some music until we hit London and then maybe sleep." Rock stretched and put a tape into the player.

"Since when the hell do you listen to music?" Revy leaned forward with bemused smirk.

"Hey, I may dress the part of the business man, but I have my tastes." Rock said in defense.

"Really, let's see what you got then." Revy leaned over and began to go through his collection of cassettes.

"Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest, Metallica, Eric Clapton, I had no idea that you actually listened to this stuff. Sure as shit doesn't sound like you at all." Revy chuckled as she went through each one, seeing others such as AC/DC, Aerosmith and more.

"Well, I never listened to this much because of my previous life. But now, I actually get to listen to it and do enjoy it, along with other things." Rock replied untangling his headphones.

"Never thought you'd ever listen to music like that though." Revy simply replied falling back into her chair.

"Being with you guys changed a lot about me. Or rather it opened my eyes to what the world was like." Rock grabbing a bottle of water and taking a drink.

"Really, then what exactly has our world opened your eyes to?" Revy said crossing her legs and resting them on the seat in front of her.

"That the world as a whole is truly a depressing place when you think about it. I suppose that's why a lot of people in my old world seem so happy. They don't know what it's like outside of their comfort zone or they don't want to accept how bad it truly is when they watch the news. There's always going to be evil people in the world and you have to put up with it in a way. But the life that I live know, allows me more freedom than I ever had at my old place in the world, and freedom is what makes it worth it." Rock replied with a small smile.

"The way you're saying it, makes it sound depressing, even for you. Yet somehow you seem like there's a light of hope at the end of it all." Revy scoffed at the word.

"I think there is hope. I think there is ways to love life, but at the same time understand what life is. I think there some balance that everyone has in them. It just takes certain things to find them." Rock explained.

"Hmm, and that's how you feel about life. Man Rock, you really don't change much do you?" Revy chuckled lightly.

"Hey, I bought a gun didn't I? And I'm listening to this kind of music." Rock said innocently, smiling as he looked for an album to listen to.

"Ooh, you're such a badass Rocky baby." Revy sarcastically looked at him with "admiring" eyes, before bursting out laughing.

"Say what you want Revy, but you know you rather see me this way." Rock replied with a sly smile.

"And how the fuck do you know what the fuck I want Rock?!" Revy shouted at him.

"I don't, I'm just guessing." Rock shrugged finding an album to listen to and popping it in the player.

"You're guessing is gonna give you a new asshole." Revy growled at him.

"Well, wake me up you decide to do that." Rock smiled popping in the headphones and began falling asleep to the music. Revy was starting to get upset at her partner's nonchalant attitude.

"Hey! I'm not done!" Revy shouted but Rock simply ignored her. "Rock! Wake up you bastard!" She wanted to go over and punch him but she stopped herself as she looked at his peaceful form.

She didn't want to hurt him, she never did. He knew her better than anyone else. And she still had her own conflicted emotions to deal with. She heard the captain of the plane through the speaker announcing they would be taking off in two minutes. Revy simply ignored it, thinking of what the hell was wrong with her, the minutes ticked by quickly and the shudder of the wheels moved, the engines began to roar and then the rush of gravity and the lift of machinery ran through Revy's body. They were up in the sky on their way to London and then Miami, all the while Revy wondering what the hell she should do.

A mild bit of turbulence shuttered Revy awake and being in a plane didn't exactly reveal where or when she was. She looked around for any signs to try and help her out. She called the attendants for help, but they never showed up.

'Great fucking service here.' Revy thought in a pissed off voice before turning to Rock who was now reading a book and humming a tune that she didn't recognize.

"Hey Rock, how long was I out and where the hell are we?" Revy asked him, but he failed to notice. A vein popped in her forehead. She moved over next to him and smacked him across the back of his head.

"Ow!" Rock simply responded with his headphones falling off.

"Good, now that I have your attention, where the hell are we?" Revy asked him again.

"Didn't have to hit me you know, a simple shake or something would do." Rock rubbed the back of his head. Revy simply scoffed. "Anyways Revy, we're over the Atlantic Ocean now. You were passed out there."

"Nice, no wonder I feel so relaxed. And what the hell were you humming anyways?" Revy asked sitting down next to Rock. He didn't answer her, he simply handed her the headphones and resumed the tape. Revy could hear the sounds of guitar riffs and drums and then heard some of the lyrics and what sounded like the chorus.

"If you think I'll sit around as the world goes by, You're thinkin' like a fool cause it's a case of do or die, Out there is a fortune waitin' to be had, You think I'll let it go you're mad, You've got another thing comin'."

"Well that's certainly a surprise, listening to You Got Another Thing Coming is pretty damn awesome." Revy smiled handing him back the headphones.

"Hey, I think it's describes our lives perfectly. I think there's a song that describes us all though." Rock replied placing the headphones and player to the side.

"Can only imagine what song describes you." Revy laughed.

"Well I've got a good idea of what your song is." Rock replied.

"And what would that be Rocky baby?" Revy asked with a smirk.

"Breaking the Law or Bad Company ." Rock simply replied.

"Ok, I'll give you those two." Revy said taking a drink of Bacardi from the bag next to her chair.

"Well, I've given you my opinion. What song you think would describe me?" Rock asked looking at her. Revy didn't know how to answer that one because honestly she never thought about it.

"The fact that you're asking me is dumb but I'll give it a shot. Give me a few minutes." Revy said as she crossed her arms and thought about it.

"Ok, call me crazy, but thinking about the lyrics to the song and you're previous life, I'd have to go with Crazy Train" Revy said. Rock began to snicker and then busted out laughing.

"What the hell are you laughing at?!" Revy glared at him.

"It's just, oh, it's just, I never would have thought you would say that." Rock replied calming down.

"But that's what I really think you bastard. You lived that life and you're just as mental a nut case as the rest of us." Revy defended and scoffed at him.

"Alright, I guess you're right. It just gets me that you would say that." Rock said looking at her with straight face.

"Yeah, well that's all I got. Besides, what the fuck are we doing talking about shit like this anyway?" Revy asked him taking another drink.

"We still have four and a half hours of flight so we can either talk about something or just sleep." Rock replied grabbing the bottle and taking a swig.

"Well I'm not gonna be able to sleep so what the fuck are we gonna talk about?" Revy looked at him bored. Rock knew what he wanted to talk about, but he thought it was wiser to simply let her decide when to talk. But part of him knew that he had to get her to open up.

"You want to talk about last night?" Rock asked her. She seemed disinterested to it and didn't respond to him.

"Sorry Revy, you don't have to." Rock went to grab his headphones but Revy grabbed his wrist.

"No, I want to talk about it." Revy admitted. Rock slowly turned to face her and wait for her.

"Whenever you want to start Revy." Rock said, handing her the bottle. Revy accepted it and took a good drink of it. She would need it in order to say what she wanted to.

"Last night, was something I really needed. I never had anything like that in my life. I've told you as much, and you know how fucked up my life is. I mean, I fucking take joy in killing people that I hate or are shooting me. But what you said, that there's ray of hope for everyone, it hits me hard. I never shared anything like that or this with anyone. You're the first person that I can remember really sharing with." Revy looked at him with a solemn face.

"Revy…"

"That night, I had the most peaceful sleep I could ever remember. And yet now, it's not enough. It's taking everything in my will to tell you this now because I never had to, never wanted to." Revy sighed fighting to urge to stop and start cursing him out.

"For a while now I've felt like this but I shoved it down to stay strong, to make sure no one would ever see me in a weak state. Even now, it hurts to admit what I'm saying. I'm fucking damaged goods, you know that. And I never have had to deal with this and it's taking everything in my fucking gut to actually say it." Revy admitted.

"Revy, you don't have to say anymore if you don't want. I'm happy that you've said this much. I'm just wondering what brought this about is all." Rock smiled at her. Revy looked at him with a look of….sadness in her eyes.

"I never had to say anything like that, but you made me want to say that, you made me have a heart again you bastard. You made me believe this, even if I didn't see it." Revy smiled at him.

"It wasn't intentional." Rock smiled at her

"I know it wasn't. I don't know how to figure this out, it'll take time you know that right?" Revy told him.

"Yeah, I know. I'm patient and I want to see where it goes, if you want to." Rock replied grasping her hand. She returned the gesture.

"I do you fucker, there may be hope for me yet." Revy smirked then shivered violently.

"Cold?" he simply asked. Revy nodded in response. Rock turned around and saw the lavish interior of this part of the cabin had a decent sized couch towards the side, something he missed when he entered the plane and wasn't sure how he did. Rock leaned over his chair grabbed a blanket, knowing he would probably need it.

"Come on, let's use the couch and stay warm." Rock led the way to the couch; he took a seat by the end. "Where do you want to sit so we can share this?" he asked her. Revy smirked at him with an idea. She sat directly on his lap and rested her head on his shoulder.

"How's this Rocky baby?" she asked him. Rock was staggered but somehow kept himself composed at the thought of her in this position.

"F-fine Revy." Rock blushed but smiled none the less, grabbing the blanket and throwing it over them. Revy didn't know why she was doing this, probably the alcohol, but looking at all the signs, especially how she would be jealous whenever Eda would pull some bullshit, she figured that if she had half a heart she would have done this sooner.

"Rock?"

Rock looked down at her and she looked up at him.

"Thank you." She smiled at him and rested her head against his shoulder.

"Of course." Rock smiled and then smirked with an idea popping into his head. "If you're interested, I think I may have a song that describes us as a pair."

"Oh man, what the hell are doing? You're killing the fucking mood." Revy shook her head.

"I'm surprised that you accepted that we were sharing a moment." Rock chuckled.

"You're killing it Rock." Revy rolled her eyes.

"Alright, I'll say this, just listen to this and you'll agree." Rock said, plugging the cassette player into the small speaker on the couch. He turned the volume up slightly and pushed play. The sound of a guitar stringing together hammer-ons, pull-offs and bends filled the air and the familiar voice of Eric Clapton sang in melody.

"What'll you do when you get lonely, and nobody's waiting by your side? You've been running and hiding much too long. You know it's just your foolish pride."

Revy smirked at the lyrics and then the chorus.

"Layla, you've got me on my knees. Layla, I'm begging, darling please. Layla, darling won't you ease my worried mind."

"You're a real fucking Romeo. God damn this is cheesy as hell." Revy chuckled lightly.

"Change the name of the song and don't tell me that you wouldn't agree." Rock smirked wrapping his arms around her waist. Revy couldn't deny it, sappy as it was, it described the feeling she felt being like this.

"You bastard, stop being so sappy. I'm not used to this yet." Revy snuggled closer to him.

"One step at a time, remember what I said earlier." Rock reminded her. "I think there's some balance that everyone has in them. It just takes certain things to find them."

"Or certain people." Revy simply replied, referring to him.

"…or certain people." Rock simply replied.

"Now can we stop talking about songs and shit and just enjoy the music?" Revy asked him wrapping her arms around his torso.

"Sure, what do you want to listen to?" he asked back.

"Nothing sappy, something that rocks and kicks ass." She answered. Rock managed to escape her grasp momentarily and grabbed three cassettes.

"Take your pick." He responded hold up three different albums. Revy looked up and saw the choices she had to pick from which were Guns N' Roses first album "Appetite for Destruction", Alice in Chains "Facelift" and Van Halen's debut album.

"Throw in Appetite. And I hope you don't have any fucking Bon Jovi anywhere otherwise I'll have to beat the shit out of you." Revy warned with a smirk. Rock laughed, making a mental note to destroy or hide his Bon Jovi tapes as he put in Appetite for Destruction and they let themselves fall asleep to the music.

'Good thing Sis told the attendants that we could do this. Now I can enjoy this time with Rock.'

So the pair listened to Axl Rose's voice as he growled out "Welcome to the Jungle" and began to fall asleep warmed up from the cold air of the Atlantic Ocean.


"Dutch, you get a weird feeling just now?" Benny asked as he stretched from the seat, a little more than two hours outside of France.

"Nope, why you ask?" Dutch asked him putting down his magazine.

"I don't know, feels like a major shift in our world just happened." Benny replied sitting back and grabbing one of the magazines on computers he hadn't read yet.

"You know I don't want to know about that shit." Dutch replied taking a drink of beer.

"I know, it just feels like something big just happened, like a major weight had been lifted." Benny shrugged.

"Don't say things you don't know about Benny, bad luck coming from that if you do. Or at the least, don't give me a lecture on life." Dutch replied with a chuckle.

"I wasn't going to anyway, just felt weird. It's not like it could be something to do with Rock and Revy finding some sort of relationship." Benny and Dutch looked at each other and then burst out laughing.

"If that happens, the world will end the next day." Dutch joked and laughed hard.

"Want to make a bet of it?" Benny suggested.

"Alright what's the bet?" Dutch replied.

"It concerns those two. I wouldn't ordinarily make a bet here but because of that sudden deal I feel like making that bet." Benny explained.

"Shoot." Dutch answered.

"Alright, I'm taking the bet that when we get back, that they'll have some kind of relationship. Not a friendship, I'm talking relationship." Benny explained.

"Alright, I'll do you one better. I'll bet that when they get back, they'll be in a full relationship. Kissin', fuckin', all that shit." Dutch replied.

"Man, you're really taking the bet to the next level there. Let's do it." Benny grinned.

"Alright, what's the wager?" Dutch asked.

"When the jobs are complete and payment is received, loser has to give $10,000 of his $50,000 to the winner." Benny explained the bet.

"And how do we determine what relationship they're in?" Dutch asked.

"That….could be a problem. Revy will force him not to say anything and we know Revy won't say a fucking thing either. Shit, we haven't thought this through have we?" Benny asked.

"I think we'll know when they get back." Dutch replied with a grin.

"Ok and if it's still the same, then it's a draw." Benny explained.

"Agreed." Dutch nodded.

"Anyway, what's the plan besides go in, deliver, and get out? You can't be sure that it'll go over without a hitch. And I'm not exactly good with a gun." Benny reminded him.

"Well, that's where I've already planned ahead just in case. I've hired a few extra guns to scout the area and make sure they have our asses covered from the hills. Expert snipers are a really good thing to have on board to protect. They're no Revy, but they're pretty damn good." Dutch explained.

"And how did you pay them?" Benny asked him.

"Balalaika owed me a favor from a job way back when and I never cashed it in until now." Dutch replied.

"I see, must not have been what you wanted to use it for protecting my sorry ass." Benny smiled.

"It's not a problem and it's about the most I was going to get out of her anyways. So at least we'll have some cover fire if needed. As for the drop point, it's going to be delivered directly into the person it's intended for. It's in their HQ but the office apparently has a nice amount of windows for the snipers to guard us." Dutch explained.

"Then why bring me?" Benny leaned forward.

"Because I need you keeping an eye on the snipers and making sure they're in position ready to fire in case shit goes down." Dutch answered him.

"I see, well at least I'll be away from the guns then. But just to make sure, I'd take that 870 Remington with your revolver." Benny suggested.

"Already planning on it, hopefully I'll be able to keep the safety on. Once this shit is delivered, we're getting the fuck out of France." Dutch gritted his teeth.

"Still don't like Paris huh?" Benny leaned back, resting his head against his arms.

"Not one fucking bit." Dutch replied going back to his magazine.


Revy felt a violent shudder stirring her from her sleep. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw that she was still seated underneath Rock's blanket and still sitting on his lap. The music had stopped playing and there was a quiet silence around them. But she was comfortable and didn't want to wake up. She snuggled back into his embrace and rested, just enjoying the warmth.

'Still can't believe that I'm fucking doing this. What the hell is wrong with me?' she thought, taking in his scent. 'Least he smells good.'

"Revy, that tickles." Rock said quietly, startling her a bit. She wouldn't say that though.

"A tickle or a punch, your choice." Revy said back. Rock's answer was to simply hold her closer. "Keep doing that Rocky and you may see one of two things happening, one very nice and the other very violent."

"And why the two choices, why not just the nice one?" Rock said nervously softening his grasp on her.

"I didn't say stop did I?" Revy replied with a smirk.

"But you said…" Rock said.

"I know what I said, but I'm not going to be the little girl who wants to be held every second. I'm not going to change who am I completely…but it doesn't mean I don't like what we have here. I told you, it's going to take some getting used to this and see where it goes." Revy smiled feeling another violent shudder of the cabin.

"Damn it! Why the fuck is this plane continue to keep shaking?!" Revy growled looking around.

"I think we've landed in Miami." Rock explained looking out the window and seeing palm trees and sunny beaches.

"And the captain couldn't have said anything?!" Revy continued growling.

"I think he did, you were just asleep." Rock answered.

"And you didn't wake me?" Revy shot back.

"Sorry, I wasn't sure how you'd react." Rock answered.

"You've woken me up in my own apartment with my ass being half naked and I didn't kill you then. I think you would've been fine here." Revy sighed.

"Sorry, I keep forgetting." Rock apologized.

"You're lucky you're the only man I actually give a shit about." Revy laughed as the plane came to a stop.

"What about Dutch and Benny?" Rock said removing the blanket.

"Them two, but not as much." Revy answered while getting up and stretching her arms and legs. Rock did the same and went over to his suitcase and opened it grabbing a shirt, one that Revy recognized.

"Is that the shirt I gave you two years ago?" Revy asked grabbing her guns and taking the holsters around her chest.

"Yep, I didn't get rid of it. I also think it would be good here since it's sunny beaches and a good cover." Rock replied.

"A shirt doesn't do much for camo Rock, but I'm glad you kept it." Revy replied. Rock smiled and then saw that she wasn't going to be very discreet with her guns hanging out.

"Revy, do you have anything to cover your guns?" Rock asked.

"Of course I do. Just give me a second." Revy answered back going to here bag and grabbing a button down shirt and throwing it on. "Put some buttons up and it hides my guns."

"Nice." Rock simply replied.

"You expect me not to where my jean shorts in Miami? It's fucking Miami!" Revy laughed, grabbing her small bag and heading to the rear of the plane into the cargo hold, Rock following suit. They threw their things into the trunk of the GTO and hit the cargo hold door, not bothering to wait for the attendants to undo the ties. Revy simply shot the ties off from their locks while Rock got inside and started the car up. Revy hopped in through the window. The cargo door lowered and Rock shifted the car into reserve and gunned it out the plane, quickly shifted into first gear and gunned it through the airport, leaving a trail of smoke behind.

"Hello Miami, hope you're ready for the fucking ride of your life!" Revy shouted out the window as they hit the road into the city. Rock simply shook his head and grabbed the slip of paper taped to the dashboard.

"Let's see, this says that we have four hours from now to make the delivery and this location here is saying here that it will take about two hours to drive there." Rock said more to himself than to Revy.

"So we have two hours to kill, let's live it up first!" Revy shouted in excitement.

"We have two days to kill if we get it done first. Would you rather get crazy first or have an extra two hours before the flight takes off in a few days?" Rock mock asked her.

"Damn it Rock, I hate just sitting and waiting!" Revy sighed falling backing into the seat.

"Well the place we're going is more off road so we could have some fun in the GTO. This thing can drift pretty good." Rock explained.

"Since when the hell do you know how to drift?" Revy scoffed at his remark.

"Dutch took me out about six months ago and showed me some things, that and just from watching." Rock replied.

"Well, let's see what you can do." Revy suggested with a smirk. Rock simply smiled in response. He saw a corner coming up and saw there were no cars in the area. With a quick jerk of the wheel to the right, he pushed the clutch and downshifted into second gear from third and hit the throttle. The tail of the car kicked out as he turned right and with a quick flick of the wheel to the left and kept the car in control as he accelerated the car and short shifted into third gear causing the car to straighten out and tear down the road.

"Alright, you can drive the car pretty fucking good. Glad Benny changed it to a stick shift." Revy smiled as the adrenaline rush began to wear down. She grabbed one of her cigarettes and lit one up. It had been hours since she had one.

"I swear these things will kill me." She joked taking a drag of the smoke.

"Probably, you haven't benn killed by any bullets yet." Rock joked back.

"Ain't no bullet strong enough to stop me." Revy grinned.

Rock took that statement with some disdain. Sure she hadn't killed by any bullets yet, despite thousands of them being fired her way. But she had taken bullets in the arm, kunai in her arms, a samurai sword to her knee. The thoughts of her death occurred to him very rarely, but the moments it did come to him, it put a sinking feeling in gut. He started to focus simply on driving the car as they hit the back roads towards the location they needed to arrive at. Revy took note of the silence that followed, wondering what had gotten him so down. But she shrugged it off, not realizing what it actually was so she simply passed out again from boredom. She didn't realize that a simple nap could go by so quick.

"Revy, wake up." Rock shook her away. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"What is it?" she asked shaking her head awake.

"We're here." Rock simply stated. Revy took a look around and saw that they were in a clearing with a pair of buildings in it, or what was left of them as they were abandoned apparently with windows busted and rust taking the metal while vines covered much of it.

"Go figure they'd want it here. I'm keeping my guns loaded. You'd better do the same with your M-1911." Revy suggested arming both her Berettas with a bullet in the chamber…..safety on of course to keep her from being shot by accident.

"Alright, but I don't intend to shoot unless I'm being shot at." Rock replied grabbing his gun from the seat.

"That kind of attitude will get you killed Rocky baby." Revy replied matter of fact as she got of the GTO. Rock got out as well and went to the back of the car and retrieved the suitcase from the trunk. They didn't see anyone outside and assumed that they must be inside. The entered the building closest to them and saw that lights illuminated the building with about twenty or so men armed with AK-47s that were instantly aimed at them. Revy drew her guns from their holsters, ready to kill every single one of them.

"We're here to deliver this to your boss or whoever is in charge. You out number us twenty to two, there's no need to keep your guns up at us." Rock calmly stated putting his arms up chest level and hands open.

"Rock what the fuck are you doing?" Revy gritted quietly.

"Trust me would you?" Rock whispered back.

"Tell her to lower her guns to the ground and we'll do the same." The man said in a thick American accent. Rock looked over to Revy and nodded at her. She looked at him in shock.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Revy told him.

"Don't forget Revy, I have mine too. I can toss it to you if need be." Rock whispered. But before Revy even put her guns on the ground a man walked into the room from out back.

"Let her keep her guns, it's twenty assault rifles versus her two pistols. And there's no cover in here either so they would be gunned down in moments." The heavyset man said as he took a seat by a desk that had multiple maps and sheets of info on it.

"Come, let's have a moment of relax and get this transaction going." The man said with a smile. Rock and Revy looked at each other with question.

"Well, you're the sensible one. Go ahead and talk Rock before I kill him." Revy replied holstering her weapons. Rock smiled as he pulled up a chair to the desk.

"Your friend is quite the trigger happy one." The man said, his smile still present.

"She can be, but she knows when it's best not to shoot up everyone in sight. Anyways, here is that information that you requested. We haven't opened it as everything should be in order." Rock explained as he handed the briefcase the man across the table. The thick accented man open it to make sure everything was still in check.

"Very good, since everything is here our business is done." The thick accented man replied standing from his seat. Rock did the same and walked over to Revy.

"If that is all, then we'll be on our way." Rock said as he led Revy to the double doors, but they quickly closed in front of them.

"Sorry, but I cannot allow anyone that knows of my location or my deeds to leave alive. I am truly sorry." The man said, motioning his soldiers to ready their weapons.

"You motherfucking, limp dick, son of a bitch. You have anything idea who you're fucking with?!" Revy growled grabbing her weapons, angered at him and concern for Rock's wellbeing over running her.

"No and I don't care. I have an army compared to you two right now." The man laughed at his supposed advantage.

"Rock, get your gun ready and run for the columns of the building. They aren't much, but they'll protect you from some bullets." Revy whispered to him, hoping she would be right.

"What about you?" Rock said back.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Revy assured him. Rock nodded and didn't wait as he quickly ran to cover behind the column closest to him.

"Forget about him! Shoot the girl first! Fire!" the man ordered. Bullets started spraying across the entire building as Revy started to dodge and weave her way around the AKs-47s. She made quick work of ten soldiers, getting fortunate headshots to save ammo. Taking cover behind the column to her right, she quickly reloaded and notices Rock was shooting his M-1911 but wasn't hitting anything.

"Rock, damn it! Don't waste fucking bullets!" Revy shouted at him.

"I'm trying Revy! Not exactly my fucking foray here!" Rock shouted back.

"No shit!" Revy said shooting some suppressing fire back, taking out two more soldiers. Rock then noticed a few grenades had rolled around to him his feet.

"Revy, I've got concussion grenades!" Rock shouted.

"Then fucking pull the pins and throw it!" Revy shouted back. Rock quickly pulled the pins on two of them and threw them at the last remaining group of soldiers, sending them back as they became disorientated. Revy quickly stepped out, took aim and shot the remaining soldiers in quick succession. Brain matter and blood were all over the floor as the last bullets were fired and Revy was looking for the thick accented man.

"That son of a bitch fucking ran!" Revy said loading new ammo clips into her Berettas.

"I think I saw him head out the back!" Rock shouted as he began to run towards the rear of the building.

"Shit! Revy, get to the car, he's getting away!" Rock shouted as he grabbed her and ran to the GTO. Just as they got into the car, they saw him leave in a high powered Mercedes Coupe down the back roads.

"Son of a bitch thinks he's gonna get away, he's got another thing coming!" Revy gritted through her teeth. Coincidentally, she hit the dash which started the radio and the lyrics to a certain song started blasting.

'If you think I'll sit around as the world goes by, You're thinkin' like a fool 'cause it's a case of do or die…'

"You got to be kidding." Revy laughed as Rock started the car and shifted into gear, taking off after the Mercedes down the dirt roads. Rock paid no mind to the song, he was pissed. He was going to get this guy for pulling this shit. Revy started shooting at his tires and smiled while doing it.

"You got another thing coming, motherfucker!" Revy shouted, syncing it to the lyrics on the radio.

'Seems she's taking these songs pretty damn well.' Rock thought. Just as he finished that thought, he saw that the man was throwing a set of spikes out the window.

"Shit! Revy, get down!" Rock shouted pulling her into the car, but not before she was able to get two shots off, hitting his shoulder and the rear tire of the car.

The Mercedes quickly veered off the road and then flipped end over end before landing on its roof. Meanwhile, Rock pulled Revy down to the seat while he tried desperately to keep it stable as the spikes punctured two of the tires. Skidding across the dirt, he hit a tree with the back end of the car causing some cosmetic damage but nothing serious. It was good thing because it actually stopped them and kept them from falling off the side down a steep embankment. Rock caught his breath and then looked down at Revy.

"Revy, are you ok?" Rock asked as she lifted herself, noticing that she had two bullet grazes against her arm and leg, with some blood dripping from the wounds.

"I'm ok, just some damage." Revy smiled at him. However, for some reason Rock was beyond pissed, seeing Revy like this sent his blood boiling. Grabbing his gun, he opened the door and slammed it shut as he went to seek vengeance. Revy looked on in shock, not bothering to attend to her wounds, she grabbed her Berettas and followed him. The look in his eyes, they weren't normal for him, they were full of hate, just full of hate. Just as she got around to the over turned Mercedes, she saw him beating the man to a pulp with the butt of his gun. Apparently he had been able to crawl out and tried to make a break for it. He might have had a chance if his legs weren't broken.

"You son of a bitch! How dare you fucking pull that shit on us! We delivered your fucking package and then you try to kill us! Do you know who we are?!" Rock shouted as he continued to hit the man with his pistol. However, he was stopped by the one person he least expected. Revy grasped his wrist to stop him.

"Rock, it's ok. Stop before you kill him." Revy sadly smiled at him. She pulled him away from the man and had him wait behind her.

"Alright you son of a bitch, any last words? Perhaps explaining why you tried to kill us?" Revy smiled putting her gun to his temple.

"You fucking bitch! It was nothing more than business!" the man growled, spitting blood in the process.

"Really, then I guess me putting a bullet through your skull is just business. You must be an idiot since you had all your men with guns in the warehouse and none to protect you out here." Revy smirked.

"Fuck you, you piece of shit skank. I hope you get raped by Satan himself." The man spit in her face. It was one of the last mistakes he would make, but not before feeling the pain of two gun shots to his knees and howling in pain.

Only Revy didn't fire them.

Rock stood over the man with his gun barrel smoking and an evil glare on his face.

"Rock…" Revy gasped at him as he stood beside her, his breaths raising and lowering quickly. He put the temple of his gun to the man's forehead and looked at him with piercing eyes. Rock had his finger on the trigger, ready to end the man's life. Revy looked at him and time seemed to slow down as she watched the scene play out in front of her. And something inside her didn't like what she was seeing. She grasped his hand and pulled the gun down.

"Don't. Let him suffer out here in the middle of nowhere." Revy said pulling him back and looking him in the eyes. Revy was never the voice of reason, and if it had been anyone else holding that gun, she would have let him shoot them. However, Rock was different and for whatever reason, she didn't want that to happen.

"Revy, this man hurt you, he tried to kill you." Rock said defiantly.

"I know, and he tried to do the same to you. But I don't want this, not you doing this." Revy said taking the gun from his hand holstering it for him. They looked at each other deeply, Rock feeling his blood lust cool down. The silence between the two was broken by laughter in the air.

"The mean dog is stopped because the bitch of the tough woman spoke to his heart. Haha!" the man laughed at them.

"Revy, I'm going to turn away. Do what you want to do." Rock said taking a walk over to the side of the hill and lit up a smoke. Revy glared at the man and walked over to him, shooting the man in his elbows and again in the knee caps.

"I was going to let you suffer without any more pain than you already had. But now, you're going to really suffer for trying to kill my partner." Revy smacked him with the butt her gun.

She grabbed a screw driver that had flown from the trunk of the Mercedes and then punctured the gas tank that was shown now that the car was overturned on its side. She took the now soaked screwed driver and flung it at the man, gasoline flinging onto his shirt and pants while the tank began to leak gas on the ground next to him. He suddenly realized in fear of what was going to happen.

"Listen, I was hired to do this by someone, it was just business. Please, I have a wife and children." The man began to beg.

"You think you're going to live after this?" Revy pressed the barrel of her gun against his chin.

"You have two bullets lodged in each of your knees. You're never going to walk again. You think that after trying to kill my partner that I would help you, even at his request? And as for your family, let me tell you something, anyone desperate enough to save themselves will say just about anything. If you have a family, I'm doing them a huge favor. But I'm willing to bet you don't." Revy said before turning to Rock.

"Give me your lighter Rock." Revy ordered. Rock didn't bother to turn around. He simply grabbed it and tossed it over his shoulder, Revy catching it in midair. She took note of his quiet stance and decided she would talk to him later about it.

"Before I light you up, tell me what's in that briefcase?" Revy ordered with a look of anger on her face. The man looked at her with fear in his eyes.

"The payment for killing you….and him…." He answered in a stutter.

"I see, how much?" Revy asked him.

"One hundred thousand." The man simply answered as he began to accept his fate.

"Not enough to kill us with, and I know that Hotel Moscow would never have us killed, so tell me, we're those attendants on the plane yours, did they change the briefcase or fill the money? Answer wisely and I may burn your body after you're dead, not before." Revy asked flicking the lighter.

"Yes, they were men and women that gave us the money. They infiltrated Hotel Moscow and they were ordered by our contact to fill the money in the case and deliver it to us. Then we fulfill our end of the deal." The man explained calming his nerves.

"I see, they should have killed us on the plane then. At least they would have died there and taken us with them. Now, I intend to kill them too." Revy replied walking over to the car.

"Last question, anything to fix the tires on our car with?"

The man simply nodded to a kit over by the passenger door. Revy grabbed it and examined it before tossing to Rock, not in the mood to simply hand it to him.

"Rock, go fix the tires before they lose any more air." Revy ordered. Rock simply tossed his cigarette and went to the GTO about one hundred yards away and began to fix the tires, not wanting to hear any more of the conversation.

"So, do I die by gunshot or by fire?" the man asked calmly, hoping it'd be the quick and easy way. Revy put the gun to his temple.

"You'll die with pride and for helping us. You're friends though, will not meet the same quick easy death." Revy said wrapping her finger around the trigger and cocking the hammer.

A single gunshot rang out in the air.

Rock had been able to fix the tires and refill the air with an air pump that Benny had conveniently put in the trunk of the car. He was now sitting the driver's seat with the engine running and ready to go. Revy walked over and sat in the passenger's seat, suitcase with money in hand. Rock shifted the car into gear and took off down the road past the burning car and body. Revy attended to her wounds by wrapping bandages around the grazes while Rock simply remained silent and drove. Hours passed by as they made their way back into Miami, unsure of what was awaiting them. Rock was strangely quiet and Revy decided not push the issue right now, they had to get to a phone and get in contact with Dutch. Stopping over by a pay phone, Revy grabbed the contact number to reach Dutch ready to call him. She took a quick look at Rock who was still silent.

"I'll be back in a minute." Revy said, Rock answering with a nod. Revy simply shook her head and sighed at him and went to the payphone and dialed the number.

"Come on Dutch, pick the fuck up." Revy muttered as the line rang. Finally, someone picked it up and the voice she heard breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, is that you Revy?" Dutch answered over the line.

"It's me Dutch, we had some problems. Real major fucking problems." Revy said with an aggravated voice.

"Yeah, we did too. Motherfuckers tried to ice us as soon as we delivered the suitcase." Dutch replied over the phone.

"Same here, fuckers we're paid one hundred grand to kill Rock and myself, all conveniently delivered in those suitcases we took. " Revy explained.

"No shit, same with us and the men we hired to cover us almost took us out too. A fucking a setup. Looks like we got our two hundred grand though? You think Balalaika has anything to do with this?" Dutch asked.

"Doubt it, but I wouldn't say never. From what I can tell, they infiltrated Hotel Moscow in order to get to us. Whoever set this up had inside info, or at least knew enough about us to do this." Revy replied.

"My thoughts exactly. Is Rock ok?" Dutch asked her. Revy looked over at him who was simply leaning forward on the steering wheel.

"Yeah…yeah he's fine. Dumbass did pretty fucking well with his gun." Revy smiled over the line.

"Kill anyone?" Dutch replied.

"Nah, but he laid down good suppressing fire and didn't get me killed. I'd say he did well." Revy answered.

"Good, he's not dead and neither are you. We have this payment and maybe more if Balalaika didn't order the hit on us. Four hundred grand total if we're lucky." Dutch replied.

"Fucking A. By the way, tell Benny that there's some damage to the GTO, but only some dents in the panels." Revy said over the line.

"WHAT?!" Benny shouted.

"It's on speaker Revy." Dutch chuckled. Revy simply sighed and smirked.

"Tell him he'll have money to fix the fucking thing and that he's lucky it's not destroyed." Revy said, hearing Benny's protest over the phone.

"Right, well fuck, you're both stuck there for at least another day. Let's see what Balalaika can do for us getting a ride back home without getting you two killed. Hopefully she's not in on this." Dutch replied.

"If she is, she'll be six feet under with the rest of them." Revy replied.

"Don't go crazy Two-Hands. For now, just lay low and give me a call tomorrow at three o' clock." Dutch ordered.

"Gotcha." Revy said before hearing the receiver on the other line go dead. She hung up her phone and walked back over to the GTO and got in the passenger's seat.

"Well Rock, we're here for another day at least. What do you want to do?" Revy asked him. Rock simply shrugged.

"It's up to you Revy." Rock simply replied. Revy pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"Alright, let's go get some Bacardi and find some place to down it. There's a liquor store about a mile from here I think. Let's go Rocky baby." Revy smirked, noting that he was still silent as he started the car up again.

'This isn't him.'

Soon enough, they had bought their drinks and pulled up along an old boat port which hadn't been used in years. Rock still didn't say anything as he sat on the dock looking out to the sea watching the sun set slowly. Revy walked over to him and sat down.

"You ok?" she asked him looking at him. Rock simply shook his head.

"Pretty fucked up day huh?" she then added.

"No different than any other we experience." Rock simply replied with no expression. Revy was a little disappointed he didn't use his smile to joke it away.

"There's no shame in what happened Rock. I know you aren't a gun person." Revy tried to console him in her way.

"It's not the gun. It was the fact that I was that close to killing him. I said I would use the gun in self-defense, never like that." Rock said looking at his weapon then turned to looked at her. Revy was starting to get pissed off now.

"Rock, you need to stop being so fucking depressed about this. You didn't do anything wrong you dumbass. Ah damn it, I knew this was bad getting you a gun." Revy said to herself.

"You weren't complaining at the time." Rock defended himself.

"Yeah well if I knew you'd be this depressed about it, I wouldn't have done it." Revy replied.

"Fuck this, I'm not gonna sit here and listen to this." Rock said getting up and beginning to walk away.

"Hey, get the fuck back here! I'm not finished!" Revy shouted back.

"Why?! So I can hear more bullshit spew out about how I'm bad at this or I'm not what you want me to be. I'm not you Revy, I never will be. This isn't me, even after all these years, it'll never be me." Rock said with anger in his eyes.

"I don't want you to be damn it!" Revy shouted back at him.

"Is that why you stopped me? Tell me the truth for once damn it!" Rock shouted back at her.

Revy wasn't sure how to answer that. She herself still was trying to figure it out. She thought about it on the ride back in the city and she kept coming up with two conclusions. One, she was losing her mind and two, she didn't want him to be that way.

"Because you didn't want to use a gun that. I didn't want you to use a gun that way." Revy admitted to him. Rock simply looked at her with a small amount of shock.

"You're a dumbass you know that? You can't read the fucking signs when a woman cares for you can you?" Revy smirked looking at him. He simply shook his head and sighed.

"You'll have to explain Revy. You're not exactly an easy woman to understand. Others are and usually they're women simply trying to get in the sack with me for whatever reason." Rock looked back at the ocean.

"If you're talking about Eda, she just wants a dick put in her snatch and her ass at the same time. And you're right, I'm not an easy woman to understand, never said I fucking was. But, that's because of my life. This shit isn't easy to explain for someone like me and I'm trying the best I fucking can." Revy explained.

"Then explain it, I got time. We got our money and then some." Rock said looking at his pack of cigarettes.

"Rock, I think it's pretty obvious. The night we spent together, the plane ride over, I mean, I don't know what I have to do to spell it out." Revy said.

"We were drunk the first time and the plane ride we were cold. I still don't know if you do care for me or not even if you've told me a million times now. I need to know for sure." Rock simply replied. Revy was getting angry again and grabbed him by the collar.

"Rock, I actually give a shit about what happens to you. I actually have fucking feelings for you. I've never felt that evil when killing someone, never felt that type of emotion because of one person. Fucking damn it!" Revy shouted before pressing her lips to his and shocking Rock's system before quickly pulling back.

"Is that enough?" Revy asked him. Rock simply nodded.

"Good, because I'm not sure I can say it any other way. I actually like you that way Rock. You're my fucking tie to the sane world, a person that actually makes me see the bright of things, even when I know they aren't there. You're the person that has me thinking that there is a life beyond this fucking shithole." Revy said letting go of his collar and palming his neck.

"Revy…." Rock simply replied.

"I just hope you return the same fucking emotions, otherwise I'll fucking go ballistic. And I know that I'm fucking crazy, that I'm a gun toting psychopath and probably there are better women out there than me and less baggage. But that's how I feel." Revy forced out looking at him. Rock simply starred at her for a minute, causing her to get upset again.

"What?!" she shouted at him.

Rock simply smiled.

"It's just that Revy, there's no other woman out there I would want to be with. You showed a side of life that is free. Fucked up, but free. But what you said, would you leave that life if it meant being with me?" Rock asked. Revy simply smiled and palmed his face with one hand.

"I would leave it in a heartbeat if it meant following you. Not having to kill anyone is a nice idea. But I'm not sure it would or will ever happen." Revy said.

"We can find a way. But for now, we need to get back and figure this out before we even can think about that." Rock reminded her.

"I know, but I don't want to leave this yet." Revy said looking out to the sea.

"We'll have time to talk later." Rock said grasping her hand and rubbing his thumb over it. Revy simply smiled and leaned in closer to him.

"You're a big fucking sappy Romeo wannabe, ya know that right?" She said.

"You chose to be with me, don't blame it on me." Rock replied back.

"Point taken." Revy retorted. Rock then looked down at his gun and then looked at her. She could tell that he was deep in thought.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Do you want this of me?" Rock asked her.

"Stop talking in riddles and just fucking say it." Revy ordered.

"You want me to keep this gun?" he asked her. Revy looked at him and then at the gun. She didn't think twice. She grabbed it and tossed it out into the water.

"That a good enough answer for ya?" she asked with a smirk. Rock simply nodded and held her closer to her.

"So what now?" he asked her.

"Let's get a nice hotel and get some sleep." Revy simply replied.

"Maybe we need to get you some new clothes. Yours are pretty worn after that." Rock said.

"Oh please, you'd rather see me without them and you know it." Revy smirked at him, causing him to blush slightly.

"Aww, does Rocky baby imagine me without my clothes?" Revy teased him.

"I'm not going to answer in fear of being shot to death." Rock answered back.

"I won't shoot you, and if it makes you feel better, I've had dreams about it too." Revy leaned in whispering into his ear.

'Yep, she's fucking crazy.'

"You're really a crazy temptress, you know that right?" Rock said to her.

"Only for you Rocky baby, only for you." Revy smirked at him.


A/N: Hopefully I got it to where I wanted it. This manga / anime has me intrigued and I can see there's lines of redemption of character in it so hopefully I nailed that mix but kept it close to the characters as I could. Not sure if I'll make a sequel or add chapters to continue it. Only took me a week to write 33 pages but I'm not going to rush it. May have missed a few things, but hopefully you all enjoyed it.