Disclaimer: I don't own Black Lagoon or any of the series' characters!

AN: Yeah... a bit of Black Lagoon angst heading your way. I was listening to Jason Mraz's If it Kills me...and then this hit me. Considering the last arc of Season 2... yeah...

What really struck me as interesting is what happened right after Revy's epic fight... and it all just inspired me to write this up. Please enjoy!

With Pride

Revy sighed, reloading her Cutlass effortlessly as she hid behind an empty crate.

The Japanese Yakuza opened fire, mostly to the surrounding walls of the warehouse. A few stray bullets embedded themselves into the crate which acted as her shield. The crate shook and splintered, but still held. The early morning light was not enough to give away her position.

Letting her eyes loose focus she sat up, not looking directly at her targets as she fired. That was the trick of fighting in dim luminescence. It only served to prove their inexperience.

Screams. Crashes. Glass breaking. Sirens.

There was no more exchanges of idle threats. No more trash-talking or clever quips. Nothing was left except empty shell casings and blood.

She ran a hand along her Cutlass holster. There were only two clips left. She knew the fight had to end soon. The initial thrill had dissipated and only the endless cycle of cover-fire was left.

The gunwoman clenched her teeth as she peered over the crates. The few Mafia members left seemed to be the seasoned lot. Their aim slowly ebbed over the various possible hideouts. It seemed like they were looking for more than one person. That brought a self-assured smile to her face momentarily.

She couldn't help but think back to the day when they had visited one of the traditional Japanese festivals. She had been shooting down tokens for a prize. He was eating dumplings. A proud smile graced his face as he spoke with a mouthful of food, "Well… they don't call you Two Hands for nothing!". It had shocked her how much even his manners had been changed by the short year that he had been working with the Lagoon Company. It made her wonder in what other, more subtle ways, had they tainted him.

Firing through the ready-made bullet holes in the crate she'd been using as a shield, she managed to take out all but two of them.

Resorting to diving out behind the crate, she emptied the remaining shells in one burst. Both men dropped to the ground like stones. Just like he had. His expression showed that he was just as shocked by the stray hit as she was. She had reached to catch him, and for the first time in her life, realized that she wasn't as strong as she thought she was.

Revy stood up, holstering her Cutlass and brushing off stray glass shards from her shirt. The fight had lasted longer than she had planned for, but then again, most fights do. She casually walked over the group of fallen Yakuza. Her brown eyes narrowed as she saw one reaching for his Glock in a last effort.

Her thoughts wandered to, even less than a week ago, how he looked at her. His eyes were so dark and dulled. He had asked her what the hell she thought she was doing. Ignoring his protest, she managed to keep up the cover-fire as she dragged him to the car. But, without a warning he had grabbed her by the back of her shirt and pushed her inside the car, shielding her with his body as he smiled cheekily. She was still unsure whether she was just too slow to react or too shocked to. His blood stained the leather seats of the car and matted her purple hair.

She walked over to the fallen Yakuza and kicked the weapon away in one smooth motion. Two entry wounds at his chest seeped blood and stained his navy silk shirt. He squirmed, clawing desperately in the direction weapon but coming no closer to reaching it. She crouched down to meet his eyes, "Do yourself a favour. Die with some …. pride," she snapped. The man looked away.

The woman straightened up and exited the warehouse. A job well done. Balalaika will be impressed. Dutch will be pleased. Rock's death was settled by her revenge. Nothing left to do but move on. The Lagoon Company will be on their way tomorrow to Port Edwards playing transporter for Eda and the Ripoff Church and their monthly payload.

… and she would walk home that night, fall on her bed and be asleep within minutes. She would get up in the morning, get dressed and carry on. But still, she couldn't help but let one stray thought enter her mind as she switched off the light of her room that night, 'What am I still doing this for?'.

Thanks for reading! Please drop me a message or a review if you liked it!