The sound of ragged panting and thundering footsteps echoed through her adrenaline filled mind as she hurriedly dodged through crowds of people.
Run. I have to run faster.
"Don't let her out of your sight!"
Oh god. I have to run faster.
Quickly, she ducked in to the nearest alleyway. It was hardly a smart move since she would be cutting through unfamiliar territory, but all she could think about was she had to get away.
"Stop you bitch!" They were gaining on her.
"Shit!" She took a quick left, jumping over garbage and empty bottles strewn across the dirty ground.
"What the hell are you idiots doing? Catch her quick." The footsteps were getting louder, quicker, heavier. Reinforcement. Great.
"I told you! I don't know where my brother is!" The small, brunette woman yelled loudly without turning around, "Leave me alone already!"
Her face paled as she heard the first shot ring through the alleyways followed by a few more.
"Don't kill her, we need her back alive."
Go away. Go away. Go away. Just go away.
"Ow!" she was halted when a heavy hand grabbed her by the shoulder; the man had snuck through another alleyway and intercepted her from the side, his beady eyes glaring down at her.
"Nowhere to run now, Tachibana An." An's eyes widened in fear, eyes locking with the larger man's.
"Good work." A young man with long, dark hair sauntered towards them from behind her, a group of men in suits trailing behind. The large man bowed lowly, before backing up slightly away from An. The girl glanced nervously at the dark haired man, "I told you...I don't know where my brother is...just...let me go." Her voice shook slightly when she quietly spoke.
The man snorted, slicking a stray strand of hair away from his face, "I don't care about what you do or don't know. Neither does my boss. Even if you did know," he leaned closer towards her, his handsome face only inches away from hers, "It would be worthless, and it's not like you would cough it up willingly, am I right, An-chan?" he dragged her name out sarcastically with a smirk and leaned away, standing straight now. "Bait does not need to do anything but lure what the captors want. So just shut that pretty trap of yours and just come with us quietly; if you keep making a fuss than, well, I can't guarantee that you'll have a pleasant stay with us." He smiled coldly at her, and waved his hand. The larger man placed his hand heavily on her shoulders again, pushing her slightly towards the now retreating group.
"No...No! Stop! Let go of me! I refuse to go with you, let me go now!" She flailed about, struggling away from her captors iron grip.
"Stupid girl! I told you to shut up; do you want me to break your pretty mouth?" The dark haired man turned back to the pair, eyes blazing in anger, "Hey, just knock her out. I can't take anymore of this shit." The larger man hesitated for second, and An took that as her opportunity. Quickly jerking to her side, he elbowed hard in the stomach and, once she felt his grip loosen from the shock, bolted.
"You dumbass! What the hell are you doing?" the dark haired man was beyond furious now. "After her you fucking retards!" and the chase was on again.
"Looks like you messed up again Shishido. Boss is going to have your head." A man with a short, purple bob spoke loudly from behind him, a grin on his face. "How are you going to fix this mess?"
"Shut the fuck up Gakuto, why are you still standing here? Get that stupid bitch!" Shishido was beyond livid, his face darkening with each word, "If we don't get her now, Boss will have both our heads."
She could hear the large amount of footsteps echoing through the abandoned alleyway as she continued weaving though, all she needed to do was find the right exit to a recognizable street and, hopefully, be able to locate the closest gang associated with his brother's gang.
The sound of gunfire now took over the sound of footsteps, and angry shouts could now be heard.
This time, they're coming for real.
She quickened her pace, Help. Oh god, somebody help.
Chancing a quick look behind her, she craned her neck over her shoulder and paled as she saw the group of suited men were already gaining on her, they're guns flashing in their hands.
Somebody. Brother. Kamio. Shinji. Somebody.
The next thing she knew, she came crashing into a solid body, causing her to stumble back a few steps.
Her eyes widened, she hoped, prayed, that it wasn't one of those goons chasing after her. Slowly, she looked up, only to look eyes with a pair of cold, brown eyes staring back at her. She immediately froze.
This man is dangerous.
He didn't look like one of the men chasing after her before, he carried an air that was not like an average mobster, but she could tell by one look that he was not someone you would want to encounter, ever.
The man was tall, dressed in a dark suit and a black fedora tilted over his eyes. Another man was standing beside him; he too was wearing a dark suit, with a very short mop of brown hair. The man with the fedora glanced at An briefly, before his eyes zoned in one the group of men coming at them from merely a few yards away.
"Genichirou." An jumped slightly at the quiet voice coming from the man beside the man with the fedora, "I believe that is..."
"I know." The man named Genichirou said, voice deep and edged.
The group chasing An immediately stopped a few feet away from the three wearily, eyeing the two new addictions with suspicion, in some, recognition. Shishido and Gakuto elbowed their way to the front; the former looked like he was ready to murder. The pair froze however when they saw the two men standing behind the now very pale An. They immediately straightened up, eyeing the two men with discomfort.
"Well, well. I didn't expect Rikkai members to be prowling around these parts. Least of all the infamous Sanada Genichirou and Yanagi Renji " Shishido said slowly, eyeing Sanada levelly.
"I could say the same," The man spoke coolly, "I believe this area belongs to us. Hyoutei has no business in these parts."
Shishido clenched his jaw tightly, Gakuto decided to cut in by stepping forward, "Well you see...We don't have business with Rikkai, or you two for that matter," he spoke haughtily, "We just want that girl." He jerked his head towards the brunette and added mockingly, "We'd really appreciate it if you handed her over Mr. Sanada."
Sanada stared at the pair over the rim of his fedora passively and briefly glanced at An.
He grunted and turned away, "Do as you wish. Now get out of my sight." He quickly began to walk away while the other man, Yanagi looked at An and hesitated, but ultimately decided to follow his companion.
Shishido and Gakuto both smirked at their win, "Alright stupid girl, you brought enough trouble for us now get over here now." Gakuto reached out to snatch at An's arm, who quickly jerked away.
"Never! I won't go with you!" An started backing away, glaring at the men in front of her. "I'd never betray my brother by helping you bastards!"
"You little-!" Shishido had enough, quickly storming up to the woman and grabbing her by the hair, "You little bitch," he snarled angrily, "I don't care what the hell the Boss says, I'll fucking beat you so bad even Tachibana won't recognize you." He shook her head a few times to emphasize his point. She cried out in pain and clawed at his hand, trying to pry his fingers away from her scalp as tears began to pool around the corner of her eyes.
"Hey, cool it Shishido. If you do that, she's going to kick up another fuss. My head is hurting enough already, let's just-" Gakuto immediately, eyes growing wide, "Uh, Shishido-"
He didn't get to finish his sentence, a hand came down on Shishido's wrist.
"What the-" Shishido glared at the offending hand on his wrist, but when he traced the hand to the owner, he immediately froze. Staring back at him was Sanada Genichirou, his eyes boring into him. "Tachibana?"
Shishido quickly dropped his grip on An's hair and backed away towards where Gakuto was standing. "Yeah...what of it?" his hands dropping towards his gun, Gakuto mimicking his action.
Sanada didn't waver, "Tachibana Kippei I presume?" his gaze dropped towards An, who gazed back up at him slowly, "And you have some relations to him?" An hesitated, but slowly nodded.
"I see." Sanada then turned towards Shishido and Gakuto, looking at them coldly, "Then I will take her off your hands." An froze, she stared at the back of the man standing before her, "What?"
"What?" Shishido echoed her words, an indignant look on his face, "I don't think so, hand that bitch over and we'll be on our way."
"Uh, Shishido..."
"Shut up! There's no way I'm going return empty handed again. Hand that girl over!"
Yanagi, who happened to be standing behind spoke, "I think you should reconsider. Have you forgotten where you are?" he spoke smoothly, but there was an underlying threat in his words. He turned his heavy lidded gaze towards the pair. "It would be in your best interest to the leave the girl with us. The chances of leaving Kanagawa with your lives are quite slim if you try to defy us."
Shishido gritted his teeth, "Oi, Shishido, let's just go. We can't just go picking fights with Rikkai." Gakuto tugged at his arm, directing him back to where they had come from, "We can't win this one."
Shishido started to slowly follow his partner, but not before shooting An a withering glare, "It's not over yet, I'll be back for you An-chan." He stressed her name and turned on his heel, following the purple haired man and their followers.
The three that were left behind watched as they disappeared into the darkness of the alley. An immediately sunk to her knees, she furiously began rubbing the tears still clinging to the corner of her eyes, trying to distract herself from the fact that she was now stuck with new trouble.
I can't run from this one.
"Tachibana An. 20 years old. Lives with her brother, Tachibana Kippei, boss of Fudomine. Currently missing. Mother deceased. Father on the run. Am I correct, Tachibana-san?" It was Yanagi who had spoken with his smooth voice, but unlike with Shishido and Gakuto, had spoken in a much gentler way.
An blinked, "How...?" Yanagi chuckled, "It's my job." He said simply.
An immediately rose to her feet, "Look, I know you're after my brother and everything...just like everyone else. But I really don't know where he is." She bit her lip, looking down at her feet with her hair curtaining her face.
And if I did, I'd never tell. I won't betray my brother. Never. Never Kippei.
Her brother was her everything, the only one she could trust, and there was no way she would let his enemies get their hands on him and do god knows what to him.
The pair didn't say anything, but they silently regarded her with analyzing, prying eyes.
"Regardless," Yanagi spoke again, kindly, "You'll have to come with us. It is not safe for a young lady to be on her own here."
Not like it'll be any safer with you two.
"I-I'm really grateful for your help. Really..." she started to edge away slowly, watching the pair carefully, "But, I..."
Sanada had not said a single word the whole time, but continue to watch her every move. "If you want to see your brother again, I suggest you come with us." He spoke evenly, cold eyes locking with hers.
Run.
She narrowed her eyes, "No...I won't..." Sanada's eyes flashed a look of annoyance and immediately looked at something behind her.
An's body immediately stiffened, she felt a harsh pain on the side of her temple, she stumbled forward and everything began to fade.
The last thing she saw was Sanada looking at her grimly, arms folded in front of him, and Yanagi looking at her passively.
"You should have listened to what you were told."
A/N: Will I finish my other work? Probably not. Will I continue this? Probability is higher. I realllllllyyyy wanted to do this mafia kind of AU, hopefully it'll all work out in the end. Title is subject to change...'cause I honestly can't think of titles...and on another note is rated T ok for this? I couldn't chose between T or M =/