Disclaimer: I don't own Demashitaa! Powerpuff Girls Z and any of its characters used in this fanfic.

A/N: This one-shot is part of the Criminal series, and it is a partner one-shot to Criminal Admiration and Criminal Adoration. Criminal Admiration centers around the Redz, and Criminal Adoration centers around the Bluez. This one-shot centers around the Greenz, and it takes place in the same time frame as its partner one-shots. You don't have to read the partner one-shots before reading this one, but if you want to know what happened with the Redz and Bluez (and maybe compare what happened), then I highly recommend reading them.

The Criminal series is entirely AU, so there's no such thing as the RRBZ, PPGZ, black/white light, etc. And for anyone who is curious, yes, the Criminal series will have a sequel in the form of a multi-chapter fanfic in the future (i.e., whenever I finish my current PPGZ fanfics).

The original one-shot of this was written and posted back in 2012. It was inspired by a prompt, which said to include murder or mystery in our writing, in my English class. At the time, I started it off with a poem, which is the exact same poem I used in the beginning of this one-shot. Back then, Butch and Kaoru were the last things on my mind when writing the poem. It was only after I got home that day that the gears turned in my head, and it wasn't long before the original one-shot was born.

In 2013, I went back to the original one-shot because honestly, after visiting it a year later, I felt unsatisfied. So, I decided to not only make it longer, but also include more interaction between Butch and Kaoru, and as a result, this revised one-shot was born! Afterward, I decided to make the Redz and Bluez versions on what went down, and so, the Criminal series was born as well.

Also, fair warning: compared to the partner one-shots, this one-shot is the most suggestive, but not explicit, so I've decided to make this M-rated. If at any point you feel uncomfortable and/or offended, then feel free to leave.

Anyway, enjoy the one-shot, folks!

Criminal Devotion

A key I have given
to the one to reveal
the secret from within
that started from a deal.
Betrayal followed pursuit.
Now one has died.
Could you be the one with virtue
that is willing to try?

An eighteen year old woman with light green eyes and black hair stared angrily at the note in her hand as the policemen were pushing people away from the crime scene. She was just an intern. Although, she honestly didn't expect that she'd get stuck with police work. To be honest, the only reason why she was still even there was the fact that she had to write a report for her English class. Her English teacher was the one that suggested students to choose an internship. It was optional, but her English teacher insisted that it helped many people to decide on what career they wished to pursue—even the teacher herself.

If it wasn't for that English report she had to do about her internship every week, then she would've stormed out of the place already. Her so-called "boss" was irritating her like hell, but her co-workers told her to hang in there. Even her two childhood friends told her to endure it for now.

In her point of view, though, her two childhood friends had it easy.

One of them was a pink-eyed redhead by the name of Momoko Akatsutsumi. She got to work as an intern at a fancy restaurant. Although she at first complained that it wasn't a sweets shop, she decided to stick with it because it was related to food and cooking, anyway. Even now, she still had her long, flowing hair tied up into a ponytail with that bow of hers. Unlike how large it was when they were younger, this one was much more smaller, and it was barely noticeable from a distance.

The other one was a light blue-eyed blonde with curly pigtails by the name of Miyako Gotokuji. Her twin pigtails reached to her shoulders, complimenting her eyes perfectly. She received an intern job of being a fashion designer—something that she had always dreamed of getting ever since she was young.

Of course, this made the light green eyed woman frown the minute she saw that her childhood friends received what they wanted, but not her. She honestly wanted to get an intern job of wrestling (due to the influence she received from her father), but because her university considered that "too violent" for a female (Momoko and Miyako had to restrain her at this comment), they assigned her to having an internship with the police instead.

She had to admit that working with the police felt satisfying, but the fact that she barely got to do any fieldwork irritated her. She was forced to stay away from the crime scene at all times and to not interfere. She couldn't even participate in anything at all besides doing paperwork. This, of course, irritated her immensely. However, she couldn't complain. The university insisted that this was the only intern job left for her that would fit what she wanted, so she simply had to endure it.

The black-haired woman scratched her head as she stared at the body of a businessman before her. He wasn't mutilated. In fact, there seemed to be no wounds on his outer appearance. She tilted her head as she tried to come up with solutions on how the victim died. She frowned as she realized that she couldn't come up with anything. At once, she glanced down at the note that was left behind, wondering just what it exactly meant.

Another victim, another note. That was apparently the routine, but what was frightening was that the note was for her and for her viewing only. That's why she never once turned any one of them in to the police. In fact, if she did, they'd leave her out of it. She knew that she had to help them somehow—even if they'd reject to this idea.

At once, a voice interrupted her train of thought.

"Matsubara!"

The woman flinched as she quickly shoved the note into the pocket of her green jacket. She then looked at the older policeman who was glaring at her before she then casually asked, "Yes, officer?"

The policeman frowned. "How many times do I need to tell you to stay away from the crime scene?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on! It's not every single day that I get to witness something like this!"

"Three serial killers are on the loose!" the policeman retorted as he scowled.

"So? I can easily kick their asses! You know I can do that!"

The policeman sighed before muttering softly, "Kaoru Matsubara, this isn't some kid's game. This is the real deal. I don't want you to get affected by this, and neither does anyone else at the station. That's why we—"

"Insist that I stay away from everything except anything related to paperwork," the woman known as Kaoru interrupted, rolling her eyes. Waving her hand, she said, "All right, I get it, so don't get your boxers in a twist, old man. I'll head back to the station." With that said, she started walking away.

Immediately, he grabbed onto her shoulder to stop her from walking any further. "Wait, you need a police escort!" He then sighed as he rolled his eyes. "And how many times do I have to tell you that I'm not that old?"

"God damn it, I just said that I can take care of myself!" Kaoru exclaimed as she jerked away from his grip. She ignored his last comment as about being an old man. Honestly, she saw him as one because she was one of the few people—if not few, then the only person—that bothered to have an internship with the police. "I know how to defend and kick ass, you know!"

"That doesn't matter! Your dorm is close by, right?"

Kaoru nodded.

"Good. Go to your dorm and stay there, Matsubara."

"Why not the station?!"

"Well, first, your dorm is closer! Second, there are more witnesses near your university and dormitory, so you're less likely to be a victim—"

"All right, I get it! I'll head back to my dorm!" Kaoru interrupted before walking away. As she continued to walk down the street, she grumbled angrily to herself about the situation.

It's only been half a year since she started working, but the murders have been happening for at least a couple of months now. Sure, she knew about the serial killers, but she could handle herself. After all, her father was a professional wrestler, and she did learn a couple of moves from him.

If anything, it was Momoko and Miyako that she should worry about. Although the two of them learned some moves from Kaoru when they were younger, Kaoru knew that they probably wouldn't be able to sustain that long in a fight as she would. That, and the fact that the two tended to attract a lot of male attention—it was mainly Miyako, but even Momoko had male attention from time to time—would always worry Kaoru.

However, she knew that the two would be safe. After all, they worked at a place with lots of witnesses, whereas for Kaoru, she was an intern for the police. If anything, she had the most dangerous job out of all of them, but to her, that was one of its perks. It made it all the more reason as to not quit—even if she could name a couple of reasons as to why she should.

Lost within her thoughts, Kaoru sighed as she eventually realized that she was standing before the gate of her dorm. She, Miyako, and Momoko were all in the same dorm, which she was thankful for. The fact that she didn't have to share a room with them was a nice bonus for her as well. She could barely handle their "girl talks" as the three of them were growing up, so for Kaoru to have a room to herself made her feel sane. The dorm they were living in had only the three of them, since it was a pretty small dorm. Most of the other females lived in the other exquisite dorms, but to her, Miyako, and Momoko, the dorm they lived in felt just like home. It was comfortable, and that was all they needed.

Entering the dorm and closing the door behind her, Kaoru yelled out, "I'm home! You guys here?"

No response.

She frowned at this before she then looked at the time. The frown on her face grew even more when she saw that it was 6:30 P.M.

"That's strange… They should be home by now," she muttered softly, blinking a couple of times after raising an eyebrow at the clock. Figuring that Momoko was working overtime (probably for the food or a new recipe she came up with) and that Miyako was working hard as ever on a new fashion design, Kaoru shrugged it off as she casually walked up the stairs and down the hallway. She eventually reached before her dorm room. She then opened the door and turned on the lights, only to find that there was something there.

Only, it wasn't an object. It was a human being.

She recognized the eyes and the skin almost immediately. Even so, she felt her heart race. Whether it be from adrenaline or not, she didn't know. Nonetheless, she narrowed her eyes at the being who was sitting upon her bed and grinning at her.

"Why, hello there," the being stated, revealing that it was none other than a man about the age of twenty. The grin on his face grew as he stared at Kaoru. Eventually, he tilted his head slightly and asked, "How have you been?"

Glaring at him, Kaoru growled as she reached into her jacket before pulling out a gun. It had taken a long time for Kaoru to convince them that she'd one day need a gun in case for self-defense. Though the officers were reluctant about it (and the chief, along with the university), they were eventually persuaded by her words and allowed her to keep a gun. Of course, she could only use it in extreme times of self-defense—and this was one of them. Inwardly, she made a note, thanking herself that she didn't bother to give up when she was persuading them. Kaoru lightly placed her finger on the trigger as she pointed the gun at the man.

And yet, despite the situation, the man continued to grin at her.

"How long has it been, Kaoru? Three years?" the man asked, revealing his dark green eyes and pale skin. He raised an eyebrow at the woman before him. Receiving no response from Kaoru made him frown. "You're not ignoring me, are you?"

"If I were to ignore you, you'd do something to me," Kaoru growled angrily. Narrowing her eyes, she added, "I'm not taking that chance to let you slip away—and maybe even murder me."

The green eyed man smirked in reply. "So you got my little note?"

"So what if I did? That has nothing to do with the fact that you're in my room," Kaoru retorted. "Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"And if I do neither?"

Kaoru shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. If you're alive, then you'll just get out again." She slowly stepped closer before letting the tip of the gun touch the man's forehead. "If you're dead, then there will be less threats existing in this world."

Smirking, the man asked out of nowhere, "Now, now, Kaoru… Would you really kill your lover?"

Kaoru growled as she pushed the tip onto his forehead even more, even though the man didn't flinch whatsoever. "The past is history. If I were you, I'd be more focused on the present, such as this very situation."

The man continued to smirk at her, making no response until he said, "Okay, then. Try to shoot me—that is, if your gun is even loaded."

Kaoru blinked a couple of times as she began to lose her composure. Just as she was about to pull her hand away, the man seized the gun from her hands, aimed at the wall, and pressed the trigger. Kaoru expected to hear a loud bang and a hole in her wall, but the only sound that she heard was a simple click.

Kaoru stood dumbfounded with her eyes wide. Was this even possible? She knew her gun was loaded! Before she could continue her train of thoughts, she heard sounds of small objects falling onto the floor. Looking at the man, she saw of how he had dropped none other than her bullets onto the floor. Her eyes grew even wider as she watched her bullets roll about on the floor.

"By the way, I took care of the gun in your drawer as well," he said as he smirked. As he threw the gun carelessly in another direction, he added, "And a bunch of other threatening objects in your room."

Narrowing her eyes, Kaoru growled as she clenched her fists tightly. "How the hell did you even find me?"

"You'd be shocked at how easily we can obtain information as criminals," he replied, smirking still. Quickly, he frowned and said, "It'd be nice if you went to our side as well…"

Kaoru scoffed as she glared at him. "Like I would become a criminal."

"Even for the sake of love?"

"We were never in love! God damn it, you and your brothers freaking lied to us! About your parents! Your past! Every. Little. Detail." Kaoru was already huffing at this point, she saw of how he was still smirking. She narrowed her eyes before sneering at him. "And the fact that you were murderers even back then made us completely sick."

The man stared at her blankly in response.

Kaoru stood her ground as she continued to glare at him. She couldn't help but wonder just why he was even here—or how he even got into the dorm.

Standing up, he walked closer to her. With every step he took, Kaoru still stood her ground. When the two were finally face-to-face, he grinned at her. He tilted his head before leaning in to her face. His eyes glinted mischievously as he whispered, "You always did stand up in the face of danger. That's one of the many qualities I love about you."

Kaoru narrowed her eyes at him. "Why are you here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I came to see you."

"Cut the crap, Butch. That never worked on me before, and it never will."

The man known as Butch raised an eyebrow before grinning at Kaoru. "You remember my name."

"How could I forget? You're everywhere on the news with your brothers."

"Yes, we've gotten pretty famous, haven't we?"

"Infamous for being serial killers."

Butch chuckled softly. "You're talking to one right now so calmly. A regular person would've screamed—just like that businessman you saw."

Kaoru's eyes widened. "You murdered him?!"

Butch gave her a deadpanned look. "I left a note for you at the scene, didn't I? So yes. Yes, I did." He then wiggled his eyebrows at Kaoru before saying mischievously, "How did you like my notes, by the way? Pretty mysterious, right?"

Kaoru growled at him. "Cut this sort of crap, Butch! You killed someone—an innocent victim, in fact!"

Butch stared at Kaoru before rolling his eyes. "It was his fault for getting into affairs that didn't involve him. Besides, he isn't what you think—"

"Does it look like I want to hear your freaking excuses?!" Kaoru yelled as she leaned her face even closer towards his face. Her eyes were narrowed dangerously at him. Before she could yell even more, she flinched as soon as she felt two arms wrap around her waist. Just as soon as she tried to pull away, she felt herself being pulled even closer. "Butch, what in the name of hell—"

She immediately cut herself off as she felt his lips brush lightly against her neck. Kaoru had no idea how to react at the moment, but she began to struggle. As she started to try pushing him away, she felt his lips attacking her neck even roughly than before. When she felt him bite gently, she gasped in surprise before stopping all of her actions.

Taking advantage of the situation, Butch slid his hands down to her bottom, and he squeezed both cheeks as hard as he could. He chuckled when Kaoru let out a soft gasp and glared at him. He raised an eyebrow at her and replied calmly, "Stubborn as ever, I see."

"If you don't let me go right now—"

"If you like it, then just say so. You always did make excuses to hide your true feelings."

Kaoru growled before she tried to push him away. She frowned when Butch didn't move a muscle. Instead, she felt a slap against her bottom, and at this, she let out a loud squeal.

Butch chuckled softly before roughly squeezing her butt cheeks once more. He leaned in and then began to brush his lips against hers. "My brothers and I kill for a reason." When he saw that Kaoru scoffed, he added, "We did it for the very girls that we love."

Narrowing her eyes, Kaoru growled, "Do you really expect me to believe that load of bull?"

Butch raised an eyebrow at her. "Still defiant and harsh with that tongue of yours as well. Three years haven't done much change to you. Well, except that you have a sexier body than before—"

Kaoru then tried to cut him off with an uppercut, but he grabbed that fist of hers. Her eyes went wide at this, but she quickly glared at him. Just as she tried to even knee him, she felt herself slammed against the wall. Her back ached slightly from the sudden impact, but it wasn't long before she felt Butch's lips collide roughly against hers. She pulled away at once, and just as she was about to yell, she felt his tongue enter her mouth.

She didn't know how else to react to this other than to struggle. Her hands were trying to push him away, but Butch didn't even move one inch. His tongue continued to probe her mouth, and she fought back defiantly with her tongue. She thought that maybe he'd eventually leave his guard down; what she didn't think of was getting her bottom smacked roughly again. Kaoru let out another squeal, but it was muffled by the kiss.

The struggled continued for what seemed forever. Every time Kaoru managed to pull away from the kiss, she was forced back into it—only a lot rougher than before. Eventually, Kaoru managed to punch him in the stomach when there was enough space. She heard a soft grunt escape from Butch's mouth as he pulled away. Kaoru took that as another chance to try to push him away, but before she knew it, she felt herself being thrown—right onto her bed.

She was lying flat down on her stomach with her face right on her pillow. Her face paled as she suddenly realized what kind of situation this would create. She turned her head to find Butch staring down at her. His dark green eyes were clouded full of lust, and Kaoru's fear suddenly caused her to look around frantically for anything to defend herself.

Just a few feet away was her gun, and there were a few bullets beside it. Kaoru did her best to try to crawl off of the bed and reach for it, but it was already too late—she was already ensnared in his trap. She hated to admit it, but she was. Just as soon as she managed to crawl off the bed, she was violently pulled back, and her head was pushed face down into the pillow.

Kaoru turned her head to at least be able to breathe. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Butch was hovering over her. She tried to elbow him, but he had already rolled to the other side. Kaoru growled, and she yelled, "Butch, when I get my freaking hands on you—"

She was cut off by a loud slap to her bottom again, causing her to squeal. Kaoru immediately covered her mouth with her hands. She kept on trying to figure out what the best thing to do in this situation was, so she glanced around frantically around the room, but there wasn't anything she could use as a weapon. The only actual weapon was her gun, which she couldn't even reach.

Before she could try to think other solutions, she heard Butch whisper in her ear, "Bad girl."

Kaoru turned her head to glare at him. However, she felt her bottom get smacked roughly again, so she covered her mouth to muffle her squeal.

Butch chuckled as he let his hand teasingly brush against her bottom. His grin only grew when Kaoru narrowed her eyes at him. He pulled her head backward as he removed her hands. His dark green eyes only grew even more lustful for the woman underneath him when she continued to glare at him. He pushed her back down, making sure that it was only her head against the pillow and her hands were far away from her. Butch pulled her head upward—just enough for her to breathe and to let him hear her.

Kaoru huffed before finally managing to say, "You…asshole."

He made scolding noises at her before letting his body rest on top of hers. His arm wrapped underneath her body, trapping her arms and bringing her lower half upward. Butch leaned in towards her ear before whispering huskily, "You're a very naughty girl, Kaoru. Defiant, stubborn, and harsh. That mouth of yours can easily get you in…trouble."

Kaoru flinched when she felt his tongue lick underneath her earlobe. Before she could retort, she felt his lips roughly attacking the side of her neck and his hand smacking her bottom once more. Another squeal escaped her mouth.

"Moan for me, Kaoru-chan," Butch cooed.

"Never," Kaoru replied harshly. She could feel how sore she felt from the amount of times her bottom was slapped, even though she was clothed. Kaoru cursed inwardly of how she couldn't even do a damn thing against Butch.

"I'll think about stopping."

"That's one hell of a lie, you asshole!"

Butch made more scolding noises before he gave her bottom another smack. He chuckled when another squeal escaped her mouth. "I wanna hear you moan. Your squeals are satisfying, but I wanna hear you moan, Kaoru." He leaned in and whispered huskily in her ear, "Come on. Moan for me."

"Like hell that's gonna happen," Kaoru retorted as she began to struggle beneath him. Just as soon as she did, she felt her bottom smacked over and over, and a gasp escaped her mouth each time.

"Oh, gasping? This is an improvement," Butch whispered huskily. "Let's see if I can make you moan."

Kaoru continued to feel her bottom smacked over and over, and she did her best to stifle whatever noises came out of her mouth. She tried to get her hands and arms free, but it was no use. Her arms were completely bound to her sides by Butch's arm. If it was one thing she hated about him, it was his strength—and how he could always get into these kinds of situations with her. Weak, vulnerable, defenseless—she hated these feelings so much, but he somehow always made her feel this way, even back then. This situation, though, was by far the most extreme one she had ever been in.

"Come on," she heard Butch coo. "Moan for me, my buttercup. Just moan."

Kaoru growled upon hearing that nickname, and she began to try to struggle the lower half of her body. When she heard him grunt, she raised an eyebrow at this, but as she continued, she felt him breathe heavily into her ear, causing her to flinch.

"The more you grind your ass onto my crotch, the more I'm seriously gonna think about stripping you naked and taking you right here and now," he whispered darkly to her.

Kaoru's face flushed slightly at this. She had no idea that she was actually doing that, and she hesitated for a slight second before struggling down there once more. Kaoru felt her adrenaline rush through her veins from her fear and what could happen, but if there was a chance to escape, maybe this was it. If he was going to let his guard down from this for even a few seconds, then that was all she needed to get out of his grasp. All she needed was for her hands and arms to be free.

As she continued to purposely grind at his nether region, she tried to plan everything out in her head once more. If she could just grab her gun, she might be able to defend herself. Unfortunately, there wasn't really any other object near her to distract him with.

Kaoru blinked before realizing that she was huffing softly into her pillow. Was she actually getting turned on by this? She shook her head as she tried to muffle her huffing with the pillow. Her eyes went wide in realization as she continued to purposely grind against Butch, and immediately, a plan was already formed in her head.

"Damn you, Kaoru," Butch whispered into her ear. He nibbled on her neck before licking it. When he heard her soft huffs, he smirked and cooed, "If you wanted it so badly, you should've said so."

Just as soon as Kaoru felt his hands travel to the sides of her hips, she quickly grabbed the pillow and threw it towards his face. She quickly scrambled off of the bed and ran towards the gun, almost tripping in the process. The fear and adrenaline inside of her was screaming at her to hurry up; these two emotions were her energy in moments like these. Her hands fumbled as she grabbed the gun and bullet; even now, her fear and adrenaline was causing her hands to shake as she tried to insert the bullet.

When she finally had the bullet in her gun, she turned around to aim it at Butch—only to have it snatched out of her hands. Her eyes went wide as Butch immediately crushed it with his own bare hands. Kaoru watched the large debris of her gun fall to the ground. Even the bullet fell out of its compartment, and it rolled about on the floor. Kaoru then snapped her head back at Butch, and she stared at him with wide eyes. She gulped softly when she saw that his eyes were closed, but she stood her ground as she glared at him.

"I take back what I said earlier," Butch growled as he quickly flashed his dark green eyes at her. His eyes showed that the lust for her grew even more, and they seemed to have darkened. When he stepped toward her, he grabbed her head and forcefully pulled her lips to brush against his. "Your body isn't the only thing that's changed. You've turned into a little minx."

Kaoru struggled for the umpteenth time as she used both of her hands to try to remove his grip on her. She tried to shake her head to loosen his grip, but it was no use. His hands had a firm grip, and she hated it. She absolutely hated it with every fiber of her being. "I am not that kind of girl!"

"Oh, really?"

"Damn straight!"

Butch chuckled softly before whispering, "You have no idea how tempted I was to just take you right then and there." He then stared at her before asking, "You're still a virgin, aren't you?"

Kaoru flinched as she felt her face flush at the sudden question. She quickly shook it off and glared at him. "So what if I am?!"

Butch stared at her before kissing her roughly, letting his hands travel down her back to wrap around her waist. He let his hormones take control as the kiss got even more rough and passionate, just like earlier. When he felt Kaoru struggling, he pulled away before pulling her into yet another rough kiss. The process continued until Kaoru managed to pull herself away from him. When she tried to flee, he wrapped his arms around her.

He wasn't going to let his guard down like he did earlier. Butch had long forgotten how many surprises Kaoru had up her sleeve, and getting hit by a pillow definitely reminded him of that. He chuckled when Kaoru elbowed him because it honestly had no effect on him. Butch pulled her closer to him, and his eyes clouded even more with lust as he felt her bottom against his nether region. He then whispered huskily in her ear, "Three years is a damn long time, you know. You owe me."

"Like hell I owe you," Kaoru retorted as she finally stood still. She was panting, and she didn't even bother to hide it. Kaoru needed to catch her breath, and she growled when she heard him chuckle. She glanced around if there was another object nearby, but this time, there really wasn't. Kaoru cursed softly under her breath.

Butch chuckled when he heard her curse. "No escape this time, Kaoru. To be honest, I didn't really expect myself to go that far. My brothers and I have tried tracking you girls down for three years, and we've finally done it." He used one hand to turn her head to the side, and he grinned at her. "We finally have you girls in our grasps."

Kaoru narrowed her eyes at him in response.

He let his lips brush against hers. "I still love you, you know."

"That's a load of bull," she retorted harshly. "You expect me to believe that?"

"You're the most stubborn one out of the group, so no, I don't," he replied before smirking at her. "I'll break you like I did before, you know. I'll make you love me all over again." He then grinned before adding, "I know you still do because of the way you were panting when we were in bed, Kaoru. Your squeals became gasps. If you didn't throw that pillow at me, I swear to you I would've made you moan—maybe even scream my name."

Kaoru growled, and immediately, she pushed him away. She was surprised when he actually willingly backed away. However, she then frowned when he was still smirking at her. "That's not gonna happen. You lied about everything, Butch, and I will bring you into the police. I don't know how the hell you and your brothers got out, but Momoko, Miyako, and I will definitely turn you guys in—"

"Will you really?" he interrupted as he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Of course we will!"

Butch scoffed before he chuckled. "Getting out was easy as hell. We'll just break out of jail again." Before Kaoru could retort, he continued, "And we'll just track you girls down. It took us three years to finally figure where you girls were, you know."

Kaoru's frown faltered as she stared blankly at Butch. She hesitated, but she finally asked, "The hell you mean by that?"

Butch grinned as he walked towards her. When he was face-to-face with her, his grin became mischievous, and he whispered, "I mean that we got caught on purpose."

Kaoru's eyes widened.

Butch chuckled. "So you see the connection now? If you put us in jail again, we'll still go on a mass murdering spree. A lot of the prisoners died at our hands because of us, so do you really think it's wise to have us to sent back there and take even more so-called innocent lives?"

"They're not like you," Kaoru retorted harshly as she gritted her teeth. "They're not like you or your brothers, damn it!"

"They're criminals, just like us, Kaoru. No one gives a damn about them."

"Their families do, you asshole!"

"And if they didn't have a family, just like me and my brothers?"

Kaoru gulped softly. She didn't have an idea how to retort, so she stayed silent as she stared at the floor.

"The only thing people care about criminals is how they go on a mass murdering spree and who'd be the next victims. My brothers and I thought this, even back then—until you girls came into the picture."

Kaoru flinched at this, and she felt her face tilted upward. Her eyes went wide as she stared at Butch, but she exhaled softly as a way to calm herself down. She continued to stare at him. Honestly, she still had no idea how to respond.

Butch stared back at Kaoru. His piercing dark green eyes stared into her light green ones. Eventually, he sighed. He glanced at the time before turning around and heading to the window.

Kaoru's eyes widened. "Wait, where are you going?"

Butch turned around, and he smirked at her. "I'll be back soon to pick you up. Don't worry."

Kaoru felt her face pale. "Wait just a minute—"

"Don't think about escaping, Kaoru. I'll be able to track you down, anyway, my buttercup," Butch interrupted. He winked at her before he opened the window and jumped out.

Kaoru's eyes widened even more as she ran over to the window. She saw no sight of him, and she gulped softly. Immediately, she collapsed onto her knees, and she began to punch the floor in frustration. She let a criminal get away, and not just any criminal. She let Butch get away. If only she was stronger—if only she wasn't so weak like she was earlier…

"God damn it!" Kaoru yelled as she curled into a ball. She growled angrily under her breath before she realized something: Momoko and Miyako. His brothers would be after them. Her face paled, and at once, she took out her cell phone.

As if on cue, she felt her cell phone vibrate only once, indicating that she had received a text message. Kaoru frowned at this. She checked her inbox, and she saw that it was from an unknown number. Frowning even more, she reluctantly opened it, and as she read it, her eyes grew wide.

I know you're worried about your friends.
Don't worry about them; they're in very good hands.
For now, you should be more worried about yourself.
After all, now I know the location of your dorm and your university.
Hell, I even know the location of that police station you have an internship at.

Kaoru's eyes went wide at this, gulping softly as she scrolled down.

Don't think about escaping, my buttercup.
Like I said, I'll track you down, anyway.
As for your friends, they won't escape my brothers' grasps…
In fact, they're probably with them right now.

Her eyes still remained wide as she read the text. Seeing of how there was more, she reluctantly scrolled down.

Face it, Kaoru.
You will never be able to escape from me and my love for you.
Just because I'm a criminal doesn't mean that I still don't love you.
And if you can't accept that fact, then I will prove it somehow.
Whether you like it or not.
Just like our little…interaction in bed today.

"W-What the hell?!" Kaoru yelled out loud. Her thoughts swirled around her head. Just…when exactly did he get her number? How did he even know that she had a cell phone, anyway?

Her face paled even more. Kaoru didn't know what to do. Just then, she felt another vibration. She hesitated on opening the new text message, but she knew she had to. As she slowly stood up, she finally opened it. Her eyes continued to widen as she read its words, and Kaoru didn't know if her face was pale or blushing from what she read.

Oh, I just can't wait until we're together again.
I especially can't wait until we get to continue our "interaction" in bed again.
You moaning and screaming my name when we finally get in bed together…
Just the thought of it is already making me want you underneath me.
I can't wait for that moment.
And I especially can't wait until you're in my arms again.
Just wait and see, my sexy buttercup.
You're mine and mine only.

- Butch