Author's Note: New story. As mentioned in my summary, this is the third and final part of a trilogy of stories that include To Heal a Heart and To Find a Path. Reading those two (in that order) will be necessary to read this one. Also, as mentioned in my summary, this story will be much more in the realm of alternate universe than the previous two stories since I will be playing around a lot with events that happen in the last few volumes of the manga with some events changing dramatically (or not coming up at all) and other events remaining almost the same. If you haven't had a chance to read the last seven or eight volumes of the manga (as I know might be the case for some the English-speaking fans of City Hunter), some of this stuff might be slightly spoiler-ish, even though I am making a lot of changes. So consider yourself warned.

Otherwise, I really do hope that my readers enjoy this one. :)

I do not own City Hunter or any of its characters.

Thank you to everyone who reads/follows/reviews this. It is always appreciated.

Chapter One

Even though Kaori Makimura knew exactly what Ryo Saeba was doing, she could not stop herself from worrying.

It had been a month and a half since Ryo entered into a deeper relationship with her, and Kaori continued to marvel at how happy she was with the way things had changed and continued to change in her life.

Earlier that evening while working on the household cleaning, Kaori contemplated how she had imagined for years what it would be like to be in a romantic relationship with Ryo, and yet she had found that none of those fantasies had truly prepared her for the reality of such a relationship. She had imagined either a radical change as the two of them transformed their roles from just working partners and roommates into lovers or a very subtle amount of change due to the fact that they had known each other for years, and thus making it so that there was little else to learn about each other.

As Kaori soon discovered, however, neither one was exactly true.

The two of them still worked various jobs as City Hunter. They still argued and bickered about how to handle clients, what kinds of jobs to do, and about a variety of miscellaneous things. Other than revealing the truth to a select group of their friends, they still hid their relationship from the world. On the surface at least, nothing had changed between them.

Still, even within those familiar routines there were differences. Kaori began to compromise by allowing more female clients while Ryo agreed to work more jobs that he would have turned down in the past, the both of these decisions ensuring that they had a much healthier flow of income these days. Also, no matter how much they fought or argued during the day, at night they always ended up in each other's arms in Ryo's bed, the both of them still secure in their belief in their love for each other, despite their disagreements. The both of them swiftly realized that things like Kaori's temper and Ryo's bad habits were not going away, but the two of them also realized that they loved each other as a whole and no longer sought to change each other into some sort of ideal.

As Kaori finished up the cleaning, a smile lit her face. She had to admit that, after years of living with Ryo, she thought she knew him almost as well as she knew herself. But these past few weeks had yielded many surprises.

She discovered that she loved it when Ryo snuck up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist and nibbled at her earlobe. She also discovered that Ryo loved it when she made sure to kiss his temple and stroke his hair for a moment before leaving him in bed in the morning so she could start making breakfast. She found that she loved it when he stared at her, a smile on his face and adoration in his eyes, while she brought their latest meal to the table. She also found that Ryo loved it when she would silently hold his hand while the two of them gazed down at the city from the roof of their building.

It was these little things, these small moments of affection, that meant everything to Kaori, and she suspected that the same was true for Ryo. Instead of diluting the more direct expressions of their love, they somehow managed to make those intimate moments even sweeter.

Kaori put her cleaning supplies away and sighed as she sat down on the couch. Thinking about Ryo this way made her want to spend even more time with him, but this evening, she knew that she would be alone and that Ryo wouldn't be back any time soon.

She had gone to check the board not long after breakfast and when she got back, Ryo had announced that he had plans for the rest of the day and left promptly afterwards.

"Ryo-chan needs some time out," he had told her. "Don't expect me back until late."

Kaori wasn't happy with his decision, but she did not put up any sort of protest. She had known for a long time that there were occasions when Ryo needed time to himself and had learned to give him his space. Whether it was spending time shooting in the basement or spending the night out partying and drinking, Kaori understood that Ryo needed his solitude once in a while.

Still, the idea of him continuing to spend nights out after they had become a couple did not sit entirely well with her. Kaori worked up the courage to confess her feelings to Ryo about the matter, and Ryo showed a surprising amount of understanding by agreeing to her only two requests in relation to his nighttime activities: he was not to engage in any serious mokkori behavior with any of the women, and he would always make sure to come home so he could sleep in her arms at the end of the night. He had gone out a couple of other times over the past month, and Kaori was happy to see that Ryo was committed to keeping both of his promises.

Kaori sighed again. Despite the fact that she was pleased that Ryo was keeping up his end of their agreement, it didn't change the fact that she sometimes felt excluded when he took off for a night of fun by himself.

She sat for a moment more before shaking herself slightly and standing up. Kaori knew that it was no good to sit around and mope and decided to find something to do on her own this evening. She was walking toward her room so she could change before going out and heading for the Cat's Eye café to meet with Miki when she ran into Saeko walking up toward Ryo's floor.

"Hello, Kaori-san," Saeko smiled at her. "Is Ryo still upstairs?"

"Saeko-san, hi," Kaori replied. "No, Ryo went out a while ago. He said that he wanted to have a night out." Saeko's smile quickly vanished.

"I see," she nodded.

"You aren't thinking about asking him about a job, are you?" Kaori asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Well…to be honest, there is one thing I am thinking about asking his help on," Saeko laughed nervously. "But this isn't about that. Not exactly. It's about what I called him about earlier today."

"You called?" Kaori said. "Ryo didn't mention it." Saeko's expression grew even more somber.

"I have some contacts with members of various police departments in the United States who I consult with from time to time," Saeko continued. "One of my contacts happened to have some information about a group of homicides that seemed to be part of a pattern and that also appear to be similar to a set of murders that have happened recently here in Shinjuku. Earlier this morning, I received the files of the victims that they thought might be part of this pattern."

Saeko shook her head and looked away for a moment before returning her gaze to Kaori's confused face.

"One of those victims…" she said. "One of them was Sonia Field."

"What?!" Kaori gasped, putting a hand to her chest. "Sonia? What…how did know….?"

"I remembered Miki-san mentioning her in relation to that duel Umibozu-san had with Ryo," Saeko continued. "As soon as I found out, I called Ryo to tell him the news. He didn't say much, but I could tell that he was upset."

Saeko sighed and leaned against a wall while Kaori took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure.

"Unfortunately, I came tonight to talk to Ryo because I have more bad news," Saeko said. "After looking over Sonia's file and comparing it to what we have on the murders here, I am convinced that her death was the work of a serial killer who is currently operating here in Shinjuku. A serial killer who is targeting people who have any kind of ties to the underground."

Kaori bowed her head as tears pricked her eyes. Despite Sonia's initial misguided desire for revenge against Ryo for the death of her father, Kenny, Kaori did not hold a grudge against her. She understood that grief and loneliness had twisted Sonia's nature into something far from her true personality, and in the end, Sonia had done her best to help Kaori see her importance in Ryo's life. Kaori also knew that Ryo still cared about her, having known her since she was a child, and that her death would hurt him.

'Ryo had tried so hard to make sure that Sonia stayed out of his world, out of the world her father lived in,' she thought to herself. 'The fact that she might have gotten killed because she got involved in the underground during her quest for revenge…I'm sure Ryo feels some responsibility for her death.'

A tear slid down Kaori's cheek. It was always painful for her to see Ryo blame himself for the tragedies in his life despite the fact that he often had little to no control or influence on their occurrence. She thought about how Umibozu had once told her that one of Ryo's biggest weaknesses is that he lets himself care too much about the people he surrounded himself with in the course of his work. Usually, Kaori found that she couldn't truly agree with Umibozu on this. She viewed his concern for and desire to protect those closest to him as a indicator of Ryo's warm heart which she considered to be one of his greatest strengths.

When dealing with Ryo's reactions to a perceived failure on his part to protect the people he cherished, however, Kaori had to admit that Umibozu might have a point.

"I'll stop by later tomorrow," Saeko said, turning to leave. "I should tell you now Kaori-san that I am thinking about asking Ryo to help me with the series of homicides and disappearances in Shinjuku that are related to Sonia's case."

"I understand," Kaori nodded, raising her head. "Don't worry. If you need City Hunter's help on this, we will be there. The both of us."

"Thank you, Kaori-san," Saeko smiled at her. "And please, take care of Ryo tonight. He is going to need you."

Kaori nodded again and watched as Saeko walked out of the building.

This led to where Kaori was now, huddled on the couch, waiting for Ryo to return. She had fallen asleep a couple of times while waiting for him and was disappointed each time she woke up when she discovered that Ryo still had not come home.

When the clock showed three am with still no sign of him, Kaori decided that she had had enough waiting.

She put on her coat and shoes and went out to find Ryo. As she walked out of the building, she heard a familiar sound come from the alley beside her. She walked over to the entrance of the alley and found that her suspicions had proved to be correct.

There toward the center of the alley, Kaori found Ryo on the ground, lying on a heap of garbage bags and scraps of cardboard boxes. His eyes were closed, and he made a sound that almost sounded like snoring, having passed out from drinking too much.

Kaori closed her eyes for a moment and swallowed hard. She always hated finding Ryo in positions like that. She knew that whenever she found him unconscious in the middle of a pile of trash that it had not really been a fun night for him. It never ceased to annoy her, but more than that, it hurt her to see this clear sign of distress from him.

She carefully made her way toward Ryo and crouched down beside him.

"Ryo, wake up," she said. "Come on, I said wake up now."

Ryo groaned and shifted his position slightly before turning his head toward her. He cracked his eyes open and narrowed them at her.

"Leave me alone," he growled at her. His harsh tone made Kaori flinch slightly, but it also strengthened her resolve.

"Idiot," she said with a frown. "It's too cold for you to stay out here. You'll get a fever and then I'll have to take care of you and I am not in the mood for that. So come on, get up. It's time for you to come home."

Ryo scowled and looked up toward the sky.

"Home?" he scoffed. "Go away and leave me alone."

"No, Ryo," Kaori said. "You've had your time alone. Now it's time for you to stay with me. Don't forget that you made a promise. And don't think for one second that I am going to let you out of it. Now, are you going to get up and come inside or do I have to use one of my hammers?"

Ryo's scowled deepened, but he sat up and slowly rose to his feet. Kaori stood up and watched him stagger as he made his way out of the pile of garbage and she immediately moved closer to him so he could lean on her while he walked.

"Come on," she said as she guided him inside. "You're getting out of those clothes and taking a shower. You stink of alcohol and garbage."

Ryo continued to glare at her as they walked inside and she led him upstairs toward the shower. He suddenly put a hand to his mouth, however, and ran for the bathroom instead. Seconds after he dashed inside, Kaori could hear him vomiting into the toilet.

"That's what you get for drinking too much," she said as she stood next to the door. "One of these days you might actually learn something."

She stood and waited for a few more minutes until he finally stopped vomiting and she heard the toilet flush before walking inside to check on him. He was sitting on the floor, still hunched down near the toilet, his head resting against the porcelain. She bent down and put a hand on his back.

"Done?" she asked as she stroked his back. "Then let's get you cleaned up."

She helped him stand and walked with him to the shower, helping him undress and then turning on the water for him before ordering him to get into the shower. While he was there, she took his clothes and put them in the laundry before taking his gun and holster to his room. She got a shirt and a pair of boxers out of his closet and sat them near a towel outside the shower before going downstairs to change into a camisole and pajama shorts. By the time she returned, Ryo had finished and was drying himself off. Kaori blushed at the sight, but picked up another towel so she could reach up and rub his hair dry. She then tousled it back into place and Ryo turned to gaze into her eyes, an unreadable expression on his face. Kaori blushed even more, but did not avert her eyes.

"Better?" she said. "Now, it's time for you to get into bed."

Ryo dressed and Kaori took him by the hand to lead him to his bedroom. He plopped down onto his bed and sat with his legs over the side, his head down, staring at the floor. Kaori knelt down on the floor in front of him.

"Saeko-san stopped by here this evening," she said. "She told me about Sonia."

Ryo blinked and lowered his head even more, but did not respond. Kaori rose up onto her knees and put her arms around him.

"I'm so sorry, Ryo," she murmured. She rested her head against his chest and continued to hold him silently. A couple minutes later, Kaori felt Ryo put his arms around her and hold her tight against him. He pulled her up toward him, and Kaori got off the floor and joined him on the bed. Once she was there, he laid down, guiding her to lie down with him. He then drew her close to his chest and buried his face into her neck.

"Stay," he whispered. Kaori closed her eyes, a sad smile on her face, and snuggled against him.

"I'll never leave, Ryo," she assured him. "I promise."