Full summary: Assassin X is at it again. When top officers from Hotel Moscow and The Triad are assassinated, all evidence points to Rock's sophisticated planning. Now He is on the run from Hotel Moscow, The Triad, police, and legendary assassins determined to claim the huge bounty on his life. Now, the killer duo of Rock and Revy must find the real culprit and save their own lives before it's too late

Rock stepped out on the deck with two beers and offered one to Revy. "Here you go, Revy."

Revy violently swiped it out of his hand with a pout on her lips. "It fucking took ya long enough!"

Rock sighed deeply before giving her small pout an amused grin and raising an eyebrow. "Whatever you say, Revy."

It was their day off and Rock was enjoying the peace while Revy was bored like she always was when they had days off. "Revy?"

Revy finished her mouthful of beer and looked at Rock out of the corner of her eye waiting for him to continue. When it became clear that he wasn't going to say anything until she replied she turned her head to the side and quirked an eyebrow. "What?"

Rock smiled with a teasing glint in his eye and asked her the question he'd been pondering for the past half an hour, "Are you still mad that I had to save you from The General the other day?"

Revy gritted her teeth and growled at Rock. Rock took in her murderous glare, her clenched fists and her tense jaw with a look of amusement, "I'll take that as a yes."

Rock knew that the fact he had to save her because she couldn't save herself got to her. He knew that she was mad because, for the first time in her life, she needed help, and that made her feel helpless.

Although Rock felt like teasing her a little bit, he could clearly see the self-disappointment in her chocolate eyes and let the matter drop.

This wasn't lost on Revy whose shoulders sagged in relief when she realized that he wouldn't bring it up again, and a comfortable silence engulfed the pair before – a few minutes later – Revy turned to her companion and tilted her head questioningly. "Hey, Rock. There is one thing I want to know. Why didn't you tell me?"

Rock looked at her questioningly and she gave him an irritated look. "Why didn't you tell me that you were a killer? Why didn't you tell me that you are like me?"

Rock looked down and closed his eyes for a moment, before sitting back in his chair and taking in a deep breath.

After a second he opened his eyes and looked at Revy apologetically. "Because I knew that if you found out I was Assassin X, you would've tried to fight and kill me, and I didn't want to have a reason to hurt or kill you. You found out anyway and you and Dutch both tried to kill me, and you got captured. I thought I was protecting you by being Rock, the humble businessman. I know now that no matter what I do, I can never fully be that guy again; Assassin X was, is and always has been a part of me."

Revy was speechless at the explanation Rock had given her; she hadn't expected anything like that. "But I can tell you one thing, Revy. I will miss being that guy."

At that moment, Rock pulled out a pack of smokes and lit himself a cigarette, before handing Revy one and doing the same.

Once again a silence engulfed the pair, but this time it was Rock that broke the stillness. "Even though we haven't talked about it Revy, I meant what I said that night."

Revy's jaw dropped a few inches and she stared in shock at Rock's calm face, his eyes closed and the smoke coming from his nose being the only sign he was conscious.

She was speechless; she had thought that he had just said it in the heat of the moment that night…

**Flashback**

The driver of the other car got out and pulled out a woman who was bound with duct tape. It was Revy! Revy began to run toward Rock. Revy jumped into Rock's arms, giving him a long embrace. Then Revy punched Rock in the stomach. "I can't believe you let me get kidnapped you prick!"


Rock finally got to his feet. "Sorry, you had a gun to my forehead and those guys came by surprise! Listen, Dutch and Benny are down there waiting for you."


Revy asked, "Rock? What is going on? You're not coming, are you?"


Rock looked down, "No, I'm not. Revy, I want you to know, you were the best thing that ever happened to me. I want to thank you for giving me something I never thought I could have."


Revy was curious, "What?"


Rock said, "Hope. A hope to know how it felt to love somebody more than yourself. I fell in love with you, Revy. You always had me. Always. I may not be the Rock you knew anymore, but now, as my last act as the man I know you love, it's time I said goodbye. You were the only reason why I ever stayed in Roanapur, because I'd rather walk through hell with you than walk through heaven without you. I hope you find peace someday."


Revy had tears running down her face. "Rock, you don't have to do this. You don't."


Rock put his hand on her cheek and said, "Yes, I do. I still have some unfinished business with a certain General. Take this."


Rock pulled out what looked like a detonator. "Rock, what is this for?"


Rock looked at Revy, "There's another guy down there in the car. He's the General's son. When you are in the car and Dutch lets him go, let him get out a little ways and press the button!"


Revy took the detonator, "Won't they kill you?"

Rock said, "No, the General wants to kill me himself. That's how I want it, face-to-face. Trust me. If I don't come back, and if there's a heaven, I will put in a good word for you. Goodbye, Revy. I love you. Now go. Get out of here."

**End Flashback**

It had taken a few seconds, but what Rock had said finally hit her and her eyes widened in astonishment. "Really?"

A small smile graced his lips, and the cigarette wiggled to the corner of his mouth while one eyelid cracked open a fraction to reveal the cool, grey iris beneath. "Really."

Revy could've sworn her heart stopped, but it was like an electric shock jolted through her body when he spoke again. "And what about what you said? Did you mean it?"

"I love you too, Rock."

A gentle, unguarded smile spread across her face, and her cinnamon eyes glinted happily back at the man in front of her.

If one didn't know Revy, they would simply see this as being normal, however the fact that Revy was sitting there without malice or cruelty in her eyes or in her smile was something that only one man had ever been treated to, and that man was the only other person in the room.

"I meant every word."

On the other side of Roanapur however, the loving mood back at the Lagoon's apartment was not replicated…in the least.

A masked assassin was putting a vest wired with C-4 together as he watched a meeting going down between top officers from both Hotel Moscow and The Triad.

He'd been planning this for weeks, getting the right gear, interrogating the right people, and planning for every eventuality; and now it was time to put it all into action.

The assassin yanked a scared looking police officer whom he had…acquired earlier that week from the corner of the room and dragged him to the door.

Once the masked man had fitted the explosive vest to the terrified man, he leant down on his haunches and spoke. "This is what you're going to are going to do: you are going to walk into that meeting between the Triad and Hotel Moscow officers and deliver a message for me."

He tapped the thick vest lovingly a couple of times, as one might pet a dog. "This is to make sure you don't run. It is also your way into the meeting: they won't try to shoot you if you've got this strapped to your chest."

The assassin lifted the terrified man to his feet and led him down the stairs of the small apartment that they had been inhabiting for the past couple of days, and down onto the street.

A minute's walk later, and the two of them were standing on a spot right across the street from the meeting place.

Seeing the police officer shaking with terror, the masked assassin leant down to his ear and whispered reassuringly. "Relax, I haven't armed the bomb yet, and as long as they don't know, they won't hurt you. All you have to do is walk in there, give them my message and walk out, that's all. I will take the vest off when you come back."

"What's the message you want me to say?" Judging by the severe amount of shaking in both the officer's voice and body, the assassin's words hadn't put him at ease in the slightest.

The assassin scratched his chin for a couple of seconds as if thinking, before finally telling the poor police officer what he'd like him to do. "Put on this earpiece; when I see that you're in the meeting room, I'll tell you what to say."

Two minutes later the assassin was back in his vantage point, and the officer was making his way to the building where the meeting was being held.

In the lobby he was stopped by two suited men, and they did not look overly happy to see a policeman in their private meeting place. "This is a private meeting. Get out!"

The assassin heard them over the earpiece and whispered into it, "Show them the bomb and tell them it's armed."

The officer obeyed; he opened his shirt to reveal the vest underneath and the guards' eyes widened. "This bomb is armed."

The assassin prompted him further. "Tell them you have a message for Hotel Moscow and The Triad and want to tell them in person."

The officer once again obeyed, and although grudgingly, the men let him in, and he was immediately escorted into the room in which the meeting was being held.

The members of the meeting looked at the man expectantly, as one might regard a naughty child; it was clear that they saw no immediate threat.

The assassin then said, "I want you to tell them this…" That's when the young officer said, "I have a message from The Lagoon Company…"

A murmur of questions spread around the room, and it was then that the Assassin made his move; his grand finale; his moment of destruction and hell raising.

He pulled up his sleeve and looked at his watch – it was time. He armed the bomb for 3 seconds and pressed the button on the watch.

In the meeting room, the young officer heard the bomb arm itself, as did every other person in the room.

While the triad and Russian Mafia members' eyes widened, the betrayed police office managed to yell out his final words at his killer. "DOUBLE-CROSSING MOTHERFU—"

His voice was abruptly cut off however, when the bomb detonated with a ferocious intensity that brought the entire building down on top of the people beneath.

The Assassin allowed himself a small chuckle as he packed all of his gear into a large rucksack sat in the corner of the room; it had all gone as planned.

All that was left now was to let the message get out; there'd be at least one person that had survived the explosion, and all that was left for either Balalaika or Chang to hear about it and then they'd take care of the recently named 'Rock' for him.

He swung the bag over his shoulder and began walking down the steps to his waiting car, whistling merrily; in twenty hours he'd be sipping margaritas on some white, sandy beach overlooking a tropical lagoon half way across the world.

Life was good, and it was even better now that Rock was out of the way.