Pretty hastily written and short, but here's the next chapter. I'm really excited about this fanfiction. Please R&E :)

The shoddy little bar looked insignificant to the much larger, louder one across the highway. Unlike the bar across the street, it had no hi-def plasma screens that displayed ESPN Prime Time specials, no beautiful female bartenders, and no free dish of peanuts that came with each mug of beer. Instead, the most high-tech piece of technology in the smaller bar was the jukebox that lit up the back corner. The only thing that served as decent entertainment was the pool table, which lacked the 5- and 7- balls, and one of the cue sticks was broken in half.

Of course, the fact that the smaller bar was quiet, and that everyone minded their own business there, was the reason Tetsuma preferred the place, and frequented it during his free time. He laid his head against the table, his beer mug stood forgotten beside his head. As it slowly grew warm, his eyes glazed over and his mind entered a state of nothingness.

To anyone glancing over, he appeared to have passed out cold, drunk after long hours at work. Of course, they all left him alone, and he was happier that way. He staggered up from his table and grabbed his mug by the handle, taking a deep swig from it. Tetsuma then exited the small building, murmuring an unheard good-bye to the bartender.

Outside, he found his black convertible and got in. He sat there for a good ten minutes with the engine running.

He couldn't find the power in him to kill his best friend. He had no motivation. With his jobs, he had plenty of motivation—money, power, recognition. But all that seemed bland to him now. The cost seemed to outweigh the outcome, what could he possibly gain from killing the best and possibly only friend he'd known?

Tetsuma sat there, hands on the wheel, staring hard at his dashboard until a quick, tapping noise caused him to jump a bit. He looked to his left, seeing a colleague from work, who was smiling and waving at him. Riku. A newbie at work, he'd recently joined the Gunmen, and was apparently already well liked by the boss and many of the other hit men. Tetsuma had not yet gotten to know him very well, but he seemed to be nice enough.

He went around the side and let himself in. Tetsuma grunted a small "Hey," as the rookie made himself comfortable in the passenger seat.

"Mr. Tetsuma, I noticed you out here, and you looked pretty pale." Tetsuma took a cursory glance at the rearview mirror; Riku was right. "Got cold feet?" He was startled, and looked at his junior incredulously—how would he have known? But then the younger man laughed.

"No, I was just kidding. You're the best of us! By the way, do you mind giving me a ride to my apartment? I'm done with my job, but I'm going to wait a bit before reporting back to the Doc. Haven't slept in a week." Tetsuma nodded and backed out from his parking spot as Riku told him his address. He wasn't surprised that Riku finished the job so quickly, he was well known for it. After several moments of driving in silence, Riku spoke up again.

"Y'know, sometimes I get so stressed out from work. Like, sometimes the mission just really, really bothers me." Tetsuma nodded, half-listening. "So in between jobs, I just try and blow off some steam at the shooting range." Tetsuma made a right turn and glanced at the clock. 5:27. The sun would be rising soon. Had he really spent that long at the bar? This rookie sure had a lot of energy if he was still able to talk as much as he did at this time of day.

"…did you hear me?"

"What?" Riku laughed. For a man whose job it was to kill people, Riku had a pretty upbeat attitude.

"You're really out of it, huh? I was asking if you'd like to know the address. You know, of the shooting range."

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Riku then whipped out a notepad from a deep jacket pocket and proceeded to scribble a quick map to the shooting range from his apartment. When he'd finished, Tetsuma had already pulled over in front of his apartment building.

"Here," Riku ripped out the page and handed it to Tetsuma. "It opens at seven." He got out and closed the door, patting the roof of the car. Tetsuma heard a muffled "See you later," through the glass as Riku walked off. The man released a deep sigh and sat stiffly, hands resting on the wheel as he stared off into space. It was 5:51 now.

He drove onto the street and headed for the shooting range, referring to the map every once in a while as he decided to give the place a try. Not like it would make a difference. Or so he'd initially thought.

Ah... hope you liked it. Thanks. Constructive criticism? Anyway, please look forward to the next chapter. Monta's coming soon!