It's been at least a week since my partner almost had the boss fire me, but since then I've learned a lot. Like: Always keep calm, so you don't show the person on the other side how desperate and needy you are. The victim comes first…or if there are hostages, then it's the hostage first then victim and so one. My physical training has also improved. I can now workout out for 4 hours straight, but what I haven't told you is…

"Amu, go get me some coffee!" demanded Ikuto.

Yes, I was being treated like a servant by my good for nothing partner. God if you change his attitude I'll…I'll…I'll pray everyday or something like that.

"How does getting coffee for you benefit me?" I asked.

"Hmm…I'm not sure and I really need this coffee. Um…I'll be your best friend?"

"Pfft…ahaha! Ok, ok, you'll get your coffee only because that was kind of funny."

"Wohoo!"

Yes my partner sometimes acts like a complete kid, which I think is unfair because I've been acting as mature as I can but I still don't get a job offers to prove myself. While my kid of a partner had gotten 7 since last week. I opened the door and headed into the staff room where I saw another officer getting some coffee. I grabbed a mug from the shelf and started pouring in the fresh already made coffee.

"You new here?" asked the man.

I turned to face him. He looked like he was at least in his mid-thirties. He had brown hair and a nice strong build too. Damn all the officers here are hot! But he had these piercing gray eyes that seemed to look right through you.

"Mhm. Yeah."

"Oh, because I haven't seen you around here before. Wait a good minute! Are you the little lady who gave Haru a good whooping the other day?"

"Who?" I asked, adding some milk into the cup.

"Oh um, he's that handsome young man. I think he's about Ikuto's age and has dark brown hair with green eyes."

"Oh him. Yeah."

"Ahahaha! Wow, you're different than the usual lot we have hired here. A nice but edgy attitude. I like you, don't disappoint me. Bye now."

"Uh…bye?"

Disappoint him? How? It's always people who disappoint me. I've never done anything… Slightly confused, I walked back into Ikuto's office where it seemed like he was talking to somebody important, so I just set it on his desk and began filing papers.

"Uh-huh sure, I'll send someone quickly in 10 minutes!" exclaimed Ikuto hanging up the phone.

"What was that a-

"Let's go!" he said grabbing my arm.

"Where?"

"Your chance at keeping this job!" he said with a hurried smirk.

My chance? I'm finally getting my chance?

"Ok, we're going with my car!"

I stopped dead in my tracks causing him to turn around sternly.

"No. I'm…I'm going with my own car."

"What?"

"I'm going with my car."

"Fine. Just hurry up!"

I followed him out to the parking lot where I quickly got inside of my car and started to follow his black convertible. Stopping behind the red stoplight, I took in a deep breath and tried to relax. My heart was beating so much faster and so much harder than it ever had before. Calm down Amu. Calm down. It didn't happen…yet, and you objected to it so you're fine. You'-

-HONK-

I looked in my rearview mirror so see a line of cars behind me, and when I snapped my head to the front where I saw Ikuto's car gone and the light green. Muttering a curse beneath my breath I sped off to catch of with the other convertible,

'Do you remember, do you remem-

"Hello?" I asked picking up my phone.

"Hey you," said Ikuto very angrily. "What were you doing back there?"

"Thinking?"

"Whatever, anyways listen here since you didn't come with me. Don't rush! Take your time and THINK before you say anything. You don't know what that person is thinking so always try to have a back plan. What else…oh depending on the victim, negotiations can take hours at a time, and even professionals slip up due to fatigue. Um….

"Ikuto, I'll be fine."

"Suuuure. Anways, we're here," he said hanging up.

I snapped my head towards the window side of the car. We were already there, and the talk time on my phone was only 5 minutes. Did I waste that much time at the stop light? Anyways, we were at a small home with hundreds of people circling it along with some police cars that were already there, and the ones that had followed us here. There were also two ambulances, and a circling helicopter at the top. Not to mention a news reporter talking with one of the watchers.

"Ok here's how it's going to go down," said Ikuto as we got out of his car. "I'm going to stay close by along with some officers and a paramedic, but besides all that you're on your own. I was kind of hoping you'd get an easy one, but you didn't. This one involves hostages, so be calm. Also you can direct officers any way you want. But be careful."

"Yes."

As I walked closer and closer towards the house, the nerves began to build up. My heart was beating crazily, so loud I wondered if anyone could hear it. Wait, he said hostages?

"Who're the hostages?" I asked, sort of afraid of the answer.

"Two kids. The situation goes pretty much like this. A long time ago the lady's husband- the kids' father died. A couple years ago she started dating the boss from one of these big CEO companies. After they get married the wife starts to get abused, and when he starts to do the same to the kids, she divorces him and takes legal custody of the kids. Apparently he's back. Homeless and without a job."

"Oh god…"

"Don't worry, like I've said before, be careful."

"Yeah."

I had wanted to think of some sort of plan but that was too late when I was handed a phone and told to the call the house. God help me.

"Who the fuck is this?"

Taking in a deep breath, I started.

"Amu Hinamori, I'm going to help you."

"Don't need it."

"Ok then. Let's start off from introductions," I said, seeing as he had easily blocked my move to help him right off the bat. "What's your name?"

"Renji."

"Okay Renji, who's in that house right now?"

"My bitch of a wife, and MY kids!"

"Do you not love your wife?"

"Isn't that obvious dipshit?"

"How about your kids?"

"Huh? Them? I don't like them either."

"Why not?"

"They stick too much to their whore of a mother."

"Okay. Do you think I could talk to one of them?"

"Why?"

"I want to make sure they're okay."

"Oh so you don't trust? You think that just because I'm holding them captive I'm going to hurt them?" Oh no, oh no, oh no! I made him angry. Think Amu. THINK!

"No of course I trust you or I would've already sent a team of police to the house. I just want to hear how they feel that's all. Can I?"

"Fine…" he mumbled.

"Hwello?"

"Hi sweetie, what's your name?"

"I'm Yuzuyu! Everywon cwalls me Yuzu! I'm 5!" Oh my gosh this girl is cute!

"Are you okay? How's your mom?"

"Everywon is good! Mommy is crying though, but Ren is pwotecting her…"

"Oh, well has your step-dad done anything bad to you and your brother or your mom?"

"Not us…well. That man slapped Mommy twice and Ren, he's 9, he yelled at the man and then the man kicked him in his stomach. He said it hurted him…"

-"THAT'S ENOUGH!" shouted a husky voice from over the phone.

"Hello?" asked Renji apparently.

"I'm still here."

"Good. Wouldn't want these little darlings getting hurt because you bailed."

"No, I wouldn't. Anyways, she was a cutie."

"…Yeah. She has her mother's bubbly attitude." His voice softened. Okay Amu, center it around Yuzu for a little while.

"You have a strong attachment to Yuzu?"

"Yeah, when I married her mother she was just an infant. Such a happy child. You know, when it was her first birthday I bought her puppy. You know what she named it? She named him Renji. And when I asked her why, she said because it was the name of her new daddy who loved her."

"How cute. I want a daughter like that when I get married. Anyways, how her brother…Ren? Tell me about him."

Ikuto POV

I watched her talk on the phone. She seemed to be centering it around one of the kids, so I'm thinking that the man has a strong attachment to one of them. She would walk around then stop and turn towards us for a brief moment before turning back around and resuming her pace. Sometimes she would stand still, and other times she would lean against the tree trunk of the front yard tree and talk as though she was talking to an old time friend.

But, for her first negotiation, she was doing pretty well. She had gone at least an hour and half into since she'd first started talking. She wasn't rushing at all, and was taking her time. I just hope nothing goes wrong.

Inside the House

A small girl with brown hair ran from the kitchen towards the living room and stopped at a couch where her nervous mother was sitting and her older brother was cooing her.

"Yuzu, stop running around, he might hit you!" scolded Ren.

"Then what I am supposed to do?"

"It's what am I supposed to do," corrected her brother giving her a small smile.

"I'm so sorry," cried their mother.

"Mommy, don't be sad. Yuzu is happy and so is Ren, so you should be happy too!"

Yuzu suddenly snapped her head towards the direction of the dining room, and then turned towards her family.

"I hear him! Sssh!"

"Ren? He's the oldest but he's spoiled rotten by his good for nothing mother."

"What does he look like? He's got his father's sharp yet gentle gray eyes, and his mother's blonde hair.

"I have a plan," whispered Yuzu whispered before walking away.

"Yuzu don't," hissed Ren.

Amu POV

I seriously had no idea what my progress was so far. I don't even know how long I had been talking to this man. Why isn't this over yet? I'm positive it's been over an hour already, so why isn't it over? I'm being careful like what Ikuto told me…but still. Like that time when that negotiator was talking to me, he centered it on a painful experience, but it was Ami who pulled the trigger. That person was just getting me ready. Is that what I have to do?

"No! Sit down…" hissed Renji.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"…Yuzu wants to use the restroom."

"Well, why don't you let her?"

"…I don't…know. Fine you can go," he said. And when he did a little cheer erupted from the little girl.

"Hmm…you never did tell why you were doing this."

"I want custody of the kids."

"Why? Can you support them? Are you sure you can give them a good life?"

"OF COURSE I CAN!"

"Calm down. Ok, you say you can support them and I won't argue with that. But taking them away from their mother- you say their attached to her. The both of them. Take Yuzuyu for instance, you love her, and I get that, but a mother is someone who can't be replaced, especially if it's their birth mother. …Take me for example. You know nothing about me…you don't know what my life was-

"A stuck up rich kid right? And you're just having fun from job to job. Don't kid me, I know you're kind. I'm looking at you right now. Brand name everything: shoes, clothes, probably you're jewelry too. Go to hell bitch; don't compare yourself in the business of others-

"SHUT THE HELL UP! WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME? NOTHING! My parents were murdered when I was ten, and my little sister was only 1. They died before Christmas- her first Christmas. You know what happened to us next? We lived on the streets. Don't even suggest relatives. They didn't want us, excuse after excuse, so I grabbed my little sister's hand and dragged her out of that house. Yes, we were orphaned, poor, and living on the streets. I owned a gun, stole, and even beat up people. 10 years ago, I even came close to killing someone, but…a negotiator…he saved me. And now I want to help you!"

"…sorry… I mean it. I don't want that for Yuzu."

Inside the house

Yuzu happily skipped to the bathroom, but she had a plan. What wasn't helping was the angle of the bathroom; if she moved towards the medicine cabinet then she would be seen…unless. She entered the bathroom and kept watch. When she saw the man's back turn, she quickly reached up and looked around.

"Shoot."

She flushed the toilet and ran back to the living room to join her mom and brother.

"Yuzu, what did you do? Because I'm sure you didn't use the bathroom!" hissed Ren.

"Shush it! You are ruining my plan!" hissed Yuzu right back at him before running away again.

"Are you hungry?" asked Yuzu.

"No," said Renji calmly.

"But you look hungry!" argued Yuzu.

"I'm not hungry."

"Eat!" insisted Yuzu.

"Fine…a sandwich."

"Okay!"

Before she went to the kitchen, she hurried over to Ren.

"Listen Ren, when I before I bring out the sandwich, I'll swignal you. You ask to use the bathroom and using the tiny window you'll escape. I tried, but I couldn't fit. Then I'll bring out the food and you tell the police what is hwappening!"

"No! I'm staying!"

For the first time ever in her short life Yuzu felt the anger boil inside of her.

"No! You're escwaping! You're mama's fwavorite child and I'm not letting nothing happen to you! You ARE going!"

"Yuzu, please…don't do this," begged Mama.

A small but sad smile came across Yuzu's face.

"But I want to."

Yuzu then rushed to the kitchen and pulled out everything she needed to make a sandwich. She took out a plastic knife from the drawer and cut the bread into a triangular form. Then she spread the mayo and put in yesterday's egg salad. Glancing throughout the doorway, she noticed the man's back was turned and she quickly took out the small white bottle out of her pocket.

"Two made Mama drowsy…so 6 should make them fall asleep…" whispered Yuzu to herself.

She crushed the six pills and put the crushes inside of the contents. When she was done she signaled a thumb up to Ren who lingered a little bit before he left. Yuzuyu then hurried over towards the living room and gave the sandwich to Renji.

"Here."