Author's Note: Next chapter. It looks as if I will be finishing this one next week after all. I promise to mention some of my future fic projects when I do.

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

Thank you to everyone who is reading/following/reviewing this. It is always appreciated.

Eve: Thank you. I think Ryo often (and sadly) teeters on the edge of trying to decide if Kaori being with him is the best thing or not. Things like the events in this story would definitely put more pressure on him in that regard. As to what he and Kaori will do...read on and see. :) Hopefully you will enjoy the results.

FRH91: Again, thank you very much as well. :D I'll admit I was somewhat nervous when starting to write in this fandom since City Hunter has some very visual humor and because the characters are surprisingly complex, so I am very glad that you are enjoying how I am handling the many shades of the anime/manga and the characters...For all his goofiness and seemingly indifferent attitude about the world, there are signs of a sensitive and emotional heart at the core of Ryo, and thus, I could see his reaction to something happening to Kaori playing out that way sadly...As for whether or not you'll need to call Umibozu...well we will see. :) I hope you enjoy this update.

Chapter Ten

Almost four hours later, Ryo blinked his eyes open to see Kaori sitting up in bed beside him, lost in thought. She didn't notice him waking up and so Ryo ended up watching her silently.

He wondered for a brief moment what she was thinking about and then his mind drifted toward thoughts of how beautiful she was in the soft glow of the lamp sitting next to the bed and how much he longed to take her back into his arms and make love to her again. He started to move a hand toward her, but hesitated at the last second. Only a few hours previous, he had thought that he would never see her again, and the fear and grief he had felt at the time had overwhelmed him. Even now, he could not fully shake those feelings and they only served to strengthen his resolve in regards to the decision he had made while driving her home from the professor's place.

'If Kaori stays like this with me, she will die,' he told himself. 'I can't let her throw away her life. I have to stop being selfish and do what I promised Makimura all those years ago.'

'I have to take care of her.'

Suddenly, Kaori looked down and smiled at him.

"Ah, I didn't know that you were awake," she said. "I…I was just thinking. About Emi."

Ryo sat up and waited silently for her to continue.

"She said that she had lost her older brother, Jiro," Kaori said. "And that her older brother had taken care of her growing up. Even though I was angry at her for blaming aniki for all her problems, I…I realized that I understood how she felt. I understood why she wanted to make someone pay for her brother's death."

Ryo's heart sank, but chose to ignore the feeling. He saw his chance to do what he needed to do to ensure Kaori's safety and he steeled himself for what was sure to come.

"Is that because you've had the same feelings?" he asked, his tone casual. "Because you have also wanted to get back at the person responsible for your brother's death?" Kaori whirled her head toward him.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "Union Theope? Despite what we've done so far I know it's useless for me to…."

"No, I'm talking about the person who handed your brother over to Union Theope," Ryo interrupted.

"Handed him over?" Kaori repeated. "What…what are you saying?"

"Makimura wasn't supposed to go to the Silky Club that night," Ryo said. "I was. I told Makimura that I was going to meet with the client. But he insisted on going, so I let him…even though I knew that it would be dangerous for him."

Ryo leaned toward her, a neutral mask of indifference firmly fixed onto his features.

"I let Makimura walk into Union's trap simply because I didn't want to bother with a useless meeting with someone who I already knew wouldn't be a good client," Ryo continued. "I was too lazy to let your brother have the day off so he could spend your birthday with you, and as a result, Makimura died that night."

Ryo watched Kaori's eyes widen and her mouth open slightly in shock. He had never wanted to tell her any of this, afraid of how she would respond. But he also knew that he needed to find some way to drive a wedge between them if he was to have any chance of getting her away from him.

"So, tell me," Ryo added. "Do you understand Emi's feelings a little better now? Do you understand why she hated the man who, in her eyes, was responsible for her beloved brother's death?"

Kaori's eyes misted over with tears, and Ryo bowed his head. He hated bringing up those painful memories and making her cry, but a voice inside him reminded him that this was far from the first time he had made her cry….a fact which gave even more encouragement to go forward with this plan.

"Ryo."

Ryo looked up to see Kaori still staring at him, tears still shining in her eyes. He braced himself for what was sure to be a torrent of anger and grief against him.

Instead, he was shocked when Kaori reached over and gently placed her hands on either side of his face, tilting his head so he was looking directly into her eyes.

"I need you to listen to me carefully, Ryo Saeba, because I only want to say this once," she said, tears making her voice tremble. "I have never blamed you for aniki's death. Do you understand me? Never. You are not responsible for what those bastards from Union Theope did to him."

Kaori paused and struggled to take a deep breath to calm herself. As she did, she brushed her fingers along Ryo's cheeks.

"I know you," she continued. "I know that you always tried to shield aniki from anything that might have been too dangerous for him…just like what you do with me now. I'm sure that you warned him or tried to find some other way to ensure his safety. But…I also know aniki. I am certain that he insisted on going, even after you offered to take his place, because he wanted to live up to his role as your partner. He never wanted to be to be a burden to you or make you shoulder all of the responsibility of City Hunter."

Kaori moved one hand into Ryo's hair, her fingers playing with the dark locks, while her other hand continued to massage Ryo's cheek.

"It's a feeling I understand very well," she sniffed. "I know that I made mistakes during this case, but just like aniki, I will keep working hard to become a better partner. I promise."

Kaori leaned toward him to kiss him, but Ryo backed away and pushed her hands down onto the bed. He turned away from her as he worked to rein in the frustration and anger that was building inside him.

'She never listens. Why won't she listen to me for once in her life?' he asked himself. 'Why does she refuse to listen to reason? Doesn't she understand what I am trying to say?'

'Why does she persist with this? All the things I've done to her…the way I let Makimura die….'

'Why does she keep forgiving me?'

"Ryo? Ryo, what is it?"

Ryo clenched his hands. What happened earlier that day along with this conversation and Kaori's questions were all prodding at his heart and he hated it. He hated having his nerves pushed to the limit; hated feeling lost and out of control, hated exposing so much of himself to anyone. His emotions were raw and close to exploding, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could contain them.

"Don't you get it?" he growled at her. "It's that kind of thinking that got your brother killed."

Kaori gasped, flinching at his harsh tone. He turned back toward her and felt the last vestiges of his control slip away.

"Makimura was a cop, a police detective, and yet he still wasn't able to protect himself from Union Theope," Ryo said, his anger increasing. "And you're right. He thought that he could be my partner and continue on in his duties, no matter how dangerous they might be. And look what happened? He ended up as a battered, bloody corpse. Is that what he thought I wanted? Do you think that it was?"

Ryo wasn't able to stop himself from grabbing Kaori by the arms and forcing her to look at him.

"You say that you want to be my partner, to be an even better partner, but how much of a chance do you think you have, considering how your brother failed?" he raged at her. "Don't you realize by now that if you continue down this path that you'll end up just like him? Think about what happened to you today and what could have happened. Doesn't that make it clear to you?"

Ryo's hands shook, but they did not relent in their vise-like grip.

"Think about how you threatened Emi with that gun," he said, his voice cold and menacing. "Do you actually think that I want you shooting people? Do you think that I want to watch you turn into someone like me? Or maybe you think that I want to watch you die, just like how I got to watch Makimura die? Is that what you think I want?"

Ryo was ready to continue yelling at her, but a gasp from Kaori stopped him. Her eyes shined with a mixture of panic and tears, and he was immediately filled with guilt. He never wanted her to be afraid of him and yet it was clear in this moment that she was.

'It's just as well. She should be afraid of a man like me. Maybe that will wake her up to reality of the situation: that I am not a knight who can care for her and protect her. I'm a killer, living in a world that she has no business being in.'

He let her go and moved to sit on the edge of the bed, his shoulders slumped downward and his head in his hands.

"Kaori, this isn't going to work," he said. "Maybe you don't want to hear that, but it's the truth. The best solution for you now is to leave. Forget about City Hunter and forget about me. Go and be happy in a normal life."

Kaori continued to sit next to him silently and now it was Ryo's turn to be afraid. He was certain that he had finally gotten through to her, but there was still that insistent scream from his heart to stop this, to beg for her forgiveness, and to hold onto her no matter what the cost. It took every ounce of strength he had to not listen to that scream and remain outwardly impassive.

He was so lost in his own despair, he didn't even notice it when Kaori reached over and carefully pulled the singed scrap of cloth from her jacket, a piece of which was sticking out, from the pocket of his pants. He continued to fight with his emotions while she stared at it for several seconds before looking back over at him.

"This…this is from my jacket," she mumbled. "I ended up taking it off after you shot the ropes so I could get free faster. How did you get this? Wait, did you…? Did you think that I had….?"

Ryo couldn't really hear her. He was too busy waiting for the moment when she would leave him, angry and disappointed and ready to move on with her life. His thoughts continued to move further along their dark path while his heart grew increasingly numb.

A touch from Kaori jolted him out of reverie and he glanced over in time to watch her take one of his hands into both of hers.

"I am sorry, Ryo," she said gently. "This time I am the one being an idiot. I get so wrapped up in my own grief over aniki's death; I forget that you lost someone too. You lost your best friend. Not only that, you had to watch him die right in front of you. I don't know if I could have handled that. And even though you tried to keep an eye on me while I learned to deal with my grief, not once did I try to console you or make sure that you were ok."

Ryo's mouth hung open slightly in shock as she caressed his hand and brought up to her lips so she could kiss his fingers.

"Even worse, I haven't been considering what things like aniki's death or the possibility of my own death could be doing to you," she said after kissing him. "I took it for granted that you would always protect me, but I didn't think about how much that responsibility could weigh on you or how you might feel if you ever thought that you had failed to protect me."

She let go of his hand and moved closer to him so she could put her arms around his waist.

"I know that you've lost so many people in your life," Kaori said. "I know that and yet I didn't even think about how much pain you have had to endure, or how much sorrow you could still be carrying in your heart."

Ryo bowed his head even more and went back to burying his face in his hands, unable to look at her. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to walk away from him, not try to comfort him.

"But listen to me, Ryo," she continued. "This is one of the many reasons why I will never leave you. I am here to help you heal, not to cause you even more pain. I told you once before that my life became yours when I agreed to be your partner…that applies to my heart as well. I'm yours, Ryo. Now and always. And there is nothing that can separate us."

Ryo lifted his head but still would not look at her. His mind struggled to process what she was saying while his heart continued ache under the morass of his conflicting emotions.

"And I know you think that it would be better for me if I left, but that just isn't true," Kaori said. "Do you really think that I am better off without you? How can you think that?"

Kaori gave him one last squeeze before loosening her hold and starting to stroke his back.

"Don't you remember how it was after aniki died?" she asked. "I am certain that my grief would have swallowed me whole if I didn't have you and this job to hold onto. Or perhaps you think that my being with you puts me in more danger due to the criminals we deal with? Well maybe I have become somewhat more of a target because I am with you, but do you honestly think that I would always be left alone just because I wasn't with you? This whole thing with Emi should tell you that there are people out there who could go after me because of a grudge they have with aniki. And that doesn't even include Union Theope, by the way, or any of the other random things that have put me in danger at one time or another. Given all that, I can think of nowhere safer than right alongside the number one sweeper in Japan. You've protected me countless times, Ryo, and I have absolutely no doubt in your ability to continue to protect me."

Kaori reached over to brush his cheek causing Ryo to finally look over at her.

"Don't you understand, Ryo?" she asked. "We are far stronger together than we ever could be apart. You work so hard to protect me and help me when I need it. All that I ask is that you let me do the same for you."

Ryo leaned closer to her and gazed into her eyes. He was stunned at the depth of her stubbornness while simultaneously in awe of the wisdom behind her words. No matter how he tried to reason around it, he could not find a way to refute her logic.

"Kaori," he said, his voice hoarse and strained. "I'm sor-…." Kaori halted his words by pointing an index finger close to his mouth.

"Stop," she said. "I am apologizing to you right now. I told you that I was the idiot here and that is the truth. Do not apologize to me just because you allowed yourself to feel and to let those feelings show."

The corner of Ryo's mouth curled slightly upward as he carefully placed his hands back onto her shoulders.

"Then let me thank you instead," he said. "Thank you, Kaori, for protecting me earlier today. You handled yourself well against Emi."

Kaori blushed as he placed a chaste kiss onto her forehead.

"Thank you," he murmured. "For saving me."

Ryo then kissed her again on the lips. As he did, he contemplated just how much he had meant with those words. She had saved him, not just today by protecting him from Emi, but many times over the course of their partnership. She gave him light in his darkest moments, she gave him the extra strength he needed to fight some of his toughest enemies, and she gave him the support he needed to continue to live life as opposed to just surviving. The more he thought about it, the more Ryo grew convinced that he would have been dead long before now if Kaori had not been a part of his world.

He also realized, however, that that thought strengthened the argument Kaori put forth about the two of them being better off together than apart, and a part of him was exasperated at that.

Ryo pulled back from the kiss and watched Kaori continue to blush over his words.

"Ah, I can't believe that you're complimenting me as your partner," she said with a bashful smile. She put a hand to her face and paused when her eyes spied the piece of her jacket that was still laying on the bed.

"Ryo," she said. "I heard you tell Emi that your life was over. You didn't mean that, did you? It was a lie, wasn't it? Just a way to distract her?"

Ryo looked away from her. He didn't want to tell Kaori the truth, but he didn't want to lie to her either. In the end it didn't matter though. Kaori's silence, which was only broken by the sound of her trying to swallow her tears, told Ryo that she had answered her own question.

Suddenly Kaori threw her arms around him, squeezing him as hard as she could.

"Ryo, you have to promise me," she pleaded. "You have to promise me that, no matter what happens, you won't give up. That you'll always fight and live on. Promise me that, Ryo. Please."

Ryo tentatively put his own arms around her.

"I promise you that I will fight and survive," he said. "But I don't know if I can promise you to live if…." Kaori lifted her head to touch his face against his.

"Don't worry, Ryo," she whispered. "I promised you that I would never leave you, and I meant it. You will never be alone. I will always be with you."

Even as his mind tried to tell him that there was no way that Kaori could guarantee something like that, Ryo's heart believed in her words. There was simply no way he could not believe when faced with the insurmountable strength of her convictions.

"All right," he said. "I promise." Kaori nodded and kissed his cheek. That led to a series of kisses to Ryo's face and neck which made Ryo smile and embrace her even tighter. His smile grew as he guided her to lie back down and as he joined in the kisses. He felt an enormous weight lift from his heart and happiness bubble back up into his soul.

Ryo grinned, unable to contain a few giggles, as he started to take off his clothes and was pleased when he met no resistance from Kaori as he reached for hers. He almost felt light-headed as relief filled him with giddiness and his heart swelled with love. After everything that had happened today, he wanted and needed to have some fun and to immerse himself in Kaori again.

"Ryo," she moaned softly as he caressed her bare skin. "My knight…my Ryo…."

"Your knight always, Kaori," he whispered as he kissed her. "Yours and yours alone….my partner…."