All For You

Chapter 10:

Yami's Contentment and Aki's Heartache

Here we go for Chapter 10! We'll find out what that crazy girl Akikaze Mikage has been up to for the past 3 months and what Juji Kabane means to her. You know the drill; I don't own Gungrave or any of its characters. Rate and Message as you see fit! A lot is going to happen in this chapter, sorry, it might be a teeny bit confusing More of Aki's past is revealed, including who she's in love with!!

Aki woke to the hiss of the shower and the j-rock pounding through the speakers of the radio next to her head. She winced slightly, last night's drunken stupor gaining a comeback. Wearily, she glanced around the room, noting that her clothes were thrown everywhere and that the air of the apartment was rather chilly, according to her breasts. She stretched and joined Juji in the shower like she had every morning for the last 3 months. It saved time and water. Not to mention the rewards were bountiful.

Getting a job at Titan had been all too easy for her, it was nothing like Millenion, and being a secretary was wearisome and dull. Every day she found herself fingering the gold music note at her throat, from the boy who rescued her when she was thirteen, not long after she had been raped. And again, when she had just been released from the Mental Institution.

"Bunji Kugashira…" She whispered aloud. A boy I've met a handful of times, when I was younger no less, and I still love him like I've known him forever…I wonder where he is now?

"Aki-Chan? Are you alright?" Midori, her fellow secretary, eyed her curiously.

She smiled warmly, "Of course. I'm just daydreaming." This got the woman to grin wickedly.

"Of Juji Kabane, no doubt. Isn't it your three month anniversary tonight?"

"Yeah, it is…" Aki said without feeling. She had been excited for weeks, planning a special dinner and everything. But now, she wasn't so sure.

After leaving Titan for the day, Aki hurried back to the apartment and made a special meal for Juji and bickered aloud with Yami.

'No, no! You're doing it all wrong, Aki! It has to be perfect for him!' Yami protested.

"Yami, I am boiling water. How do you do that wrong?! Just shut up! Why are you so crazy about Juji anyway? You weren't like this for Bunji."

'You were young and stupid, remember? It never would've worked, you know that. Just because you wanted to screw him when you were sixteen doesn't make him your 'true love', Aki. Don't be so silly and-watch the water!'

Aki snatched the noodles from the stove, splashing boiling water all over the counters and floor. She felt her anger raise a degree.

"So, you're saying that you're in love with Juji?" Aki hissed, throwing the noodles into the strainer in a fit of temper both from the inconvenience of cooking and Yami's persistent nonsense. She had loved Bunji and maybe still did…then, why am I with Juji?

'Is that a bad thing? He is quite the character. He's a darker beauty than your little 'Bunji' fellow. Juji is the embodiment of what a true man is. Tough, ignorant, and can go all night. He's not open with your false 'feelings', men don't tell you how they feel about you. It's all about sex, Aki, not love. Love is an artificial emotion created by people like Jane Austen.'

Aki didn't bother to answer her for a while as she focused on rolling the sushi into perfect circles. "I don't care what you say, I still love Bunji. No matter where he is…"

'You are destined for heartbreak, Aki. I would never allow you to be with him. No matter, you don't even know where he is.'

Juji came home and ate the meal she had made without a word about it or their anniversary. Aki tried to keep from crying as she washed the dishes mechanically, daydreaming again about silky hair and dark shades. Juji came up behind her, gripping her side painfully.

"Juji, that hurts." Aki muttered, setting the pan in the sink, knowing full well what he wanted. It was the same every night after dinner. Just like all the other men she had been with, Aki knew that was all she was good for.

"Midori said you mentioned a "Bunji Kugashira" today," He hissed, clawing her sides. She winced and gripped the counter. "How do you know him?" She didn't answer for a moment and he spun her around, shaking her. "I asked you a question!"

"He's a friend from a long time ago, what's the big deal?" He shook her again, nearly knocking her unconscious. "Juji! Knock it off!" Aki slapped him, hard, hoping to beat some sense back into him. His eyes were furious and he slammed her into a nearby wall.

"You're mine!" He spat acidly, dragging her to the floor underneath him. "My brother will never have you again, he had his chance!"

'3:21a.m.'

Aki's body ached, especially her lower half, when she awoke several hours later. Juji lay naked and sound asleep next to her, one arm tight around her waist. She slapped it away and crumpled out of bed to the floor, moaning in pain. Once she reached the bathroom tiles, she felt immediately better, and throwing up cured the rest. Only her emptiness stayed with her as she curled onto the floor of the shower, laying wrapped in the steam and warmth that she couldn't find anywhere else.

"Is this what you call 'love', Yami? Is this what it's all about? If so, I don't want it!" She thought bitterly to the entity in her mind. No answer came to her. "This has to end, I need to go home…tomorrow I'll finish my mission like I should have two months ago and face Big Daddy's wrath like a good little girl. Then, I'll see my friends and forget about men for a while…yeah, that sounds good." With that, she fell sound asleep until the hot water turned cold on her bare skin. She made quick work of Titans people and detonated the building as she left. Juji was nowhere to be found. The guilt of leaving Juji behind, possibly killing him, would haunt Aki for years to come.

True, Big Daddy scolded her and gave her enough paperwork to give her carpal tunnel, but it was great to be home at last. Zen, Brandon, and Harry had all gotten jobs at Millenion and were well on their way to being successful.

Zen filled Aki's days with banter on everything that had happened while she was gone. She was smart enough to not ask Aki why she rarely smiled anymore or why she never even looked at men anymore. Zen had a good idea what happened in Atlas.

After Zen left for lunch one day, Aki filed pictures of "Wanted Criminals" and came across one that caught her eye.

Bunji "Madman" Kugashira

Age: 18 approx. (Actual age unknown)

Eyes: Unknown Hair: Black

Occupation: Sweeper. Once a member of the Gatou Gang. Whereabouts remain unknown. Last seen working for the Vulcan Corporation.

Family also remains unknown.

Aki's eyes welled with tears and she smiled for the first time in several weeks. She held onto the eighth-note necklace he had given her when she was sixteen. He had shown up out of the blue after three years and flipped her world around once more. For a whole week he never left her side even when Tony threatened to call the police. When he finally had to leave he promised he would see her again and gave her the necklace that had been his own mother's.

She kissed the photo of him, murmuring quietly to herself:

"He's alive."

Woo! That was loooong! XD I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think and I will definitely get the next one out soon! In fact, I think I'll go type it now…lol

See you soon! –Jade P.S. Feel free to drop me an email at: