Author's Notes: I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written. We've got a lot going on here, so I hope it was worth the wait!
"I still don't understand why I can't go with you. For that matter, I don't even understand why you have to do this at all." Hanabi grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.
"We've been over this, Hanabi." the Boss replied, pinching the bridge of their nose in exhasperation and leaning back against the elevator to Purgatory. "It's just a mock hold-up to promote the Saints movie."
"And you're replacing me with Birk because...?" Hanabi asked.
"Seriously Boss, Hanabi'd be a much better choice than this idiot." Shaundi agreed, jerking her head toward the actor in question. "If we're gonna being holding up a bank, even just as a publicity stunt, shouldn't we make sure that everyone involved is at least somewhat competent?"
The Boss sighed. Getting ganged up on was not how they'd planned to spend their morning. "For the last time, this is just a publicity thing. We don't need five people for this; it would just be overkill. Actually, having four people is pushing it but Josh needs to research his part."
"Why do you guys even have to promote the movie like this anyway?" Hanabi pressed. "Don't we have PR and advertising departments that are supposed to take care of this stuff?"
The Boss was about to reply when Johnny, who had opted to remain silent throughout the arguement, held up a hand to stop them. "Yo, hold up a sec, Boss." He shifted his gaze to Hanabi. "Come with me a sec, Tiny." Hanabi sighed but uncrossed her arms and followed Johnny around the side of the building. Once they were out of eye and earshot of the others, Johnny turned back to her. "What's goin' on, kid? It's not like you to argue this much."
"Yeah, well I can't help it." Hanabi replied. "My stomach's felt squirmy ever since I got up. I really don't think you guys should go."
"You know I hate all this publicity bull as much as the next guy, but we don't really have a choice." Johnny reminded her. "It's the Boss's call; they made it, we have to go with it."
"No, we don't." Hanabi objected. "Johnny, you know I wouldn't complain if I wasn't truly concerned about this. I can't really explain it, but I can't shake this vibe that something bad is gonna happen if you guys go through with this stunt." She let out a breath before shifting her gaze to the ground. "You guys are all I have and if something were to happen to you-"
Hanabi was cut off as Johnny hugged her to his chest and rested his head on top of hers. "Kid, you're talkin' to the Saints here; we're not so easy to get rid of, in case you hadn't noticed." His tone was uncharacteristically soft and gentle, something Hanabi only heard on occasion and only when it was just the two of them. The sound immediately caused her to relax into his hug, slowly returning it as well. "I know complainin' isn't your style, so you must really be worried. But I promise you that you've got nothin' to worry about. I made you a promise when I took you in that you wouldn't have to be alone again and I've never broken my word to you, have I?"
Hanabi smiled gently. "No. No, you haven't."
"And I'm not about to start now. You're all I have too, y'know." Johnny assured her, resting his head on top of hers. "I'm not sure where this bad feeling you're getting is coming from, but I promise that I'll come back to you no matter what happens during this heist. We all will." He waited until he felt Hanabi nod her head before releasing her and leading her back to the other Saints.
"Everything cool?" Pierce asked as the pair rejoined them, returning Hanabi's smile when she nodded to him.
"Yeah. It's all cool." Johnny agreed before turning to the Boss. "Let's go. The sooner we start this thing, the sooner it'll be over."
"Hold up guys." Josh Birk interjected before looking over at Hanabi. "Before we leave, I've gotta ask: what do you use to get your hair so straight, Hannah?"
Hanabi blinked a few times in disbelief before exchanging an incredulous glance with Shaundi. "Okay first of all, my name is Hanabi. Second, I use this really awesome conditioner from Suave; I'm pretty sure it's called 'I'm Asian' and it's pretty great."
Johnny looked over to his sister as Shaundi, Pierce, and the Boss shared a laugh upon witnessing Hanabi's joke go completely over Birk's head. She seemed to be back in her usual spirits now, but her earlier behavior still had him concerned. It wasn't like her to be so clingy or to openly challenge the Boss the way she did. 'Ah well. It probably wasn't anything big. I promised her we'd all come back to her and that's exactly what's gonna happen.'
The bank heist didn't go exactly as planned. It turns out the Saints happened to choose to rob the one bank in Stilwater that belonged to an international criminal fraternity calling itself 'The Syndicate'. The group's leader, a pompous Belgian man named Phillipe Loren, had forced the Boss, Johnny, and Shaundi onto his private jet. He'd explained that The Syndicate was planning to expand their operation into Stilwater and offered the Saints a deal: continue to operate their media group as they chose in exchange for sixty-six percent of their monthly gross revenue or be executed on the spot. Naturally, the Saints opted for 'none of the above', Johnny wasted no time getting himself and the others free, and he assured them he'd fly the plane back to Stilwater while Shaundi and the Boss fought their way to the cargo bay to jump out the back.
"Johnny, we're about to jump!" Shaundi announced through the plane's intercom system as the Boss got their parachute situated.
The sound of a struggle could be heard on the other end of the intercom before Johnny's voice floated through the speaker. "Right on! I'll see you in Stil-"
A round of gunfire interuppted the conversation and the cockpit fell eerily silent. Shaundi could only exchange a horrified glance with the Boss before uttering a weak "Johnny...?". The pair were about to run back to the cockpit to help their friend when a patch of turbulence suddenly rocked the plane. Knocked off their feet, the Boss just barely managed to grab onto the open hatch of the cargo bay doors. They managed to grab Shaundi's hand as well before she rolled out into the open air. Unfortunately, the turbulance also knocked several of the cargo containers and vehicles stored in the cargo hold loose from their holdings and one of the vehicles struck the Boss in the head. They weren't injured of course, but the impact was enough to cause them to loosen their grip on the hatch, sending the Boss and Shaundi plummeting down from a few thousand feet.
Once the plane had been safely landed (after circling back around for a futile attempt to ram the Boss and Shaundi as they fell), Phillipe took a seat in his desk chair aboard the plane. The faces of the remaining Sydicate leaders appeared on the monitor before him as Viola and Kiki took their places at his sides. "Gentlemen, negotiations were...less than successful." He gestured to the two women beside him. "Viola and Kiki will spread the word: Steelport belongs to The Sydicate and the Saints are not welcome." He focused his attention on Killbane. "Mr. Killbane, gather your Luchadores and bring me their leader's head." He redirected his gaze toward Matt. "Mr. Miller, hack into the Saints' accounts and leave them nothing." He killed the video feed after giving his orders and turned back to his twin assistants. "Things may not have gone the way we'd hoped but we did manage to eliminate one of the Saints' key players. That should make taking them out much easier."
"I hope so." Viola replied. "The Saints leader doesn't appear to take it well when their friends are harmed. I doubt they're going to take this sitting down."
"It doesn't matter." Kiki assured her. "Losing Gat is going to be a major blow to the Saints. We have to strike now while their leaders are stunned and mourning."
Phillipe nodded. "Agreed." He stood from his chair and pulled out a cell phone from his pocket. "If you ladies will excuse me, I have a call to make."
The Boss shook off their fist, trying to remove the sting from their knuckles caused by punching an unsuspecting ATM. After freefalling from the Sydicate plane and dodging falling debris to catch Shaundi in mid-air, they were forced to toss her aside upon realizing the plane had circled back around and was about to ram them. After a series of shenanigans involving shooting out the windshield, hurtling through the plane while chucking their used parachute at one of Loren's goons, yoinking another parachute from yet another of Loren's goons, diving out of the cargo bay again and dodging more debris and Syndicate gunmen, and finally catching Shaundi, the pair landed in an unfamiliar city. The Boss attempted to withdraw some cash from the ATM, only to be denied for insufficient funds. Now stranded in this new city with no money and after everything they'd gone through in the past six hours, the Boss couldn't stop themselves from venting their frustrations on the poor machine. They had just stepped back from the ATM when a familiar ringtone cut through the air and they pressed on their earpiece to answer the call.
"The body of Mr. Gat will be a message to all who oppose The Syndicate. There is no mercy, only death. Don't mourn your friend; you'll be joining him soon." Phillipe warned grimly before hanging up.
"Loren's gonna pay for this." Shaundi growled.
The Boss took a moment to study their current surroundings. It appears the pair were underneath a highway overpass that doubled as a sort of red light district. The narrow alley was filled with sex shops and prostitutes as well as a fair number of pimps and customers. "Let's grab a ride and figure out where the hell we are."
"Steelport. It's kinda like Bangkok's abusive father." Shaundi supplied without missing a beat.
"You've been here before?" the Boss asked.
Shaundi nodded. "Spring break."
"Is this where 'Feel Boss' comes from?" the Boss asked as they began to trek through the alley. "What the hell is it?"
"You don't wanna know." Shaundi assured them.
"Fine, be like that." the Boss conceded, throwing open the door to an abandoned car at the end of the alley. "So where are we goin'?"
"Look, I was really high the last time I was here. Just drive, it'll come back to me." Shaundi replied as she climbed into the passenger seat.
The Boss started the car and pulled out of the alley, merging seamlessly into traffic...before plowing through any and all vehicles in the way. "Call Pierce and fill him in."
"Already texted him. He's bringin' Hanabi and the rest of the crew." Shaundi replied. All the color drained out of her face a second later. "Oh shit! Hanabi!" She sent a panicked look toward the Boss. "Boss, what are we gonna tell her?"
The Boss quirked an eyebrow, glancing quickly at Shaundi before looking back to the road. "Umm, the truth?" They saw Shaundi's head snap in their direction out of the corner of their eye and, though they couldn't see her expression, they imagined it was one of uncertainty. "What exactly do you think keeping Gat's death from her is going to accomplish? The longer we keep this from her, the worse the situation becomes for all of us; the kid isn't going to take this well regardless but it will be even worse if we lie to her about it. Besides, I've already decided that I'll be the one to break it to her, so if she feels the need to lash out at someone, she'll lash out at me." They waited for Shaundi to nod before continuing. "I'm just gonna be completely honest and tell her everything."
Shaundi nodded again but didn't meet the Boss's eyes. After a moment of silence, she spoke up. "You don't have to tell her everything." The Boss shot her a confused glance. "I mean, you can leave out the part about his death being my fault."
"How was any of what happened your fault?" the Boss asked incredulously.
"Oh come on, Boss!" Shaundi exclaimed. "The only reason we didn't stay and fight with Johnny was because you had to cover my ass. Just like everyone always does."
"Come on, Shaundi. You know that's not-"
"Of course it is!" Shaundi interrupted. "Everyone always holds my hand through everything! Don't think I haven't noticed how you always stick close to me whenever shit goes down. Face it, I'm the weakest link in this whole fucking gang! You and Gat are one-person armies. Hanabi's probably the only person who can actually say the thug life chose her. Hell, even Pierce can hold his own in a fight. Compared to you guys, I'm just..."
"You're just what?" the Boss challenged, swerving into a parking space and parking the car before turning to face Shaundi. "I wouldn't have made you a damn lieutenant if I didn't think you could hold your own. And for the record, I don't stay close to you during battles because I don't think you can handle yourself; I stay close because your one of my crew and I'd take a bullet for you the same as I would for any of the others. With Pierce as the face of the Saints, he isn't around often enough anymore to take part in the asskicking business as much, Johnny's a fucking tank that can take just as much as he dishes out, and Hanabi doesn't need me watching out for her because Gat never let her out of his sight." They waited for Shaundi to nod in understanding before they continued. "My point is that I don't see you as a liability, girl. None of us ever have. And no matter what you tell yourself, what happened on the plane was not your fault." They gently rested a hand on her shoulder. "Answer me honestly: do you really think Hanabi would blame you?"
Shaundi was silent for a moment. "I don't know. Frankly, I'm too afraid of what she'll say to dwell on it too much. I know you're right in saying we need to tell her as soon as possible but... I can't stand the thought of her hating me."
"She worships you, Shaundi." the Boss assured her as they started the car again, driving in the direction of the nearest Friendly Fire. "As for breakin' the news to her...we'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it."
"Girl, will you please stop pacin'? You're gonna wear a path in the carpet at this rate." Pierce teased, tossing a piece of his burger to Ravage. He and Hanabi had opted to wait at Purgatory for the other Saints to return from their heist. They had yet to hear anything, though, and the more time passed, the more nervous Hanabi got.
Hanabi sighed. "I can't help it, Pierce. What's taking them so long? Publicity stunts like this only take a few hours at most. I figured we'd have heard something by now."
Pierce shrugged. "I don't know, but us stressin' isn't gonna make 'em come back any quicker." He stood from his spot at the bar and crossed over to Hanabi, gently resting his hands on her shoulders. "Don't you worry, kid. I'm sure they'll walk down those stairs any sec-" Pierce was the sound of his phone and immediately fished it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. "See? I just got a text from Shaundi." He opened the text to read it, his expression darkening slightly before he glanced back to Hanabi. "Get your crew together and load up a chopper. We're goin' to Steelport."
"Steelport? What the hell are they doing in Steelport?" Hanabi asked, a little miffed that she hadn't received a text as well. In spite of her annoyance, she was a little relieved they hadn't ended up too far away; Steelport was pretty much a Sunday afternoon drive from Stilwater.
"Shaundi didn't give me the full story but apparently the bank they hit is owned by some group called The Syndicate. The leader tried to negotiate some bullshit deal, the Boss shot him down, they fought their way through a plane...twice...somehow...and now their need us to help 'em rob the guard armory."
"So, a typical Wednesday then." Hanabi quipped.
Pierce chuckled. "About right, yeah." He read over the text again. "Oh hey, check your bank account real quick before we head out. Shaundi says the Saints accounts had been drained." He immediately logged into his banking app, his face falling when he saw his account. "Oh hell naw! Those Eurotrash fucks cleaned me out too!"
"My account's fine." Hanabi told him, glancing up from her phone. "They must have forgotten to hit it. Or they just haven't got to it yet. Well, we can worry more about that once we meet up with everyone but at least we aren't completely broke." Pierce nodded in agreement before motioning toward the staircase. Hanabi whistled for Ravage, smiling when the dog trotted loyally to her side. "Let's go, boy. We've got some Frenchies to fuck up."
Pierce was about to follow Hanabi up the staircase when another text alert stopped him. His eyes widened as he read Shaundi's next message: 'Gat was killed on the plane. Don't tell Hanabi yet; the Boss wants to handle it.' He could only utter a soft "Damn..." as his eyes shifted back to Hanabi, her phone to her ear as briefed her crew on what was happening. "Don't know how the Boss thinks they're gonna explain this one." he muttered as he followed after her.
"Okay. In hindsight, this may not have been one of my better ideas." the Boss admitted as they continued firing on the waves of soldiers swarming the armory. Their plan to raid the armory had yeilded some wonderful results for the Saints: they had found more than enough guns to equip the entire gang, a massive bomb they had every intention of bringing with them, and 'UAV drones' whatever the hell those were. Unfortunately, attacking a military base full of armed guards while they themselves were very limited on weapons and ammo at the moment had been a point they'd glossed over. As more and more soldiers poured into the bunker where Shaundi and the Boss were currently pinned, and there was still no sign of Pierce and Hanabi, it seemed as if they might not make it out of this one.
"Ya think?!" Shaundi snapped as she fired off some more shots. She ducked down behind a crate of ammo and reloaded, switching on her earpiece as she did so. "Pierce, Hanabi, where the hell are you guys?!"
"You know us." Pierce's voice replied through the speaker as the sound of choppers drowned out the gunshots. The Boss and Shaundi peered out from their hiding places to see a caravan of helicopters swarming the armory. Each chopper had a few Saints leaning out the sides and firing at the guards. In a matter of seconds, the soldiers attacking them had been routed but not before they were able to send out a distress call for backup. "We love to make an entrance."
"If we're stayin', maybe it's time to try out those UAV drones." Shaundi suggested, motioning toward the control box she had found earlier.
"Seriously, how the hell do you know what that is?" the Boss asked before running over to grab the box. They checked to make sure the choppers and Saints flooding out of them to load up the weapons were out of the line of fire before launching the first missile.
"Just shut up and use the damn things!" Shaundi snapped.
"Why aren't we gettin' the hell outta here?!" Pierce exclaimed as the Boss wasted no time in using the drones to rain hellfire down onto the incoming tanks.
"The Boss won't leave without the bomb." Shaundi explained.
"You cannot be serious!" Hanabi shouted.
"Less bitching, more shooting!" the Boss ordered as they let loose another barrage of missiles.
"Fine, but at least let me get rid of the incoming foot soldiers." Hanabi replied. The Boss exchanged a puzzled look with Shaundi before a black and tan blur began taking down the guards, the telltale green glow of Ravage's healing factor indicating that the men's bullets weren't slowing the dog down at all.
"Damn, girl. Do you always bring a dog to a bomb fight?" the Boss snarked as they succeeded in destroying one of the large tanks sent to stop the Saints.
"When that dog is impervious to just about every weapon under the sun, then yes." Hanabi shot back, smugness in her tone as she watched Ravage's continued rampage.
"You think we got enough guns?" Shaundi asked the Boss after a brief pause to continue shooting.
"Would I ever say yes to that?" the Boss replied.
"So once we're loaded up, we're goin' after Loren, right?" Shaundi pressed.
"All in good time." the Boss assured her. They glanced up from the controls in time to see Ravage bite into a guard's jugular to reach Shaundi and help hold the line. "How's it coming, Pierce?"
"Almost packed up." Pierce answered, checking the Saints progress from his own chopper.
"The sooner, the better." the Boss replied.
A few minutes later, Pierce's voice floated through the Boss's earpiece again. "We're all set. Get in the chopper!"
"Don't have to tell us twice!" the Boss replied, sprinting out of the bunker to where Hanabi's chopper was hovering just outside the gate and whistling for Ravage to follow. Once Shaundi had hopped inside and the other Saints piled into the remaining choppers, the crew took off toward Shaundi's ex's loft with the bomb in tow.
"Hey guys, I wasn't able to say anything while we were raiding the armory and stealing that big-ass bomb, but where's my brother?" Hanabi asked as she walked into the loft. After landing the choppers, the Saints had spent the next few hours loading the weapons into the new safehouse and Hanabi had not seen hide or hair of Johnny. She glanced around in confusion as the room fell dead silent and she noticed Shaundi slip silently into the bedroom of the small studio apartment. She looked over to Pierce and the Boss, both of whom were refusing to meet her gaze. "Okay, you guys are scaring me. What's going on?"
The Boss exchanged a look with Pierce before heaving a sigh and walking over to Hanabi. "Come with me, Hanabi. There's something you need to know." Hanabi followed the Boss out of the apartment and down to the street, a terrible sense of dread growing in the pit of her stomach. After a moment, the Boss finally turned to look at her. "There's really no easy way for me to say and I'm sorry to be the one that has to tell you but...Johnny's gone."
"Yeah I know. That's why I asked where he is." Hanabi replied, trying to keep her voice steady and light despite having an idea of where the conversation was inevitably headed.
"No, Hanabi." The Boss paused, steeling themself for what they had to say. This would be their first time admitting out loud, to both Hanabi and themself, that Johnny was no longer with them. They hadn't expected it to be this difficult. "I mean that he's...he's dead."
"No he's not." Hanabi replied, attempting to keep her tone dismissive. The Boss didn't reply this time, just watched sadly as the news slowly sank in. Hanabi finally let out a more desperate "No he's not." but she wasn't able to keep her voice from cracking this time. The feelings of dread and fear magnified and she had never felt anything like before: she felt her heartbeat in her ears, her stomach felt as if it was going to fall out her ass, and she had a lump in her throat as if she'd just swallowed a large pill. She could feel her heart rate increasing and her breathing getting shallower and more erratic.
"You okay, kid?" the Boss asked, concern written all over their face as they took a step closer.
Hanabi held up her hand despite the tears welling in her eyes, stopping the Boss from getting any closer. "How did it happen?"
The Boss made another attempt to step closer. "Hanabi, I think you should-"
"Tell me how it happened." Hanabi interjected sharply, her eyes flashing red briefly as she leveled a glare at the Boss.
"Alright, alright." the Boss conceded, holding their hands up in surrender. "After we declined the Syndicate's shitty deal, they tried to kill us. Ya know, the usual. Johnny held off the Morningstar coming after us so Shaundi and I could escape out the back of the plane. He said he'd fly the plane back to Stilwater."
Hanabi let out a bitter chuckle as she struggled to keep the tears bag. "He can't even drive stick."
"That's exactly what Shaundi said." the Boss replied with a bitter laugh of their own. They shook their head before continuing. "Anyway, once we reached the plane's cargo bay, we radioed the cockpit to tell him we were about to jump. He was about to answer us but whatever he was gonna say was drowned out by gunfire and the line went dead. Shaundi and I wanted to run back and see what happened but we were knocked out of the plane before we could." They took note of Hanabi's misty eyes and reached toward her again. "I'm so sorry, Hanabi. If there's anything I can do-"
Hanabi took another step back, trying to keep her unshed tears from falling. "I'm sorry Boss, but I really don't want to be touched right now." She pulled her hood up to hide her multi-colored hair. "I think I just want to be alone for a little while, okay." She turned around, finally allowing her tears to spill out. "Please don't follow me; I'll be back in a little bit."
The Boss nodded despite knowing Hanabi couldn't see them. "Alright. Just be careful." They stared after her worriedly as she walked away before shaking their head and walking back into the building.
Hanabi wasn't sure how long she'd been gone or how far she'd walked and if the bottom of her world hadn't dropped out from under her at the Boss's news, she probably would have asked herself how the hell she hoped to get back to the safehouse. At present, though, all she could think about was how she would never see her brother again. Johnny had been a sort of security blanket for Hanabi after he'd officially taken her in; no matter what happened, she knew she would always be able to depend on him. In the relatively short time they'd spent together, she'd come to see him as nearly omnipotent so the thought of him being taken away in such a simple (for a Saint, at least) fashion terrified her more than she could put into words. The longer she dwelled on it, the tighter her chest felt and the more erratic her heartbeat became. No matter what she did, she couldn't calm herself down so she began glancing around for a place to lay low until what she was pretty sure was a panic attack passed; she didn't want to risk being recognized and swarmed by Saints fans while she was in this state. Hanabi ducked into a nearby alleyway and crouched down, pressing her forehead to her knees and wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to keep herself from shaking.
She jumped slightly when she felt a light touch on her shoulder, a male voice with a British accent grabbing her attention. "Are you alright?"
He wasn't entirely sure what possessed him to follow a stranger into an alley or, for that matter, why he was even concerned in the first place. He'd stepped out of Nobody Loves Me with every intention of hiding out in his flat for the rest of the day until he noticed the small figure walking briskly on the other side of the street. Their hoodie kept him from seeing their face, but they couldn't hide the rapid rise and fall of their chest or how badly their body was shaking. 'Whatever's going on there, it doesn't concern me.' he'd thought as he watched the figure move around the building it was standing in front and duck into the alley. He was about to turn and head home but something stopped him and he couldn't bring himself to just leave. Before he could talk any sense into himself or scold himself for his apparent lack of self-preservation, he'd followed the figure into the alley, found it crouched in a fetal position, and found himself tapping it's shoulder. "Are you alright?"
The figure jumped and raised it's head off of it's knees but didn't look up at him. "I'm not sure but I think I'm about to die." The figure, which he'd confirmed by her voice was female, took a few shaky breaths before speaking again. "I can't breathe. Feels like my heart's gonna explode."
"Okay...um...alright." he replied as he hesitantly sat down next to her. "Have you been feeling like this consistantly or is it coming in waves?"
"Waves." the girl gasped out, gripping her arms even tighter.
'Okay, panic attack then. Multiple panic attacks, it sounds like. This I can work with.' he thought. He moved as close as he could to the girl without actually touching her; in his own experience with panic attacks, the last thing he wanted was people touching him. "Okay, I need you to train your eyes on a spot in front of you and focus on it. Don't think about anything else but keeping your eyes on that spot."
"Why?" the girl asked.
"Just trust me. It'll help calm you back down." he assured her. She nodded in response and lifted her head a bit more. Thanks to her hood, he wasn't able to see where she was looking but he could see that her breathing was slowing and that the shaking had stopped after a few minutes. "Better?"
The girl let out a breath before nodding. "Yeah." She pulled her hood back, revealing a head of purple and cyan hair, before finally looking up at him.
That was when he realized he was face-to-face with Hanabi Gat. 'Oh bloody hell. Guess I don't have to ask her what caused the panic attacks.'
Hanabi was currently looking into the bluest eyes she'd ever seen and, once again, found herself unable to speak. It took her a moment to break her trance, but once she did, she took in her savior's mop of black hair, his leather jacket, and his...lipstick? She had to admit that a guy wearing makeup wasn't something she was expecting, but she thought the look suited him. She couldn't place it but she felt as if she'd met this guy somewhere before. Unfortunately, she didn't have too much time to dwell on it as she heard tires squealing nearby, followed by Pierce rounding the corner into the alley a second later, startling the boy into moving away from her.
"There you are!" Pierce sighed in relief. "Girl, I've been lookin' all over for you. I know you're upset but you really shouldn't be wondering around by yourself right now. Let's get you back to the safehouse."
"Yeah. Yeah, I-I know." Hanabi conceded. She stood before turning back to the boy next to her and offering him a hand up. "Thanks for helping me out. I think I'll be okay now." She offered him a smile, a weak one but it was the best she could manage. "You may already know this but...my name's Hanabi." She gestured toward Pierce, who nodded in greeting. "And that's Pierce."
"I gathered as much." the boy replied, taking Hanabi's extended hand and allowing her to pull him up. "I'm Matt."
Hanabi gave Matt another small smile before releasing his hand. "I guess I'd better be going then. Thanks again. Maybe I'll see you again sometime?"
Matt nodded, returning Hanabi's smile despite knowing he was inches from death should either Saint figure out who he worked for. "I should certainly hope so."
With that, Hanabi turned and followed Pierce out of the alley and over to purple Infuego parked nearby. "How did you find me? I don't even think I knew where I was." Hanabi asked as she hopped into the passenger seat.
"Ultor's phone tracking app." Pierce answered as he sat down in the driver's seat and started the car. He glanced over at Hanabi before taking off toward the loft. "You doin' okay?"
"As well as can be expected, I guess." Hanabi stated. "I'm sure I'm not completely cried out yet and I'm fairly certain that isn't the last panic attack I'll have about this but I think I'm fine for now." She heaved a sigh. "I take it the Boss has told the rest of the crew about what happened?"
"Yeah. They filled everyone in not long after you left." Pierce informed her. He glanced over to Hanabi again to see her checking her reflection in the car's visor mirror. "You know you don't have to put on a brave face for the crew. Nobody's gonna blame you for bein' upset."
"Even so, I can't afford to let the crew see me like this." Hanabi replied. "We're in a very vulnerable position now and we can't show any weakness. Everyone has to be on their A-game and it all starts from the top."
"Still, I know you tend to internalize emotions you'd probably be better off sharing." Pierce pointed out as he pulled up to the loft and parked the car. "Just know that me, the Boss, Shaundi, and the rest of the crew...we're all here for you."
Hanabi turned to face Pierce, a grateful smile on her face, before reaching over to pull him into a hug, which was gladly returned. "Thanks."
"Any time, girl." Pierce assured her. The pair kept the hug going for another moment, with Pierce being the first to pull away. "Now let's head inside and work up a plan to make those Syndicate motherfuckers pay."
Ending Notes: Bad news: we've lost Johnny. Good news: after twenty chapters, Hanabi and Matt have finally met. I hope it wasn't too awkward. I just figured that since Matt's such an awkward turtle anyway and Hanabi wasn't exactly at her best, it gave me a little leeway. I'm really looking forward to their next meeting. It'll be much sweeter, way less awkward, and there will be some clarification about what happened here.
Thank you all so much for reading! As always, feedback and constructive criticism are more than welcome! Geekinthepink, out!