.

LionHeart

Chapter 26

We know full well there's just time,

So is it wrong to dance this line?

If your heart was full of love,

Could you give it up?

- Not About Angels, Birdy

The sunlight peaked through my eyelids, pouring in through the pale curtains of the bedroom. I opened my eyes slowly, surprised when the first thing I saw was the colour of rich hazel, and the scent that met my nose was my favourite mixture of lime and mint.

I smiled brightly, mirroring Hika's loving and welcoming grin. "Good morning" I chuckled.

"Good morning" he replied.

"How long have you been creepily staring at me like that?" I murmured dreamily, a yawn interrupting my question.

"For a creepily long time" he winked, "Sorry, I couldn't sleep and you looked so adorable scrunching up your nose. You must have been dreaming about something"

"I was"

"About me?" He beamed.

"No" I laughed, "I was dreaming about what it would be like to be a giant squirrel"

Hikaru raised an eyebrow, the corner of his lip curling up into a smirk, "You're a strange woman aren't you?"

"I prefer the term 'quirky'" I replied toyingly.

He chuckled warmly and reached up to cup my cheek, just as he frequently liked to do. I smiled, losing myself in his gaze once more as his thumb traced comforting circles on my flushed skin. There was always something so familiar and loving about his touch, the thought only made my blush deepen. My eyes tore away from his and panned across his body. It was only then that I realised he was dressed in his work suit, minus the tie and was lying on top of the covers facing me.

"What time is it?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Half 6"

"You must have gotten up early"

"I told you, I couldn't sleep" he smiled.

"You should have woken me up" I said.

"You looked so peaceful" he grinned, "But if you weren't awake by 7 I would have had to. Mori and Honey are getting breakfast ready"

"Honey is making breakfast?" I questioned in disbelief.

"Well, not really. He's awake and wandering around in a onesie and a blanket moaning about how early it is, whilst Mori flips the pancakes"

I laughed and rolled onto my back, and stretched my arms above my head, "Aren't they going to be late for work?"

"No, they have the day off, otherwise I doubt they would have had time to shower, especially since the boss, Kaoru and Kyoya have been fighting over the water all morning"

"Everyone is awake?"

He nodded, "I laid out your uniform at the end of the bed and there are warm towels in the bathroom"

"It's like I have my own hotel staff" I yawned, "I should probably get ready. I've got a big day today" I yawned again before climbing out of bed. Hikaru's eyes followed me across the room, I could sense the hesitance in his reply to my statement, but I did my best to ignore it.

When I emerged from my rushed shower I swiftly threw on my uniform. Hikaru wasn't in the room when I began dressing, but as I buttoned up my blazer, he made a sudden reappearance. "Tie" he chuckled, waving it from the dresser. I smiled back, watching as he began struggling to tie it around his neck. I smirked in amusement.

"Come here" I laughed, reaching for him. His cheeks turned an adorable shade of scarlet as I grasped each end of the necktie.

"I don't usually wear ties" he murmured.

"I noticed" I chuckled, "Is that because you don't know how to tie them?"

"They're tricky sometimes!" He pouted.

"You do realise that we went to a school where we had to wear ties daily?"

"Mom always put it on for me" he grumbled, "Besides, Kaoru is more of the tie person. He suits them better"

I scoffed and finished tightening it around his neck, "You both look the same. You suit them identically"

"I don't know about that" he mumbled, stretching his neck out and rubbing it, "I think I have a chubbier neck than him"

I slapped his arm playfully, "Don't be ridiculous" I laughed. He stuck out his tongue, daring me to lean in and kiss him. I happily obliged. As soon as his lips touched mine, the feelings and thoughts I had encountered the night before came flooding back. His lips were soft and consumed mine eagerly. And I couldn't help but smile against him as I felt the love instinctually channel through the kiss.

When we finally pulled apart and went to join the others, we were met by a sleepy zombified Honey-senpai lying on the living room floor, wearing an oversized fox onesie and fortified underneath a fluffy blanket.

"Ugh" he murmured.

"Morning Honey" I giggled.

No reply came.

"I think he's fallen asleep again" Kaoru's voice called out from the kitchen. He poked his head around the corner with a grin, "Good morning love birds"

I blushed, feeling Hika's hand rest on the small of my back.

"Sleep well?" Kaoru winked suggestively.

I rolled my eyes, "Yes thank you"

He beamed as he walked towards us. When he neared he held his arms out and hugged us both tightly, enveloping us in a sweet loving hug. He planted two quick pecks on the sides of our heads. "Breakfast is ready" he grinned.

We were led through to the dining room, through the hallway and the lobby area. The others were sat at the table when we walked through to the dining room.

Mori plated up everyone's breakfasts, piling pancakes up onto each plate before passing them around the table. At the sound of the maple syrup being poured, Honey made his appearance, wearing his blanket at a comfortable cape. He seemed to perk up a bit once he had shovelled his first mouthful of pancakes into his mouth, a satisfied smile crept onto his lips as he saturated his plate in sticky syrup.

"So Haru...nice uniform" Kaoru winked from beside Hika, taking a sip from his coffee.

"Thanks" I chuckled.

"You look so adorable" he continued.

"I'm not meant to look adorable, I'm suppose to look threatening"

"You do look threatening" Hika comforted with a laugh.

"Thank you Hikaru"

"Adorably threatening"

I scowled at him.

He laughed back, "Don't be grumpy Pouty"

I rolled my eyes and turned back to my breakfast. There was a cloud of uneasiness surrounding the dining table. And the elephant in the room was playing on everyone's minds. This feeling was clarified when Tamaki looked over at me with wide hesitant eyes. He bit his lip, chewing back the words that troubled him.

Eventually, once the plates had been cleared and after 20 minutes of deliberation, he opened his mouth to speak, "So...what exactly will you be doing today?" he cleared his throat uncomfortably. His eyes pierced mine, opened wide and swimming with concern and fear of the unknown.

I blinked and averted my gaze, "Masashi will be leading the arrest, when I get to the station there will be a meeting. I won't find out any details until the briefing"

"Where will you be arresting him?"

"I don't know yet"

I felt Hika's hand creep under the table, and grip my knee comfortingly. My heart felt as if it were trying to beat it's way out of my chest. I could feel the heavy shared sense of fear around the table, each pair of eyes were glued to mine.

"I know what you're all thinking" I uttered with a sigh.

"We're just worried about you" Hika bit his lip, "Be careful. Okay?"

I gave a small smile, "I promise"

We left the table and prepared ourselves to leave, all with tense chatter. Tamaki and Kyoya left first, they made sure to whisper their support in my ear in they went, and hugged me tightly on the doorstep. Mori and Honey waved Hika, Kaoru and I off as we walked out to the Vanquish, out of everyone, they appeared to hold the most confidence in me as they said their goodbyes.

We drove the distance to Adachi in a tense silence all the way there. When we finally pulled into the parking lot at the station, Hikaru paused and took a moment to release a long anguished breath before turning to look at me. Kaoru leaned forwards from the backseat, his head peaking out between mine and Hika's.

"This ends today" I breathed, "I promise you"

Hikaru hesitated, "I hope you're right"

"You'll...be safe, right?" Kaoru said.

"Of course, there are procedures in place, and this is what we're trained for. We're ready for everything" I tried to smile to calm their nerves, although it didn't seem to do anything. "I'll see you later, okay?"

The twins nodded slowly.

"I'll be fine" I chuckled, "Don't look at me with those worried faces"

Hikaru smiled a little, but I could tell it was fake. He reached over and cupped by cheek, "I'll see you later baby" I could tell there was something hidden in his voice, but I couldn't work out what it was. I leant forwards and kiss him, I smiled against his lips, letting mine linger on his for a private moment, then pulled away. "Be safe" he uttered quietly, resting his forehead to mine. I stared into his eyes with so much intensity, as if I were telling him how I felt with a single look. Then an overwhelming wave of sadness washed over me, and suddenly I didn't want to let him go. If I were brave enough to tell him I loved him, I would have done right then and there. But the moment passed.

"I will" I replied.

Just then Kaoru reached over and rested a hand on my shoulder, I turned to him with a smile, resting my hand atop his.

I left the car slowly, reluctant to leave them. But I knew I had to go. I waved from the parking lot as I watched them drive away. When they were nothing but a dot in the distance, I breathed a heavy sigh, and walked up the station steps.

"Hi" Seiko offered a small smile as I shrugged off my coat, "How are you feeling?"

I blinked and sat down behind my desk. It was a little before 8 so the station was still relatively empty, "I'm fine" I lied.

"I find that unlikely" she sighed, "If I were in your position I would be terrified. Ochi is a scary man"

"It's just another arrest, I'm trying not to focus on the details too much"

"But...it's Ochi. This isn't the first arrest attempt that's been put on him"

"But we have Masashi this time, and plenty of evidence. We'll get him" I breathed, "Don't you worry about that"

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to discourage you" Seiko murmured.

"You're not" I replied, "I'm just trying to keep a level head"

"You're really brave Haruhi"

"I'm not brave" I scoffed, "Far from it" I just wanted this to be over. I was tired of worrying everyone, and I was angry that my friends, family and the man I loved were in danger because of it. I just needed closure. And I guessed once this was over I could focus on other things...

"Masashi must be working you to death" she commented.

"It's more the other way around" I chuckled, "I think we both want the same successful outcome out of this. We're working each other to death"

"I don't think I've ever seen you look so determined over a case"

"It's the first one I've really been so involved in" I breathed with a hesitant smile. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"Yeah, I wondered about that. No other officer has ever been asked by Masashi to assist a case, it's as if he sees you as an investigator rather than an enforcing officer"

That had been a wonder of mine also, but was answered by Masashi who told me I had been requested by Kyoya, not only that but Masashi found the other officers annoying. He probably realised that I had to be involved after he saw the photos of me in the CCTV footage.

"I guess we just think the same. The case progressed relatively fast when we both put our heads together"

"Taking all the credit are we?" Masashi's voice spoke up from behind us. Seiko and I jumped at the sudden appearance of his voice and turned to look at him.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that" I grumbled, "There are a few people who are a little on edge today"

Masashi grumbled something under his breath before exhaling, "The briefing will be in my office in 10 minutes, I've set your vest and holster up in there"

I shuddered. It had been a while since I had last slipped on a bulletproof vest.

"Thank you" I murmured quietly.

Seiko and I blinked nervously as we watched Masashi leave through the station doors with his cigarettes in hand. I could tell he was equally as unsure as I was, by the way his hands shook around the box. I sighed as the door closed behind him.

I sat at my desk a while longer, nursing a hot coffee before the meeting. Slowly, the office began filling up with a team of other officers, most of them from another precinct across town. They gripped their weapons defensively, checking the safeties and reloading them almost constantly, as if by routine.

Eventually, with a quiet utterance of 'good luck' from Seiko, I made my way towards the team, joining them as Masashi re-entered behind me.

It was weird being gathered so intensely in Masashi's office, surrounded by arresting officers in their bulletproof vests with their guns loaded in their holsters. My eyes darted around apprehensively, my fingers quivered against the buckles and clips on my vest. Masashi perched himself on his desk, his arms folded over his chest. I waited patiently with everyone else for his briefing, the air becoming thick with fear of the unknown.

"We kept surveillance on Ochi overnight" Masashi finally spoke. Every set of eyes in the room shifted to him, unblinking, "He moved from the office back home, and early this morning he made his way over to his bar. It's a lengthy journey over but if our surveillance team are as trustworthy as their record suggests, then Ochi will still be there when we arrive. And that's where we will find him" Masashi addressed the room, "Miss Fujioka and I started this, and today it is our intention to finally finish it. And we will apprehend him, by any means necessary"

I shuddered at the implication of 'by any means necessary'. Masashi's eyes flickered to mine as I pulled up the final zip of my vest.

"You follow my lead. Understood?" Masashi asked the room.

A chorus of 'yes sir' responded loudly.

Over the minutes that followed, serious chatter enveloped the room as officers began making their way to the van outside. I deliberately hung back to speak with Masashi alone.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I think so" I replied, "It's all a little overwhelming"

"I understand that" he sighed, "How are your friends?"

"Safe" I replied, "We're protected"

"I can't say I support your choice to reject witness protection. Those men are Japan's most influential and treasured business men. Their safety is paramount. There's already teams trying to trace them down and take them to a safe house"

"They didn't want a safe house"

"Regardless, they need to be protected. Can you guarantee their safety where you're staying now?"

I nodded, "No one knows the location, it's fortified and we have security teams keeping an eye on things there and at their work places around the clock" I explained, "Of course I would have wanted them to be in witness protection. But I refused to go too. We all have our own reasons"

Masashi raised his eyebrows at me, "Even if we manage to apprehend Ochi today, your friends may still be in danger"

"I understand that"

"What about you? Do you have family being protected?"

I nodded, "My father is safe. He's staying with Yuzuha Hitachiin for the time being"

"You seem to have thought of everything"

"I have indeed"

We walked out behind the other officers, out towards the back doors of the station where the police vans sat, engines running, ready to leave.

"Here" Masashi said, taking the seat next to me. He reached out and handed me a .38 revolver.

"Thanks" I replied.

"Relax, we'll do this as smoothly as we can. No complications and no mistakes"

I nodded, I had to admit, I was scared, I could feel myself shaking as I buckled myself into my seat. I glanced at Masashi, and the other officers, a shared expression of hesitance and fear appearance on each and every face. But Masashi's expression was dominated by determination darkening his eyes.

I couldn't say that filled me with much more confidence. I leaned over, lowering my voice so only Masashi could hear me.

"Do we have any plan I should know about?" I asked.

He glanced at me, expressionless, "I'm still working on that"

"You mean you don't have a plan?"

"I have a plan, in fact I have many plans. I'm just trying to work out which would be most successful"

"Care to share?" I cleared my throat, "Because right now, all my previous knowledge on convicting a criminal feels rather redundant"

"Well don't let that knowledge fly out of the window. You'll be needing it" Masashi murmured, "Have you ever arrested anyone on a scale like this one?"

I shrugged, "Never on this scale" I replied, "Although once I was part of a team that intercepted an illegal shipment at the docks. But that was pretty straight forward. But there were a lot of us, and the Sheriff was with us"

"Think of it like that then" he said, "But I need you to keep something in mind..."

"Hmm?"

"Have you...ever shot someone before?"

I blinked, and finally Masashi turned his head to me so I could see his expression clearly. I noticed almost concern evident in his eyes. Slowly, I nodded, "Once. A colleague and I were chasing a perp, and he fled down an alleyway. We called out our warnings, held up our guns, when suddenly he lunged at the other officer with a magnum. I shot on instinct"

"Did you kill him?" he asked, as if it were just a casual question.

"No, I didn't. He was injured, but he lived"

"At least I know you can use your gun" he muttered to himself. There was something so frightfully calm about the way he held himself, as if today was just another normal day at work to him. I blinked, trying to read his face, but it was unclear what he was thinking. I slumped back in my seat and closed my eyes, I could hear my heart beating loudly inside my hollow chest, I couldn't remember the last time I had been so nervous.

My mind thought of Hika and the others, how they must have been feeling. I couldn't forget the sorry in their eyes as we said out goodbyes. Especially Hika. The way he held and kissed me as I left the car was almost heartbreaking. I could feel the longing in his touch. I remembered the warm heat of his skin, the cool, softness of his lips and the beautiful hazel gaze I woke up to. As much as I tried to put on my brave face, and reassure them that everything was okay, and I wouldn't be hurt. I knew I couldn't be 100% sure of that. I'd known many officers who had been injured in the line of duty, officers who have improvised when a plan went wrong. I couldn't guarantee my safety. And I could tell that they all knew this, but at least my words were comfort enough. I was just grateful that they trusted me to go ahead with this. It was something I needed to do, for me, and for everyone. This would be the first time I had ever felt like I was truly making a difference in my job. I was officially helping and fighting for justice.

I knew Mom would be proud of me for this, so I had to at least try.

A long hour in the van began to take it's toll on the other officers and I, we shifted awkwardly and uncomfortably in our seats, steadying ourselves against the bumps in the road and the quaking of the vehicle.

I knew we had reached the bar when everything turned silent, and Masashi looked at me.

"Okay" he breathed, "There is a side door that leads round to the main bar area, our surveillance team clarified that there are other people inside their with Ochi. Everyone watch each other's backs"

I gulped. The terror was starting to set in now, my facade of bravery was starting to slip.

"Are you alright?" Masashi asked.

I nodded, trying to find my voice, "I'll be fine"

"I didn't ask if you would be fine, I asked if you were fine"

I stared at him, taking deep breaths, I felt so lightheaded. Any moment now we would be confronting Ochi. And who knows what sort of retaliation him and his men would meet us with on the other side of the door. The unsurity made the colour drain from my skin.

"I'm fine" I spoke quietly, "I'm fine. Let's just get this over with"

I moved past him, unclipping my seatbelt. The van doors opened and we poured out one by one. We were parked out of sight, so there was no way Ochi would be able to know we were here waiting.

"Fujioka" Masashi said.

I looked at him, pulling my gun from my holster and checking the clip.

"Follow my lead and everything will go accordingly. Okay?"

"I know"

"Look" he put his hand on my shoulder and pulled me aside, away from everyone else, "In order to do this, I need you to be in this 100%. I can't have you freaking out on me"

"I'm not freaking out" I defended.

"There's nothing wrong with being a bit uneasy. But right now I need you to put that aside. The only way we can do this properly and thoroughly, is if everyone is on full alert, with their heads screwed on right. The more fearful you are, the less likely this whole operation is going to work"

"You don't need to criticise me" I gritted my teeth, "I told you, I'm fine"

"Then why don't I believe you?"

I lowered my eyes darkly, "I just want to get this done. The more you drag this out, the harder this will be, for everyone. You can see how twitchy everyone here is. The only person not showing it is you"

"I don't need to be twitchy, or scared. Because today, this long battle with Ochi is going to end. We will lock him away, and we will dismantle his little empire brick by brick. How can I be scared when I know what the only outcome can be? He's going down. That's all there is. But I need everyone to be level with me"

I sighed and took off my hat to run my hand through my hair. I paused for a long moment, closing my eyes and counting to 10.

"I'm fine" I breathed calmly.

"Really?"

"Yes" I nodded, "Let's go get this bastard"

I looked over at Masashi as I backed against the wall beside the locked doorway. He nodded at me silently, his gun nestled in his hands, his arms tensed up in defence - ready to shoot when needed. My stance mirrored his. I could feel my heart beating furiously in my chest, the adrenaline surged through my blood as I stared unblinkingly at Masashi - waiting for his "attack" signal that would soon come. The rest of the arresting team stood planted not far from us, preparing to spring into action, guns loaded, bullet proof vests firmly strapped onto their chests. We were as ready as we could be. I took a deep breath and lowered my eyelids, darkening my gaze so I could show Masashi just how ready I was.

I hadn't felt this way before. I'd never been apart of such an intense attack like this. The most serious arrest I had made before this night was when a drug dealer was cornered down an alley way and me and another officer got lucky. They pulled out a 44 magnum, and I shot back in retaliation. I incapacitated him with a bullet in the shoulder. But I'd never been involved in such a heavily planned out arrest like this, and with someone who was such a strong social figure like Ochi. This was big. This was really big. And I could sense the shared feeling of apprehension and fear amongst the other officers, and even through Masashi, who stood like stone in front of me.

I realised in that moment that I had been relying on him throughout this whole case. As a child stands lower than a parent, looking to them for guidance. I hadn't considered before that maybe he had been relying on me just as much, I could see the flicker of hesitance in his eyes and suddenly I knew he needed my strength just as much as I needed his. I gulped and gave him a small reassuring nod.

"Ready?" He breathed.

"As ready as I'll ever be" I replied.

He nodded and looked to the other officers.

Even though I was fully prepared and had given my signal to go ahead, the entrance that followed still came unexpected. Masashi raised his leg and kicked the door with such an intense force, that I jumped in surprise with each impact of his boot. The door burst open after the 3rd kick and Masashi and I and the other awaiting officers entered the bar, guns outstretched in our hands and shouts of "POLICE" leaving our lips.

We were greeted by a small gathering of suited men, two of which I recognised from my night at the bar. My eyes fell on one in a glare as I remembered him and his drunken advances. But he wasn't drunk now, and that once arrogant and brooding face was now sober and terrified as he stared back. Half the men threw their arms in the air, and the other half reached into their blazer jackets. We could only assume they were reaching for weapons, so we voiced our warnings of retaliation before opening fire on those who ignored. Two men went down with bullets in their legs, screaming in agony.

My eyes were prised open in shock and my body shook with adrenaline. I hadn't yet pulled my trigger, but the sight of men falling to the ground in a parade of bullets made my breath hitch in my throat. I kept my pistol pointed at the man I recognised. At least he had the sense to put his hands in the air in surrender. Unlike the two on the floor.

"Where is Ochi?" Masashi demanded, with a voice like venom.

No reply came from the fearful henchmen, and there was no time to hang around for one. If Ochi was in the building, he would be fleeing for the exit right now at the sound of gunshot. Masashi looked to me and I nodded in understanding. We practically ran out to the back corridors, checking the rooms and the offices behind the scenes of the bar.

"Ochi!" Masashi shouted.

His outburst was responded with the sound of running footsteps.

I followed the noise, catching a glimpse of Ochi's obnoxious pinstripe blazer tails as he ran around the corner of the corridor, towards the back exit. "Ochi!" I blurted after him, running in the same direction. Masashi followed a few feet behind me, but that distance increased with the speed I ran.

Thankfully due to Ochi's sizeable nature, it wasn't too difficult to catch up to him. Once I was just a few feet away I thrust my gun out at his back.

"Ochi! Stop or I will shoot!" I shouted.

His hand froze on the door. His body going rigid as he slowly rotated his head towards me. His eyes were wide with fear.

"Miss Fujioka" he said with a shaking voice.

"Don't you dare move" I replied curtly, lowering my eyes into a glare, "You're under arrest"

"Are you sure about that?"

I reached into my belt and pulled out a pair of handcuffs, not moving my eyes from his for a second. It was about this time that Masashi ran up to my side.

"You're making a big mistake Miss Fujioka" Ochi grumbled.

"Cuff him" Masashi said thought gritted teeth. He held his gun up, directed at Ochi's head, I'd never seen Masashi look so...evil. His eyes were practically black.

"Do you really think this will end when I'm in jail Miss Fujioka?" Ochi sneered. He was holding his arms in the air as he slowly turned around to face us. I approached hesitantly, my breath accelerating, "Even behind bars, my power and influence won't go away"

"Mr Shouta Ochi, you are under arrest" I said confidently, walking toward him at a reluctance pace.

He ignored me, "Do you think you'll be safe? Do you think your friends, your family will be safe? I'm not stupid, I know I'll be leaving with you today, but that doesn't mean this ends. That doesn't mean I'll go away. I can do just as much damage inside as I can do outside. You'll never be able to escape me, and Suoh's betrayal of bringing you to me won't go unpunished. I assure you" There was something about his expression that made me feel unsure. I paused briefly and stared at him our eyes locking in an unpleasant gaze. He had a smirk on his face, a dangerous and sinister smirk. After a period of sinister silence, his eyes panned over my shoulder, and a smile grew on his lips. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

Why is he...?

"This doesn't end today" he winked.

Suddenly a loud bang sounded behind me. I whipped my head around to see a man in a suit burst through one of the doors at the end of the corridor, running towards Masashi with what looked like a katana in his hands. I opened my mouth to shout in surprise but was cut off by another bang.

The sound of that gunshot rang in my ears and suddenly, everything became muffled.

But the henchman wasn't the one who fell.

It was me.

I didn't feel the bullet pierce my skin, I only felt the impact of it's speed as I fell backwards to the ground, my legs losing all strength.

The first thought that entered my mind was that this wasn't real. This wasn't happening.

Time moved in slow motion and blur disrupted my vision, I hit the ground with a thud, my eyes were wide and watering as I stared at Ochi in horror, his gun pointed at me, still braced with his hand nestled around his gun. I heard Masashi's outburst of distress behind me, but was interrupted by the sound of a gunshot tearing through the muffled corridor. My index finger quivered against the trigger of my gun, and the heat from the barrel made it's way through my hands. I didn't blink, I just dropped my gun and watched as Ochi fell down in front of me, shouting and writhing, clutching his side. My breath caught in my throat as I watched the scene unravel. It wasn't until I glanced down at my slowly numbing leg that I realised I had been shot. Blood trickled from the wound, pouring from the torn hole in my uniform skirt. The smell hit me before I noticed the fresh vibrancy of the scarlet colour. My breath returned to me with the regulation of time. My heart sped up, my chest heaving in panic. I blinked rapidly, hoping to clear the sight from my eyes, but this wasn't a dream, this was real.

"Fujioka!" Masashi's voice shouted. He fell to his knees at my side, frantically pressing his hands over the bullet wound in my leg, "Oh shit, shit!" he spoke in panic, "Help! Officer down!"

I looked up at his face, seeing the distress in his darkened eyes. My gaze darted around, noticing the limp body of the unexpected henchman behind us. Masashi must have shot him. Officers came running around the corner, calling for medical assistance on their radios.

My eyes grew heavy and bile rose to my throat, I could feel my consciousness slipping away from me.

"Haruhi! Open your fucking eyes, don't you dare pass out on me!" Masashi demanded. He sat beside me, laying my upper body on his lap so I wasn't flat on the ground. My leg lay hopelessly and awkwardly, now soaked in dark red blood. The more I looked, the dizzier I became.

"That's the first time you've ever said my name" I chuckled lightly, my voice sounding slurred and tired.

"Shut up! We need a fucking ambulance, have you radioed?!" He shouted to the other officers.

"I shot him" I breathed, "I...I shot him"

"Yes. And rightly so" Masashi replied frantically, "Open your eyes!"

"I'm...so...tired..." I mumbled. My arms and legs were so heavy, so tense.

"Don't go to sleep Haruhi! Stay with me okay?"

"I'm...fine...I just...need to sleep..."

"No, no you don't"

"I'm sorry Kenji" I exhaled, looking up at his face. His face was contorted in fear and disbelief, I could see how panicked he was, he didn't know what to do. He applied more pressure to my leg, hoping to slow the bleeding. He shook his head from side to side, his eyes were wide and crazed with terror.

"It'll be okay Haruhi, I promise you, you're going to be fine"

"Kenji..." I strained. Tears welled up in my eyes, my head was so muffled, so foggy, it were as if I were wading through mist. My eyes finally fell shut and the intensity I felt in my bones relaxed, a content smile touched my lips, "Tell...Hikaru..."

"No! Open your eyes! Whatever it is, you can tell him yourself"

"No" I replied, "No...please...please tell him...tell him that I love him" and as the last word left my lips, my mind went blank and my world was engulfed by darkness.

Cold, painless darkness.

A/N - Hi everyone. Thank you for being patient with me. Over the last few months I have been going through some health related problems and because of the focus on that, I haven't been able to update as I have wanted. The next update will be faster than this one as I'll have my laptop back on Saturday. You have no idea how difficult it is to update on an ipad!

Thank you again, and I'm so grateful that so many people like this story :) all your support had been extremely helpful.

- Yuli xx