Mana started to make regular disappearances from the flat over the next couple of days without telling any of them where she was going. Setsuna and Kaede didn't care, Mana did that so much that she'd gotten used to it and learnt not to question her about it. Setsuna had for convenience's sake, started to sleep in the room with Konoka because Mana took Kaede with her along with all their belongings. Setsuna suspected Mana had moved residence with some "friends" while preparing to flee. Mana went fast, disappearing when it was dark and using the back exit. She was taking all possible measures to avoid being seen by that van.

Sometimes she'd wear a disguise that changed her appearance completely. When she pulled out all their passports from the drawers in the bedroom the second night fake ones and real ones into a suitcase Setsuna felt more and more tense. She knew it was essential. They had to make a move before the end of the night but the fact that Mana had become noticeably worried made Setsuna feel even more on edge than she was comfortable with. Mana never showed anxiety or fear even if she was feeling it. And Setsuna was worried more for Konoka than anything else. The third night Mana was clearing out the dressing table and the clothes she had in her room. She'd also "burrowed" Kotarou's Mitsubishi and been resourceful enough to get a non-suspicious looking ordinary everyday bike. As a rule all of them didn't have very much clothing so there wasn't much to pack. Setsuna kept the picture she'd found at the mansion folded inside the pocket of her shorts, for future use if necessary.

"So we go underground in the state out of state?" Setsuna asked, rolling over onto her side to face her.

"Out of the state to a friend's," Mana said. She was throwing all their passports-both real and fake-along with some personal belongings including a closed locket and a picture album into a green satchel, "I'll go first. You wait until there's no one then you and Konoe go. Use the bike and drop her off at Mahora fast, find somewhere to stay then we meet up again in a week at the air-port. I'll give you a call."

"Mana, don't forget to get the vibra-" Kaede called from the living room.

Setsuna raised her eyebrows at Mana as she cut Kaede off, her voice loud, "Yes I know." She looked at Setsuna unabashed, "You're going to have to learn someday as well. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Yeah well…" Setsuna sat up, glancing at Konoka her face softening. She was asleep, curled up slightly but there were dried tear tracks on her face. She'd cried herself to sleep tonight. Setsuna tucked her hair behind her ear, stroking her hair tenderly, "I can't ever do that can I?"

Mana drew the string on the satchel, closing the top and to her surprise, placed her hand on Setsuna's knee. She said in an unusually soft tone with her deep voice, "I'm sorry Setsuna. I really am."

Squeezing her knee she stood up, heading out the door. Setsuna sat up, gazing down at Konoka softly. She touched her cheek before slipping quietly out of bed and placing the covers back over Konoka silently, knelt down and pulled open the bottom drawer of the dressing table. She fished out a huge wad of wrinkled money tied together with a rubber band-her own money that she'd earned from Mana-and reached underneath the bed, feeling for the green shoulder bag she used in situations like this. Throwing the money inside, she stood up and gazed down at Konoka, feeling her heart twist. She reached out to brush the tears from her closed eyes absent-mindedly before turning around and following Mana outside. It was getting harder to breathe. Her fingers tightened around the straps of the shoulder bag and she felt her throat close up.

Damn it, she shouldn't even be feeling anything like this. She shouldn't even care. After all, it Konoka's fault she was in this mess.

"Then why the hell do I care so much…?" Setsuna muttered to herself.

"Did you say something Setsuna?" Mana asked curiously.

"No," Setsuna mumbled.

Mana was standing near the kitchen table counting some money, the satchel slung over her shoulder. Haru was sitting on the arm-rest of the couch talking with Kaede. There were shadows under his eyes.

"So you guys are going to run?" Haru asked Kaede. As Setsuna approached he nodded to her.

"Apparently," Kaede said.

"You're not coming with us," Mana told him.

"Then what's he going to do Mana?" Setsuna said.

Mana shrugged, "I don't know."

"Have him work for you," Kaede suggested.

"Setsuna's already working for me," Mana said. "I only have enough jobs for her."

"I'll be ok," Haru said reassuringly to Setsuna.

Setsuna opened her mouth to say something but as if knowing what she was doing, Kaede sent her a warning look. She raised one shoulder then let it drop nonchalantly and strode over to the balcony, pretending to look outside for the police. Setsuna didn't hate her brother but whatever kind of normal brotherly-sisterly relationship and love they were supposed to have had been destroyed a long time ago by their mother. He was the one who had cut off her hands and even though he'd been under orders from Kiyoko to do it it'd cut deep. It felt like they were more like enemies or strangers until recently. But Setsuna knew he was just following orders. Like her, he had his sense of duty, loyalty and honour towards the yakuza and Kiyoko.

It wasn't right, it wasn't wrong it just was and they both knew that it was a way of life that they had just been unfortunate to be born in a world that was much, much darker and violent than what most people would call normal and stable. Death was common, punishment was brutal and violence was an everyday normality. The only difference between Haru and Setsuna was that she'd seen a better life with Mana, not an ideal one but a life that meant she wouldn't have to kill innocent people anymore, people that were unlucky or unfortunate or were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Setsuna sighed, closing her eyes briefly. Kiyoko would kill Haru if she found him and the only jobs that he could probably work as would mean he would most definitely cross paths with the yakuza. No matter what he was a marked man.

"Setsuna, did I leave anything on the dressing table?" Mana called.

Opening her eyes Setsuna shook her head and gazed outside over the balcony railing at the empty street below. It was past midnight now, in the early morning so everyone was asleep. A few bikes and cars were parked at the sidewalk. Further down, she could see the Lancer at the front. The licence-plate was covered by a fake one so the car wouldn't get caught, same with the blue motorbike that Setsuna was supposed to use which was parked at the side of the apartment flat in the alleyway. She could also see the van earlier but there was something different about it from this morning. Setsuna straightened, taking a closer look. Within the last two hours it'd seemed to have moved up the street so that it was parked in a car park that was almost opposite the apartment.

"Mana, you were careful when you were sneaking out earlier right?" Setsuna said.

"Of course," Mana said.

"Then why does the van seem closer?" Setsuna asked.

Haru glanced at Setsuna questioningly. Mana strode past him the braids in her hair billowing and pulled open the sliding balcony doors. Staying close to the walls she made her way silently to the side of the railing, looking down through the gaps at the streets.

After a moment of contemplation she said, "It's definitely the police."

"You think they saw you?"

Mana looked at Setsuna, her face in the shadows, "Maybe."

Setsuna glanced at the bedroom where Konoka was then said, "Give me the keys to the bike."

Wordlessly Mana put her hands in her coat pocket, fished out a set of three keys tied to a ring and tossed it to Setsuna.

"Middle one starts the bike," Mana told her.

Setsuna nodded, catching the keys in her hand with a jingle. With quick, lithe strides Mana crossed over to the spare room with the computer and disappeared inside, switching on the lights which illuminated the room the remaining trio were in. Haru was standing near the kitchen counter, looking slightly uncomfortable. Setsuna felt her stomach twist a little like her insides had been tied up. It'd been a long time since they'd been together like this. Setsuna started to fidget with the keys. Haru, noticing, gave her a slight smile.

"I told you I'll be ok," Haru said. "I'll just go underground like you guys."

"What if she catches you, or Touji or any one of the yakuza? They're going to kill you," Setsuna said tensely.

Haru's eyes flickered. Putting his hand in his jeans pockets and running another through his hair he said, "I'm not going to get caught."

"That's right, he's a big boy now. He knows how to take care of himself," Mana said coming out of the room with a large green backpack. She crossed over to Kaede, passing it to her carefully. Once the taller woman's fingertips brushed against it she grasped the straps and began to slip it on.

"Mana, don't you think it's a better idea to take Haru-dono with us?" Kaede said. She was using her placating the voice, the kind of voice that was calmer than her usual voice but used to placate Mana in particular if they were having a disagreement about something.

"Not really," Mana replied, adjusting the backpack neatly. She opened the back pocket and fished out a chequebook, took a quick look at it and put it back inside the back pocket.

Setsuna tore her eyes away from the van, looking at Mana, "You're not thinking straight. You just don't want him to go because of what he did in the past."

Throwing the chequebook inside the satchel she said coolly, "He's going to be a burden."

A spark of anger flickered in her heart.

"Setsuna, really it's-" Haru began.

"Let him stay with us for another week at least. Find him a job he'll pay you back," Setsuna cut him off, unable to hide the irritation in her voice.

Something in Mana's ice-cool expression seemed to grow colder, dangerous. Setsuna saw Haru flinch involuntarily but she was used to it. It made Setsuna even more stubborn and just a little madder. So when Mana quickly closed the distance between them in three long strides so they were inches away from one another Setsuna just stared back at her, challenging daring her to strike.

"Guys, don't do this," Kaede said, her eyes moving from one to the other.

Ignoring her Mana's hand shot out, grasping the front of Setsuna's shirt and yanked her in closer. In a low voice the dark-skinned woman said, "If anything happens to Kaede because of him I'm going to kill him. You understand that?"

Without waiting for an answer Mana let her go and waved her hand, walking towards the door, "Sakurazaki-san you're coming with us."

Nodding Haru looked across at Setsuna. He began to move towards her. Setsuna turned away from him a little, feeling slightly awkward. As she glanced down at the street she saw two figures standing at the front door of the apartment across from them. The lights were on at the front door so Setsuna could see the two men standing in front of the door speaking to someone, their forms illuminated against a backdrop of light from the main door. A jolt of fear seized Setsuna. They looked like ordinary men in business suits but as one of them turned a little, she saw the gleam of the ID photo he was holding in his hand. She saw one word before he bowed slightly to the woman he was talking to and that was "detective". And the kid was in front of her was the same kid from the other night that had seen Konoka tied up to the chair hanging off the balcony with Setsuna. Setsuna took an unconscious step backwards, her heart leaping in her throat. Not good, not good.

"Hey, Setsuna-" Haru said, putting a hand on her arm.

Setsuna was about to answer when she saw a shape that was lying down move on the opposite roof-top. It was a sniper. And he was aiming the rifle straight at her. Setsuna froze. She shouldn't have but she let her guard down. In the one second it took for her to freeze the glass from the balcony doors shattered from the bullet that was fired. As shards of glass scissored through the air someone pushed her down to the floor, shielding her. It was only when she opened her eyes that she realized it was Haru. Rolling off, he dragged her up. Mana and Kaede had fled. Setsuna caught a glimpse of the bullet lodged in the opposite wall before a burst of white hot agony tore through her leg making her cry out and fall down, dropping the keys.

She'd been shot enough times in her life to know what a bullet felt like. Haru quickly slipped his arms underneath hers and began to drag her when the door burst open. Three men swarmed into the room with tasers, wearing SWAT team uniforms. In a flash they were on Setsuna and Haru, pinning them to the ground so they were lying flat on their stomachs with their arms wrenched behind their backs. When she moved even an inch she was hit with the taser in the small of her back. She bit her tongue hard to keep from screaming, curling up instinctively inwards and clamping her eyes and teeth shut as bolts of electricity ripped through her body. When the pain ebbed away and she started to return to consciousness someone was pressing a piece of cloth against her nose and holding her down. A smell that reminded her of hospitals and chemicals streamed into her nose. It was chloroform.

"Wait…Konoka…don't leave her…" Setsuna said weakly.

"We lost two of them," Someone said, "Tatsumiya and her friend."

Setsuna heard heavy footsteps approach them. Someone knelt front of her but Setsuna's vision was blurring, getting narrower and narrower until it was reduced to a tunnel. She saw the hazy form of one of the men from the SWAT team that had come into the room carrying a sleeping Konoka in his arms. Before she drifted into unconsciousness Setsuna's last thought was that she was glad Konoka was safe.

A.N: Nothing to say except bring on 2012 :p.