Covering her mouth, Dawn sprints through the burning smoke-filled halls in the direction Junior had been leading her. She can't let Leaf do this alone, especially since Leaf is bleeding. Looking down at her hand, Dawn sees the blood belonging to the assassin who rescued her. As much as Leaf wants to act tough, Dawn knows she's hurting. Plus, Dawn has a personal score to settle with Junior.
Running into a large room at the end of the hall, Dawn sees it is engulfed in flames as people are trying to flee. Coughing, she quickly glances around for any sign of Junior or the men who he was with earlier. Hearing a gunshot gets her attention, so she runs in that direction, despite all of the flames. Dawn Hikari Berlitz will not give up on taking down this ruthless family. Their reign of terror will finally end tonight!
When Dawn runs through the flames into a new area of the large room, she spots two figures fighting on top of the staircase. She instantly recognizes one as Leaf while the other is the assassin Paul had fought last night. This male assassin has a gun, and he's trying to shoot Leaf, but she manages to kick the gun away. Seeing as how the injured assassin might need help, Dawn starts running up the steps that are starting to fall apart. She will not leave anyone behind, especially because they all came here to rescue her.
"Tsk tsk, Lucas." the female assassin laughs once his gun falls down into the flames below.
Glaring at her, Lucas stealthily closes the space to punch her in the gut, which hits Leaf's wound beneath her chest. Coughing out blood, she staggers back, but she won't fall. She needs to kill Junior to end all of this. When Leaf had run off from Misty, she tracked Junior down to the secret escape way, though Lucas found her. His vengeance and jealousy of Leaf being the better assassin is driving him to brutally kill her. Leaf, however, won't go down without a fight.
"You're dying now!" he grins from behind his mask while springing his knife on her.
Leaf rolls away from the knife, but she does get cut slightly on the arm. Biting her bottom lip, Leaf tries to focus on the fight rather than all her aches and pains. If she's going to die, then she's going to take Lucas and Junior with her. That way, Gary will be safe. She at least owes it to him for killing Daisy.
Panting heavily, Leaf counters Lucas's next attack with one of her own. She disarms the knife from him and stabs his chest, causing him to scream out as he frees himself from her before she can slash his throat. Pulling the knife out of his chest, Lucas glares at the woman. Just because she's injured, he should know better than to take her lightly. She's still the quicker assassin and the most skilled while Lucas is stronger and more resilient.
"Is that it, Lukey?" winks the flirtatious assassin, adding to his frustration. He spots a familiar bluenette sneaking up the steps, although Leaf senses her too. This causes the female assassin to yell, "Run, Dawn!"
With the bloody knife in his hand, Lucas takes Leaf's surprise to run past her and hold Dawn hostage. Leaf had managed to cut Lucas with her own knife when he ran past, though she wasn't prepared to grab him or take him down. Mentally cursing herself for losing focus on him because now Dawn is in danger, Leaf glares at the smirking man.
"It's over, Leaf." the flames are closing in quickly as debris is falling all around them; however, everyone is only focused on each other.
Dawn's apologetic blue eyes meet Leaf's angry green ones. "I'm sorry, Leaf." she gasps out from Lucas's tight hold. She had hoped to sneak up on him to help Leaf, but Dawn should know better than to try and fight an assassin. She could barely take on those lowly guards and dirty cops last night. She just hates feeling powerless as everyone welcomes her, but here she is making everything worse for everyone.
With a smirk on her lips, Leaf points her knife at Lucas. "This is between us, Lucas."
"And she's important to you." Lucas smugly responds. He pushes the knife deeper into Dawn's neck, which now draws a thin line of blood as she whelps in pain.
Leaf is trying to fight showing Lucas any indication that she's upset or scared, but it's proving difficult. She wanted to protect everyone, including Dawn, though here she is watching Dawn about to die. When Dawn's blue eyes open again to meet her green ones, Leaf sees a knowing twinkle in them. What?
Taking a deep breath, Dawn whispers to Lucas, "Please let me go."
Chuckling causes him to loosen his hold slightly, which gives Dawn her opportunity. She knew he'd underestimate her for being a weak girl, but trainings with Paul are enough for her to form a little separation. Lucas, though, recovers quickly, so he can grab her before Leaf gets to him. What he didn't expect, however, was Dawn having his forgotten gun from earlier.
The loud bang echoes through the crackling of the flames as Lucas brings his hand to his gut where the bullet wound is. Coughing up some blood, he gets ready to quickly finish off this woman when he gets tackled down the steps behind him.
"Leaf!" Dawn worriedly shouts. She aims her gun at the scuffle, but she can't get a good aim without risk of hitting Leaf. Due to Lucas being too close to Dawn, Leaf had decided to run at him with full speed rather than slow down to slice his neck. This resulted in them falling down the stairs together, and while both assassins are heavily injured, especially with the tumbling down the steps, they won't give up until the other is dead.
Bringing the gun back to her side for fear of shooting it off accidentally, Dawn worriedly tries to figure out how to help Leaf. The flames, however, have already engulfed most of whatever is left of the steps. Dawn knows she can't make her way down without the steps breaking and her falling to her death.
Leaf's knife had been lost when they fell down the stairs, so she's throwing punches at Lucas. He digs into her bullet wound on her shoulder, causing her to seethe in pain. Instead of screaming, she opts to dig her fingers into his fresh wound, making him shout. "You're dying tonight." She hisses angrily at him. Gary had stopped her from killing Lucas in the past, but Leaf knows she needs to kill him for all of this to end. Lucas won't rest until he kills Leaf, which puts Gary Oak in danger.
Since she's exhausted from the blood loss and pain, Leaf doesn't notice Lucas grab a fallen piece of wood until she gets hit hard in the head with it. Falling over in a daze allows the male assassin to get up and hit her some more. Being too weak to fight, Leaf can barely defend herself against his blows, especially since the flames are directly around them. She has nowhere to roll to safety.
As Lucas raises the wooden piece up so that its sharp side is aimed at Leaf, he tells her, "Say hi to Matthew."
"Bang!" Because Dawn is further away this time, the bullet grazes Lucas's shoulder, but it's enough for him to be startled, allowing Leaf to muster the strength to shove him into the flames.
Screaming from the burns, Lucas steps out to engage in another scuffle with Leaf. Panicking, Dawn looks around for a way down to help. That's when she spots a fallen wooden column on the other side, which she can use to slide or climb down. "Hold on, Leaf." She whispers and takes off for that column.
Leaf throws more punches and kicks at Lucas who blocks them to deliver his own. Since they're both heavily injured, the fight is equal now. Both know this is a battle to the death, so neither one is giving up. Unfortunately for Leaf, a piece of falling debris hits her injured shoulder, causing her to fall to her knees in pain. This gives Lucas the opportunity to deliver a hard blow to her neck.
Fighting through the attack that's supposed to knock her out, Leaf dodges another attack. She coughs up more blood as her breathing becomes more labored from the pain and smoke. The two assassins are surrounded in a small ring of fire as they glare tiredly at each other. Because Leaf is the faster one, she strikes first, but Lucas is stronger. He deflects the hit to shove her against the railing of the staircase.
When Leaf crashes into it, it breaks from her weight, and she's stabbed by a piece of the wood. The wound, though, isn't fatal, so she gets right back up to dodge Lucas's next hit. Due to his wounds, he stumbles from losing his balance at missing her. This gives her the opportunity to get behind him where she instantly snaps his neck.
Just like that, Leaf drops Lucas's lifeless body to the flames and she pulls out the wood from her back. Taking deep breaths, she closes her eyes in pain. Although, Leaf is fighting the fatigue because she knows she will die here if she passes out. These flames will kill her, which isn't a way she wants to die. Besides, she still needs to get Junior.
On the other side of the room, Dawn has managed to slowly climb down the column. She sees Lucas's lifeless body laying beneath Leaf's feet, but Leaf seems to be struggling to stay standing. Dawn runs around the flames as she coughs from the smoke. Nevertheless, she knows she needs to help Leaf escape. They'll get Junior later. Right now, everyone needs to get out of here before they burn with the building.
"Bang!"
Dawn stops in her tracks because she knows she didn't shoot the gun that's still in her waistband. When she sees Leaf's body fall limp, Dawn gasps, "No!" As Leaf falls to the ground, the bluenette worriedly exclaims, "Leaf!"
Her shout gets the assassin's attention, and with one final smile in Dawn's direction, Leaf's eyes close. Dawn's shout, however, also got the attention of the man who shot Leaf because now a bullet narrowly misses Dawn. Hiding behind some debris, Dawn spots the green hair of the new Hayden leader. It's been 20 minutes since she last saw him, so why is he still here? And alone too?
Pulling out her gun, Dawn ignores her questions. This must be a blessing that Junior is here all alone since he needs to be taken down. Although Dawn isn't sure if she can kill anyone, she knows she wants to get out of here alive. She needs to see Paul again and make sure Kenny is okay. A bullet whirring past her gets her attention back to the current issue. Seeing a rock, Dawn throws it to the side, causing Junior to shoot at it.
After the shooting stops, Dawn peeks around the side of the column where she sees Junior reloading his gun. Thus, she starts running away down the hall she came from before. Junior finishes with his gun, and bullets spray after her. Soon, she hears his footsteps down the hall as more bullets whiz past her, causing her to turn corners. She has no idea where she's going, but she knows she needs to get away.
Once she rounds a corner, she takes out her gun as she prepares for Junior; however, he doesn't show after a few minutes. The smoke and flames are extremely intense now, and Dawn feels her clothes drenched in sweat while she coughs some more. She has to face Junior now, especially if she's going to die from this fire. Turning behind her, she sees the path is blocked by flames and debris. This is it.
"Help!" that shout breaks her from her thoughts, and she instantly recognizes it as the man who's been chasing her. "Someone help me please!"
With her hold tightening around the gun, Dawn springs back into the hall. When no bullets are shot at her, she takes notice of the area where she sees the flames have spread. There's now a new piece of large fallen debris, and she spots the green haired man trapped from the waist down. Not seeing his gun in his hands that are trying to lift the heavy object, Dawn approaches him.
When Junior sees the bluenette with the gun, he throws his hands up in defense. "Please, Dawn! I'm sorry!" he panics.
Biting her bottom lip, Dawn spots Junior's forgotten gun out of his reach. She kicks it further away and into the flames before leaving her gun away from him too. While Dawn isn't a killer, she can't risk Junior grabbing her gun as she tries to help him. She's not stupid enough to give him this opportunity, though she is stupid enough to have morals and help him. "I'm not a killer." She mutters and she tries to push the debris too.
In shock, Junior asks, "Why are you helping me?" When he had ran away, Leaf and Misty took down most of his men. Once in the large room where the secret escape is, the rest of his men were either killed by the flames or Galactic members fleeing. Junior managed to run away, but by the time the room was cleared of the enemy, the secret passage was blocked by flames. When he made his way back, he saw Leaf and used her weakness as an opportunity to kill her once and for all.
Junior didn't expect for this fallen debris to trap him while he was chasing Dawn, though. It's currently crushing his legs, and he's sure he'll be paralyzed once freed. He had dropped his gun when he fell, so it's out of reach, but he's not going to kill Dawn until he's safe. Right now, she's helping him, which is a nice but stupid gesture. Junior is a Hayden, so he knows he will have to continue killing her once they're out of here.
However, the flames are even closer now as more debris is falling from above. One barely misses Dawn, causing her to flinch and yelp. Her hands are burning up from the heat and touching the fallen debris on Junior. Moreover, her vision is becoming hazy from the smoke and the smoke inhalation. She feels herself slipping away, but she won't allow herself to.
"Just go!" Junior shouts, which wakes her from her fatigue. She looks down at the green haired man whose dark green eyes stare intensely at her. "I'm gonna die anyway, so just go! Save yourself!" he pleads. After seeing the flames get closer and watching Dawn fight off the pain to save him, he really doesn't want to see her get hurt. He knows that if he does survive, he's going to have to come after her, and he doesn't want to do that anymore. How can he kill someone trying to rescue him?
Shaking her head, Dawn exclaims, "I'm not a killer, Junior!"
He reaches a hand out to grab her leg since he can't reach her arms. "Go!"
Coughing some more, Dawn gives Junior an apologetic look. "I can't."
"You don't deserve to die, Dawn!" He firmly tells her. While Junior usually is selfish, seeing death right before his eyes is changing him. It's not a last ditch effort to try and get into heaven, but it's just him having a conscience.
She gets down on her knees to squeeze his shoulder. "I'm sorry."
Instead, he gives her a warm teary smile. "I'm sorry." Removing her hand from him, he tells her, "Now go!"
Nodding, Dawn stands back up where she musters the courage to run through a small part of the flames. When she disappears from sight, Junior closes his eyes to succumb to his fate. His life was fun while it lasted, but he really did feed into all of the power he had since birth. It's better for the world that his family is destroyed. Besides, if Junior can't lead the Hayden Family, then no one will.
Large Room
After hearing multiple gunshots, Paul has finally made his way into the large room engulfed in flames; however, he's a few stories above where he sees the stairs are completely destroyed. Clicking his tongue, he prays for Dawn to have gotten out because most of the building is in flames. As he sees the many bodies on the ground level, Paul's eyes stop at the familiar one at the base of the stairs.
"Leaf!" He shouts. Looking around, he tries to find a way to get down to the assassin. He furrows his brows in frustration at the stupid option he has, but it's his only one before these flames reach him or take up more of the room. After separating from Drew, Paul had been climbing the stairs to find Dawn to no avail. When he heard the gunshots, he ran into this room. Obviously, Paul has many injuries from all the thugs he fought, but these injuries are nothing to him. That troublesome woman is all he cares about right now.
As Paul climbs down the side of a broken column, he lands on the level below although he is still too high up from the ground level. "C'mon, Paul!" He tells himself and looks around for how to get down some more.
He's doing all of this for that bluenette because he loves her. His heart hasn't stopped pounding with fear since her phone call, and he hates it. He hates being this scared about someone else. He hates having this desire to live just to see someone else. When did Paul turn so soft? When did he start fearing death? When did he start having feelings?
Obviously all of his questions and aches are because of that woman who brought him here. Ever since he met her, both of their lives have been in danger many times. At first, Paul would tell himself that they're better apart, but due to his selfishness, he found reasons to be with her again. He started enjoying his time with her while convincing himself that they belong together. This day, though, has shown him otherwise.
This is why Paul listens to his head because it keeps everyone safe. His heart always causes him to make irrational decisions that cause others to get hurt or suffer, like Reggie's death. If Paul and Dawn make it out of here alive, he will leave her. So what if the Hayden Family is destroyed? The three short months he's spent with her has shown him that they don't belong together. They're not good for each other since she makes him be in turmoil with himself, and he puts her in danger.
They're both completely different people who were never supposed to meet. If it wasn't for Ash's phone call that brought Paul to Buneary Place, Paul would've never interacted with that woman. They've probably passed each other a dozen times prior to Buneary Place, so they would've continued living without knowing the other's existence. This is how it's supposed to be, and one chance encounter shouldn't have changed that. She's an innocent bubbly woman who lives in happiness, and he's a ruthless fighter who lives alone.
Paul grunts as he jumps from the second level to the ground below, causing him to roll his ankle painfully. Fortunately, it's not broken, but now he's limping over to Leaf where hs spots Lucas's lifeless body engulfed in flames nearby. Stopping by the bloody female assassin, Paul closes his eyes in frustration. She can't be gone. He bends over to try and feel a pulse, but he doesn't feel anything. If it's weak, he can't tell, though she isn't moving. "Leaf." he hopes she's still alive.
"Dawn." comes the weak response, getting his attention.
Looking at the tired face, Paul says, "I'm gonna get you out!"
"No." gasps the woman as she coughs up more blood. She weakly opens her eyes to look into Paul's concerned grey ones. "Get Dawn, Paulie."
Shaking his head, he attempts to pick up the assassin who cries out in pain. Leaf has lost way too much blood, and with her injuries, she's tired. She knows she doesn't have much time left, and she doesn't want Gary to see her. She'd rather her body burns up in this building than for him to see the battered mess of her lifeless body outside.
"I'm not leaving you!" Paul's worried voice tells her. Gosh, since when has he cared about Leaf? Well, he's always cared about people, which is why they're all here. Because he cares about Ash and Dawn and everyone on their team. Heck, even Gary and Misty!
"Junior is after Dawn." Leaf manages to say before closing her eyes.
"Leaf!" while Paul is worried about the bluenette, he can't just let Leaf die in his arms.
"Hallway." she whispers weakly and all of her strength disappears.
Paul shakes her to no avail as he screams out her name. He doesn't even care if Junior hears him and shoots him because Paul hates seeing people die, especially people he cares about. "Please, Leaf!" He finds himself closing his eyes as the tears slip out. She can't be gone!
"Go!" The shout shakes Paul from his grieving when he looks in the direction of the hall Leaf mentioned just now.
Giving Leaf's body one final glance, Paul squeezes her shoulder. "Thank you, Leaf." He takes a shaky breath before getting up and sprinting through the flames and down the hall. That voice is definitely Junior's, and Paul figures he must be commanding his men to chase after Dawn. Paul has already lost Leaf, so he definitely won't lose Dawn.
Once in the hallway, he spots a large fallen piece of debris up ahead, which is blocking the hall. Furrowing his brows, Paul knows that's the only way from here he is to get into the hall. If he tries to go through a roundabout way, the building will be completely burned down by then. Maybe he can try to move the debris a bit to slip past?
Taking in a deep breath because he knows his hands are about to be burned, Paul pushes the object. He doesn't expect to hear a loud scream coming from the other side though. "Stop!" it pleads, and Paul recognizes it as Junior's voice.
Moving the object again causes Junior to scream one more, but this time, Paul asks, "Why should I?"
With painful tears in his eyes, Junior exclaims, "Dawn wouldn't like it!"
"What do you know about Dawn?" Paul is furious that her name was even spoken from his mouth, causing him to shift the object some more. He can't feel the burns on his hand due to his rage.
"She let me live!" Junior yells out in pain. "She went that way!"
By now, Paul has moved the debris enough to push around the side where he sees the direction Junior has pointed in. "Why would I believe you?" The purple haired man narrows his eyes at Junior suspiciously.
Panting from the pain, Junior motions to his body still trapped under the debris. "I have no reason to lie, Paul. I'm dying."
The flames getting closer makes Paul run off rather than argue with Junior about not believing his words. Plus, the direction Junior pointed towards has less flames, so it's where Paul would've gone anyway. Junior deserves to die for everything he and his family put this city through. For killing Leaf.
After a few minutes of dodging flames, Paul spots the bluenette unconscious while the fire quickly closes in on her. Sprinting over to her, he worriedly checks for bullet wonder, but she isn't bleeding. He sees her chest struggling to breathe, which causes him to let out a breath that she's still alive. Paul figures she must've passed out from the thick smoke because he's been struggling to breathe too. Fortunately, the adrenaline has helped so far, but he knows he doesn't have much time if he wants them to get out safely.
Picking her up, he runs through flames to the nearest exit, even if the fire there is more intense. As long as Dawn lives, he doesn't care if he gets burned up. The flames, though, had melted the metal, making it hard to open the door. Despite the intense heat, Paul fights through all of his pain to tackle the door with his back. He gives it a few more hard hits before the door finally gives and he falls to the ground outside with Dawn still in his arms on top of him.
Feeling the fire on his feet and legs makes Paul quickly stand up. He picks up Dawn again and limps over to where he knows his colleagues are. Even though he knows he should probably bring Dawn to the paramedics, he doesn't trust them yet. Who knows if the Hayden Family is really done for? The only people he can trust are the ones in his team that risked their lives to rescue Daw. Gosh, he really hopes everyone else made it out alive.
When Paul finally makes his way over to the meeting spot, the group instantly spot him and come to his assistance. Drew tries to take Dawn from him, but Paul won't give her up just yet. This is the last time he's ever going to see the love of his life, so he wants to cherish these moments with her. He's glad that she's unconscious, or else she'd convince him to stay, and she's always good at getting him to do things he doesn't want to do.
By the time Paul is safely across the street with everyone, Gary asks, "Where's Leaf?" The worried auburn haired man had woken up recently, but no one would let him enter the burning building. Hearing from Misty that Leaf is alive brought hope to Gary that he would see the brunette woman again.
The look on Paul's face, though, tells them everything. With his eyes shut, he bends onto the ground and clutches Dawn tightly. The memory of Leaf's lifeless bloody body hit his mind, so he plants a kiss on Dawn's forehead. Keeping his lips on her for a long time, Paul allows a few tears to slip out of his eyes. This is the best for everyone. Wherever he goes, people die, and he can't risk Dawn dying either. She deserves someone better than him because he's mean and puts her in constant danger.
"Paul!" Gary's intense shout gets his attention, causing Misty to hold onto the former officer. Gary can't believe that Leaf is gone. He won't until he sees her body for himself!
"Gary, stop!" Pleads Misty, but he frees himself from her.
Paul sets down Dawn and touches the necklace on her, which is the one he had given her a few weeks ago. With a small sad smile on his lips, he stands up. Looking over at Drew, Paul says, "Watch her for me."
The green haired man raises a confused eyebrow at him, "What are you talking about? Are you going back for Leaf?"
Shaking his head, Paul replies, "I'm leaving."
"Paul!" Ash cuts in because they're all safe now. Paul doesn't need to run away!
"You don't understand!" Shouts the purple haired man since he knows they won't even if he tries to explain it. Dawn was never supposed to be involved in this lifestyle, and she was. She almost died many times due to him. They only spent 3 short months together, but her life was in danger practically every other week. How can he stay with her knowing that he's the reason she could die someday? This is the best for her. He did promise to protect her, so he has to do this. It's the best way he can protect her.
Turning around, he limps away. With every step, Paul feels his heart breaking worse and worse. He loves this woman, so he has to leave her. He knows she will find happiness with whatever she does and whoever she's with because that's just who Dawn is. She brings light everywhere she goes. Clenching his fists, Paul lets the tears slip down his cheeks. He hasn't cried since he lost Reggie, but now, he's lost Dawn.
Before Drew can chase after Paul, Ash puts a hand on his shoulder. "We can't, Drew." He tells the green haired man.
"We're safe now! What's he doing?" Drew shouts loud enough he knows Paul can hear.
"You know Paul has his reasons!" May tells Drew. As much as she wants Paul to stay with them, she knows no one can convince him to do anything. She knows he cares for Dawn, so the fact that he's able to leave her must be killing him. He must have a good enough reason to break his heart like this.
"Fuck this!" Gary exclaims and runs off before anyone can stop him.
"Gary!" Misty snaps as she chases off after the auburn haired man. Ash wishes he could follow, but with his broken ankle, he's already struggling enough to hold back Drew. Fortunately, May is helping, and she always manages to get Drew to calm down.
Grabbing Paul's shoulder roughly makes him turn to face Gary. "Where's Leaf?" fumes the auburn haired man.
"Get the hint, Oak." comes Paul's painful voice.
"I won't believe it!"
"She's fucking dead! She died in my arms!" cries out the tearful man as he remembers Leaf sacrificing herself for them all. She's the one who killed for them because she didn't want them to be killers. She was always looking out for them in her own way, and her flirting was a way for her to overcome her guilt.
Before Gary can yell back at Paul, Misty catches up to them where she grabs Gary's arm. "Gary, stop!" Leaf is gone, so he needs to stop trying to find someone who's dead. Even though Misty understands that Gary hates losing people, he should now better than anyone what losing a loved one feels like. However, she won't let him be alone anymore because they're friends. Despite losing everyone he's cared about, she won't leave him.
Pulling himself away from her, Gary throws his hands up towards her. "I won't stop until I find her myself!" He doesn't care that she killed his sister. He doesn't care if her body burns to ash in that building so he can't find her. Even if it takes until he dies to find out the answer in the afterlife, he will spend his whole life searching for the woman who has his heart.
He walks away from them while Paul walks off in a different direction. Standing in the middle of the street, Misty can't help but feel tears slip as she watches them split up. She only knew Paul for a week, but she feels like their team has formed such a bond that the timing doesn't matter. Moreover, Gary has been with her for so long. She's seen him change from that playful reckless officer to this man who cares so deeply about someone that he won't take 'no' for an answer.
The Hayden Family is gone. Ash is alive and well. But she feels so sad. Warm strong arms around her shoulder pull her into the muscular chest she's missed. Her tears flow into his shirt as he holds her tightly. Ash hates seeing her cry, but he understands how she's feeling. This is such a bittersweet night.