Author's note : I'll keep this short since this is a bit delayed in getting released. I had to finish another story but now that it's done, I can turn back to this one. I love your comments guys! I want to answer them all but I'm starting to take up an entire page to do so! Needless to say, I read each and every one of them and smile. I'll try to answer a few next time.

And yes, SING is pretty damn funny. I hope you find this chapter funny as well.

As for Misao… well, you'll have to wait a bit so I don't want to ruin the surprise ^_^

Chapter 10

The limo door opened and a long leg stretched out before making contact with the ground. As soon as the high heel had settled, the rest followed, billowing out of the car like a red tide until she was standing beneath the lights of the casino. With a flick of her head, Tokio's long black whipped behind and landed on her back, covering up the embroidery of the Mandarin styled red dress.

She took a few steps forward, falling into place next to Saitou. They waited for a moment before the last passenger stepped out. His long white jacket brushed the carpet as he straightened himself. He looked over at his two lieutenants with a nod. Now was as good a time as ever.

Tokio strode purposefully, her knees barely bending as she strode across the casino floor to the elevators. The slits of the dress revealed porcelain skin but anyone who stole a glance at her was met with a feeling of impending doom as Saitou caught them in his golden eyes.

They entered the elevator, making it known to the group of tourists assembled in front of it that they were taking this one alone. Saitou leaned forward and hit the penthouse button before stepping back and pulling out a cigarette. It was still smoking in his mouth when the elevator stopped and let them out at the right floor.

Two bodyguards stared at them as they approached. One of them nodded at the group and motioned with his arms. Hiko and Saitou complied, raising their arms and letting the body guards pat them down. They were nodded towards the door while the men looked at the remaining person.

Tokio smiled a bit as one of them walked forward. He patted her waist first and then a bit lower then he should have before trailing two callused hands down her outer leg. As soon as he reached her ankles, Tokio leaned forward with a winning smile.

"You can keep searching if you want," she said with a deep voice, "but I don't think you'll survive the encounter."

The bodyguard blinked and then slowly turned around, paling suddenly as he felt death staring him down. The guard stood up quickly and ushered her inside. Tokio's smile never faltered and she threw a wink at her husband. His jealousy was… useful.

Inside, Yumi sat on a loveseat, her low cut dress draped over most of the furniture. Next to her stood a man with a bandage over his eyes and strong arms crossed over his chest. She smiled as she caught sight of Tokio as the group walked in, followed closely by the two bodyguards.

"I see you are well," she smiled.

"As are you," Tokio replied. Their exchanges always began this way though it was obvious neither of the woman wished well on the other.

"Let's get this over with," Hiko said gruffly.

"Of course," Yumi said. "We want to discuss ownership of several casinos in this city."

"Our casinos," Tokio filled in.

"Yes. We're interested in acquiring them."

"We're not selling," Tokio said quickly, earning her a glance from Hiko.

"I think you'll find our terms… fair."

"Fair for you."

"Really, do you have to be so disagreeable?"

"Only when it comes to you," Tokio smiled.

"Ladies," Hiko said finally, coming in between them before a fight broke out. "Let's be civil here. This is a business meeting, not Friday night mud wrestling." He couldn't help to smile a bit at the image though. He cleared his throat and turned to Yumi. "Exactly what are your terms?"

Yumi snapped her fingers. A door opened to the side and a group of men armed with swords stepped inside. The room wasn't small but it certainly wasn't built to accommodate this many people.

"I believe this is how you men like to fight," Yumi said.

Hiko shot her a look. Right, this was the way… only they liked to have swords to fight back with. He looked over at Tokio and she smiled, casting a little glance at Yumi before she moved.

Tokio's legs bent downwards and she fell into a squat, her knees spread apart just enough so that the fabric of her dress fell in between them. The guard suddenly realized that no mater how deadly Saitou's glare had been the real danger had been in not completing his search.

Two swords were strapped inside her leg, the hilts bent slightly so they were undetectable when she walked. Moving her hands quickly, she clicked the hilts into place just as Saitou and Hiko leaned down to pull the now straight swords out of the sheaths.

While they took care of the approaching gang, Tokio unstrapped the sheaths and let them dropped as she stood up, pulling the final weapon from her inner thigh. The small pistol reared up and pointed right at a surprised Yumi.

* * *

"Start talking now!"

"No way!! I'll be killed!"

"You think that's better then what will happen to you if you don't start talking?"

Hiruma blinked and looked up at his group of accusers. First there was the ex-assassin, whose eyes were almost gleaming like Hiruma remembered from the past. Then there was the psycho cop who tried to arrest him in the airport. Then there was the cold stare he was getting from the guy who had almost shot him to bits in the casino. And finally the scary woman in the silver dress who had damaged him in ways he didn't want to remember.

Now this guy who was vaguely familiar was yelling at him while he was tied to this chair and all Hiruma could think about was how he wanted to be back home in Japan. This trip had been a disaster every step of the way!

"Forget it, he ain't talking," Sano said throwing up his hands and walking out into the living room of the Bellagio.

Megumi followed after a moment with a sigh. "I could always try 'persuading' him again," she said causing all the men to reflexively cringe.

"I think we should get him some ice, de gozaru."

Megumi rolled her eyes. "I'll do it. Being a doctor, I should show some compassion, even for vermin like him. " She walked past Aoshi to get some ice from the sink. She threw it in a bag and moved into the room frowning at Kaoru as the younger girl looked on.

"I still think that we should have brought him someplace else," Megumi said.

Kaoru shrugged slightly. "There was no where else. Besides, they bought the whole 'drunk friend' story downstairs."

Megumi shook her head. "It's just… if anything happens, the room is in my name and it will get back to the University."

"Mou, Megumi-chan," Kaoru replied crossing her hands over her chest. "I promise nothing will happen."

Megumi's frown didn't change. She walked forward and dumped the bag on ice on Hiruma's lap. A string of curses followed and Megumi shot him a dangerous look.

"Just be happy that I actually care enough about my oath to try to relieve your discomfort."

"By throwing a bag of ice on me?" Hiruma screamed.

"If you're going to be like that…"

"Forget it," Hiruma interrupted. "Can you at least open a window? It's really hot in here."

Megumi paused and looked over at Kaoru. The younger girl frowned and shrugged. "I think they can open."

Megumi nodded and walked towards the window, Kaoru watching Hiruma as she did. There was a noise in the living room and Kaoru's head whipped around, watching Sano hop around, cursing about stubbing his toe.

She should have been watching the room, so of course the minute she turned away, Hiruma moved, putting his feet on the ground and bending downwards to lift the chair off the ground. He charged, knocking into Megumi just as she finished opening the window.

"MEGUMI!" Kaoru yelled, running past the now retreating Hiruma and pitching her upper body out the window.

"KAORU!" Megumi cried, barely hanging onto ledge. Kaoru got a good grasp on her wrist just as Megumi's grip let go. The sudden rush of gravity pulled her out of the window too and she didn't have something to grab on to.

Two hands grabbed her ankles as Kenshin managed to get a grip but he was no match for the weight of two women and started sliding to the edge. Running after Hiruma had never been an issue for him, the scared cries of the two women making him dash from the other room here. Of course, he should have thought this plan through a bit more.

"Oro?" he said, suddenly finding himself picked off the ground and being pulled back into the room. As soon as he had cleared the window, Sano unceremoniously dumped him on the floor as Aoshi got a grip on Kaoru. Sano moved to the window quickly and pulled in Megumi.

"Hiruma!" Kaoru cried, noticing their only clue was gone. In a tangled mess, the group piled out of the bedroom and into the living room, only to find no Hiruma and a swinging door that marked his retreat.

Kenshin moved out into the hall, using his speed to run towards the elevators just as they closed shut. An aggravated punch landed on the wall next to him as Kenshin pushed the down button. He looked up with Sano with a frown and turned back to the elevator.

"I'm taking the stairs," he said, running and opening the nearby door.

"Wait!" Megumi called out, following him quickly. Cursing she opened the door and ran to the railing. "You MORON! This is the fire exit." She heard the echo of footsteps followed quickly by a closing door. She turned around and pulled on the door only to find it locked.

Her banging went unnoticed as the remaining group piled into the elevator and pounded on the Lobby button. The ride took about thirty seconds but it felt like an eternity.

"Spread out," Aoshi said, sending Kaoru and Kenshin in opposite directions.

Kaoru was not happy. She knew it was her fault Megumi almost got killed and that Hiruma got away. She was going to find that little creep and make sure he paid for all the problems he caused.

Hiruma, meanwhile, was attempting to run away as fast as possible. But it was rather hard to do so while strapped to a chair. People were shooting him weird glance but no one was really making a move to help him and he wasn't about to ask. He just wanted to get the hell out of this place.

Kaoru finally caught sight of him and rushed to catch him. Hiruma barely had a chance to prepare as she grabbed the back of the chair and slammed it in the ground.

"GOT YOU!"

"Goddamn it!" Hiruma cursed. "What the hell is your problem?? First you tackle me on the baggage carousel, then in that bunny suit, then the high roller room! Don't you ever get TIRED?!"

"Listen here," Kaoru said staring at him. "I've had about enough of you so shut up and start behaving unless you want me to really discipline you."

"Excuse me." Kaoru and Hiruma turned as a security guard came up to them. "This is a family establishment and I'm afraid we can't allow your 'game' to continue."

Kaoru blinked. Game? She looked at the guard and then down at Hiruma who was still tied up in the chair. Her eyes glanced down at the wet patch on his pants from the ice bag Megumi had put there minutes ago. Her mind replayed the last few bits of her conversation and her face flamed red.

"Sir, I assure you," Kaoru said firmly. "It's not what you think."

"What does he think?" Hiruma asked confused.

"Never mind," Kaoru hissed.

"Then exactly what is it?" the guard asked.

Kaoru paused and tried to think. Let's see. Either she would just have to lie and say that this was indeed a bit of S&M action that got out of hand or she would tell him the truth, that she had kidnapped Hiruma and was questioning him on the whereabouts of a secret Japanese yakuza base so she could save the city from a biological weapon.

She looked down at Hiruma, the greasy man staring at her with anger, his chubby hands trying to work through the knots. He was slime and Kaoru was… well not slime. And there was no way in all the seven hells that she would ever be caught with a man like that doing… doing…

Okay Kaoru, think. Exactly which one of those approaches would be more believable?

She took in a deep breath. "Sorry officer… we'll be more careful in the future."

"Right and keep in your room."

Kaoru blushed deeper. "Yes sir."

"WAIT A MINUTE!" Hiruma screamed. "This chick kidnapped me!!"

"Now now… lover," Kaoru continued, attempting not to retch. "Let's just go back upstairs."

"You goddamn bitch!" Hiruma yelled.

Kaoru grabbed the back of the chair and began to drag it through the casino, cursing under her breath. Hiruma didn't stop yelling obscenities the entire time and Kaoru just stomped quickly, pulling the chair with strength she wouldn't normally have if she weren't this embarrassed.

She was almost in the clear. She could see Kenshin and Aoshi staring at her with pale faces trapped between shock and desire to kill Hiruma as she walked towards them, obviously having overheard everything. So she was almost in the clear… almost. Until everyone wiped out their cameras again.

* * *

Somewhere in the bowels of the Bellagio, Sano stopped and got to the final step. He placed his hands on his knees and took a few deep breaths. He walked towards the door and flung it open, stumbling outside.

He paused and looked around, rather surprised to find himself outside.

"What the hell?" Sano cried looking around. "Where am I?"

The door opened behind him and Megumi stumbled out. She was breathing faster then he was and she shot him a nasty look.

"Baka… tori… atama," she gasped. "This was… a fire… exit."

Sano looked at her. "You came all the way to tell me that?"

"I got locked… out trying to… catch you…"

Sano's eyebrow raised a bit. "You mean you chased after me? Wow, megitsune, I didn't know you cared so… OW! LET GO OF MY EAR!!"

Megumi ignored him as she pulled him around the building through the entrance of the casino. People cast them weird looks as they moved through the lobby but Megumi didn't stop.

"Not another one," the security guard said as they passed. He watched them head for the elevator and decided he had had to deal with enough weirdness today.

Megumi let Sano go as soon as they were in the room. Kaoru was lying on the couch, her head hidden under a pillow.

"Did you find Hiruma?" Megumi asked. The pillow nodded. "Is he here?" The pillow moved again. "What happened?" The pillow shook back and forth feverishly.

The bedroom door flew open and a still aggravated looking Kenshin and Aoshi walked out.

"What the hell happened?" Sano asked but the cold looks Kenshin and Aoshi were shooting him made him realize the question was never going to be answered.

"Let's get going," Aoshi said firmly.

"Where are we going?" Megumi asked.

"The Hoover Dam."

* * *

Tokio fired a few shots at Yumi but the man next to her moved quickly and got her out of the way. Tokio frowned but realized she had more pressing targets as Hiko and Saitou began to fall back against the rush.

Shooting their attackers should have been like firing in barrel but with her two companions moving so quickly in the mix, it was next to impossible to get a clear shot. She looked over her shoulder and realized Yumi was gone, along with her bodyguard.

Saitou was moving like a fish through the seaweed, his lanky body squeezing through spaces between the mob as his sword made contact. There was no room for fancy moves here. He needed to clear out the room and fast.

Whatever surgery he had had was clearly no longer effecting Hiko. He moved quickly and his strength was the perfect compliment to Saitou. His swipes were devastating, quickly decimating the remaining forces.

Something caught both their eyes and they barely had time to react as the blindfolded assassin returned to fray. Saitou caught his sword, deflecting it at the last second as Hiko tried to strike. But the assassin jumped out of the way and the rest of the mob pressed against them again.

Tokio watched the situation unfold and frowned deeply. The mob of men was no longer the real danger. She watched as the assassin moved back towards the fight, heading straight for Saitou, who was a bit busy with three opponents.

"Hajime!" she called, moving quickly. He looked up just as she pushed him away, feeling the assassin's sword run through her shoulder. The sword pushed through, coming out of her back.

Usui smiled a bit, feeling the sword make contact but knowing it wasn't Saitou. Still that woman was the cause of all their problems and finishing her off would be a satisfying start to the evening.

He started to move the sword, only half of the blade embedded in Tokio's shoulder, dragging it downward towards vital organs. But suddenly, Tokio's arms snapped upwards, both hands grabbing his wrists. With a quick motion, she drove him and the rest of his sword towards her.

If Usui's eyes weren't covered, she would have seen the blink of surprise over her move. But she was satisfied with the grunt of pain as she drove her knee into his stomach before wobbling backwards.

As soon as she was clear, Saitou swung, catching the off guard assassin in his chest and pinning him to the nearby wall. He turned to see Tokio knelt on the ground, the sword still embedded in her shoulder.

"Get her to a hospital," Hiko said, finishing off the last man. His pocket rang and he pulled out the phone, relaying the information to the other person. He shut off the phone and watched as Saitou was picking Tokio off the floor.

"Any word?" Saitou asked.

Hiko nodded. "They're on the move. I'll meet the helicopter and follow them."

"I'll…"

But Hiko was out the door. Saitou was almost grateful that he got left behind. Looking down at the unconscious form of his wife, he sighed and shook his head. She was going to drive him insane one day.

* * *

"Just let me drive!" Kaoru said.

"NO!" came the resounding cry as the group piled into the Jeep.

"Mou… that's not fair."

"Kaoru," Megumi said looking at her from the passenger seat, "we were lucky to find a car rental place this late at night. And they only have one car left, so we can't let you wreck this."

Kaoru's face was shocked. "I have never… well, okay there was that one time… twice… just a few…"

"Get in the car, jou-chan," Sano said pulling her into the car and onto his lap. Kaoru quickly swatted his hands away and slide in between him and Kenshin, the latter giving a rather not too friendly looking at his friend.

Megumi caught the act from the rear view mirror and pulled the lever next to her seat, quickly backed the seat into Sano's knees.

"OW!" he cried out, as Megumi righted the chair again. "What the hell was that for!"

"Like you don't know," Megumi said harshly under her breath.

Sano frowned and was about to say more when he got a good look at the reflection of Aoshi's face. Apparently now was the time to be fighting. Aoshi pulled the brake up and backed up the car, tearing up the road as he moved.

"AOSHI! WE'RE NOT IN JAPAN! GET ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD!!" Kaoru screamed.

Aoshi swerved, jumping over the medium and causing a few cars to swerve from him. Kaoru started to uncurl, looking at the front of the car again to see if things were better. She started to relax, realizing the death grip she had on…

Kaoru blinked and looked up at the poor swirly-eyed redhead. Apparently, she had clutched onto the nearest thing and that had proven to be the neck of the poor man. With a grimace, she patted his shoulder and looked innocently back towards the front.

* * *

Tokio's eyes fluttered opened and she took in her surroundings. First the clock. She had lost about an hour already. That was enough to make her frown. Moving up into the hospital bed just deepened it. Her shoulder really hurt. Looking down, she saw the bandages under the hospital gown.

She looked over at the chair by the door and saw Saitou sitting there with his eyes closed. Tokio's lip flickered into a smile. Sleeping?

She sat up and softly shifted towards the edge of the bed. Saitou's eyes suddenly snapped open and looked at her.

Tokio smiled at him. Saitou shook his head.

Tokio pouted a bit. Saitou crossed her arms.

Anger flashed through her eyes. His eyes never blinked.

She looked at him a bit pleadingly. He raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

She sighed frustrated. He smiled a bit in victory.

Tokio smiled suddenly. Saitou's smile faltered.

Tokio leaned forward, letting the gown fall off her shoulder. Saitou's eyebrow furrowed.

She bit her lip a bit. He glanced at the window of the closed door.

She leaned back into the bed, letting her good arm stretch above her head. He stood up and walked towards her.

She used a long leg to hook him around the waist and pull him forward. His hands fell to either side of her.

Her good arms moved from above her head into the space between his jacket and shirt. He eyed her bare shoulder and moved to reveal a bit more.

She pulled out his cell phone from the inner pocket and speed dialed the number.

"Get the boys together," Tokio said into the phone. "We're going exterminating tonight. Have the limo outside in fifteen minutes."

Saitou's head sank and he looked up at her, watching her smile in victory. One of these days, he was going to win one of their little duels.