Firstly:

NO, I DO NOT WRITE LEMON *smiles sweetly*

Enjoy the story now, why don't you?

Joy: I hope things didn't happen too suddenly, or it'll be a minus to the story. : ) Read on, girl!

Eliar Swiftfire: Heh heh. Sorry, no sex scene.

Kka: Dun worry. I'm corrupted too. *pauses* darn, my secret's out. Ha ha!

Electric muffin: next chapter for you!!

Alexia: No, I don't know how long the story will be, but I'll take a guess – 10 chapters, more or less.

Fiery ice: Uh, duct tape is fine, thank you. I like Liberty X's song too! Thanks for being loyal and reading me fics, fiery ice!

Tensaispira: Here, I'll hit your head for you too. : ) *hits tensaispira* There, hentai-ness gone now? Ha ha! Enjoy the story!

Frozenfemale: Thanks for liking the chapter! Let's see if you'll like this one too. :]

Jo-sen7: Thanks! I'm starting to think about killing Kiara and having Mitsui for myself! Ha ha!

Tiran: Answer: Read above. Me no lemon writer. :P

Doujin: Thanks a lot, doujin! (PS: Do you think Mitsui really cares what the station thinks about what he's doing? :D)

Sakura Rui: you and i and fiery ice can all sing Liberty's song together. Seeeexxxy… everything's about you so seeexxxyyy!!

: Thanks! Adding Rukawa? As another criminal? *purses her lips, imagining Rukawa with a gun* Oh my! I'll think about it! :)

jeano: Read on!

Akane: Next chapter's here, akane-san!

sLL: Thanks! Me glad you like the story! Go on and enjoy it! Don't let me distract you. : )

sakura88: You and fiery ice can like, sit together and find ways to glue to my computer. You're both scaring me. Waaah!

Coolpriss: Thanks for reviewing even tho you're busy! It's good you're not jealous of Kiara, but I am! (heh heh)

Patty g: Let's get high together. *winks naughtily* Ha ha! Enjoy the story!

Fer-chan: Chp 8 – naughty? You wake up *drags fer-chan out of her hibernation* and find out yourself!

Eight chapter – if I'm not mistaken. I lost tracks of numbers!

She had trouble dragging him out of the comfortable bed the next morning. It took quite some thumping to get him to open his eyes, fast-talking to persuade him to his feet and various other strategies to get him to agree to fetch his car keys and send her back to the construction site. He clearly expressed his puzzlement at why she was in such a hurry when there were more than a dozen of his clothes that she could easily borrow.

Kiara didn't even bother explaining to him that his clothes draped around her like curtains and that he barely had anything resembling the type of undergarment that women needed. A drowsy man with half-closed eyes wouldn't understand anything.

He was still yawning when they pulled up by the construction site. He rubbed his watery eyes like a sulking little boy, looking so good doing it that Kiara couldn't resist the urge. She simply cupped his face in her hands and leaned in to kiss him.

When she pulled back, they stared at each other with shameless looks, quite obviously still floating over last night.

Mitsui's eyes were sharp now, and quite suddenly, he brought the engine to life. "I changed my mind," he declared. "I'm not going to work. I'm going to take you back to the apartment and –"

She was already out of the car.

Leaning down, she flashed a smile. "I don't want to be the cause of you getting sacked. Get your lazy ass to work."

"Nobody sacks me."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." She flipped one hand. "Shoo, Mitsui."

He made a grab for her. "Nobody shoos me either." She backed out of reach, laughing. "Come back here, Aikawa. Aren't you worried about not being at my side 24/7?"

"No."

"What if I get into an accident?"

"Call an ambulance. 991."

"What if an earthquake happens and I get buried under rubbles and stones?"

"Start praying." She gave the convertible a playful kick. "Now be a dutiful police officer and go save the world."

He laughed. "I'll be back in the afternoon."

"Yeah, yeah, to watch me."

The look he gave her was more than naughty. "Oh, I think I'll do more than just watch. Later."

"Not so late, though." She watched him back out of the narrow road and speed away. Whistling happily, she made her way to the usual room and didn't notice the foul smell and unexpected company until she was three steps inside. Eyes wide, she stared with her mouth hanging open. "Pit! Luna! What are you doing here??"

Her two friends stared at her from bloodshot eyes, obviously wasted after a night of alcohol-drinking. Behind them stood three strangers whom Kiara couldn't recognise, hulking over Pit and Luna like enormous shadows.

"Kiarrra," Pit slurred drunkenly. "Hallo…"

Luna took a more direct approach and simply slumped into Kiara's arms. "We saw you coming out of that officer's car," she breathed heavily. "What were you doing with him?"

Kiara tried to back away from the stench of Luna's mouth. "Nothing."

"Liar," Luna accused. "Nothing's just 'nothing' with you. There's always something." Her red eyes narrowed into Kiara's. "You f***ed him, didn't you?"

Kiara shoved her away with minimum effort and snorted with disgust when Luna dropped down onto the floor in a messy heap. "That's my business, isn't it? What are you two doing here? Aren't you supposed to be on the run?"

Pit gave her a wan smile. "The police were after us."

"Even in other districts??" Kiara rolled her eyes. "Not happy enough with them after you here? What on earth did you do anyway?"

"We were…" Pit broke off as he struggled with the hangover headache. "We were just breaking into this house –" he burped noisily, "- we needed money, you see. So we broke into the house. It was such a nice house. So we broke into the house. They had a dog. But we broke into the house anyway."

"Yes, I know you broke into the house," Kiara muttered impatiently. "And then what?"

"And then what?" Pit sounded bemused. "And then what? Well, and then we stole." He started laughing. "Didn't get much though. Got interrupted."

"Oh?"

"Stupid girl." Pit snarled. "Midnight snack. Saw us and started screaming the roof off."

"It was your face," Luna drawled from the floor, giggling. "Your scary face."

Kiara ignored her and quickly butted in before the fight between Luna and Pit got underway. "What happened then? Did you run and leave as many clues as you did when you robbed the bank?"

Pit stared at her with a blank expression. "What happened then?" Apparently he didn't hear Kiara's last remark. "I dunno." He turned back to one of the strangers behind him, the muscular one with biceps as big as Kiara's head. "What happened then, huh?"

The man cleared his throat, as if he was about to declare independence or something. "We kill'd her."

Pit chuckled even as Kiara's jaw dropped open. "We killed her? Oh yeah, we killed her."

Kiara tried to produce coherent words using her tongue with some difficulty. "You – you killed her?" she blinked. "Very funny. Of course you didn't. You never kill."

Luna started giggling again. "Yep, we never kill. But Pit just did." She ended the sentence with a hyena-like laugh.

Pit sniffed. "It was my first time," he said modestly.

Kiara stared at him in disbelief. "What do you mean, your first time?" she demanded uneasily. "You didn't really kill her, did you?"

"It shut her up."

Kiara's eyes widened. "You didn't – you couldn't have –" she paused sickeningly, a sudden realization of the current serious situation dawning into her. "Why the hell would you do that??"

"Duh. She screamed. We didn't exactly want her to wake the entire neighborhood up," the man replied nonchalantly, wondering if Kiara was stupid or just brain-dead. "So we kill'd her."

Kiara's eyes all but bulged out. "So you killed her," she repeated slowly, but dangerously. "Because she screamed? Because you were afraid she'd wake the neighborhood up?" Her cheeks bloomed red. "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE??"

All three strangers looked startled.

"Is life so CHEAP to you that you think it's up for TAKE-AWAY??" Kiara screeched. "That you can just KILL somebody when you feel like it?? It's just a girl! Just an innocent little girl! What right have you to kill her??"

Another stranger, a woman, gave Kiara a puzzled look. "She wouldn't be so innocent when she blabs to the police and describe our faces. And who cares about rights?"

"Your faces –" Kiara closed her eyes. "You didn't use masks." She muttered dismally. Her eyes flew open and bore into the woman's. "Idiots. The girl died just because you were too stupid to think of using masks when breaking into a house."

"What's your problem, girl?" the woman demanded, provoked. "Why the sentiments? You related to the girl or something?"

"You killed," Kiara muttered dangerously. "You took away a girl's precious life from her as if it's replaceable." She took a deep, unsteady breath. "My mother was killed just as casually as you killed the girl, and I find that very insulting."

"You're not exactly an angel yourself," the woman mocked. "You're a robber too."

"Oh yes, I'm a robber," Kiara agreed viciously. "And a liar and a cheater as well." She gritted her teeth. "But I sure as hell am not a murderer."

Mitsui's car phone beeped annoyingly. He took a moment to glance at the caller's ID, and quickly invented a curse when he realised it was Akagi. Pressing the button, he spoke out loud into the receiver stuck on his steering. "Akagi, you –"

"Where are you?"

Mitsui sighed tragically. "Yeah, yeah, I'm on my way to work. I haven't finished cursing you yet –"

"Get your nose over at the construction site."

Mitsui felt himself go cold. "Why? What happened? I just left that place –"

"Reports from Hibiko Police Headquarters. They're after the same people you're after – Luna Kimiwa and Pit Osagi. They were sighted heading back to the construction site last night. Most likely, they're already there." There was a sudden buzzing in the background. "I'm entering a tunnel. I'm going there myself, and I want you there as soon as possible."

Mitsui didn't bother ending the call.

"Come off it, Kiara," Pit muttered half-heartedly. "It's just one little girl."

"Come off it??" Kiara yelled. "COME OFF IT? You think this is like drugs or something? You think we can just put it behind us and chalk it off as a bad bet??" She ran a nervous hand through her already-ragged hair. "This is serious, Pit. I –" Kiara broke off. For some reason, she couldn't get a picture of a little girl with blood dripping off her dress out of her mind. She slumped into one corner of the room helplessly. "Oh God, why did you kill her?"

"You're being a baby, Kiara," Luna chirped cheerfully. "You've seen enough deaths to not get all teary-eyed over this."

"It because I've seen enough deaths that I KNOW exactly how much life is worth," Kiara countered furiously. "And it's certainly worth more than having to pay for a stupid criminal's mistake of being caught while breaking into a house!"

Luna laughed and then passed out on the floor, while Pit looked on bemusedly.

Kiara stared at them. "I don't believe this. I can't –" she abruptly stopped at the sound of police sirens heading their way. "I don't believe this."

At the sound, Luna and Pit miraculously recovered from their drunk daze. "Shit!" Pit yelled. "They found us!"

And then it was all havoc.

Kiara could only stare dumbly as things around her began to move. The police were coming to get them. She felt a stone drop into the centre of her stomach. What if Mitsui was one of them? What is he saw all this? Knew all this? What would he do to her?

"What are you doing, you blithering idiot??" Luna grabbed Kiara's arms and tugged roughly. "Go and save your butt!" And then she was dragging Kiara with her as they ran over the scattered planks of wood, following Pit and the others closely.

"No," Kiara protested. "Don't run, Luna. We can solve this. Don't run."

Luna looked back at her. "What are you talking about??" she screamed. "Have you lost what little mind you had in your brain??"

"I don't want to run anymore. We can't just run anymore. We can solve this," Kiara had started chanting unconsciously, even as she leaped across rusty iron blocks. "We can solve this. We can solve this."

"SHUT UP, KIARA! THERE'S NO WAY TO SOLVE THIS!" Luna screeched, crying visibly, even as her tear-streaked eyes darted here and there in panic. "You know what they're going to do to us, Kiara?? They're going to kick us to jail! I don't want to go to jail! God, I don't want to go to jail!"

Kiara wasn't all that excited about the prospect either. She had spent half her life avoiding just that. "But-" she started, and then abruptly stopped. Just run, Kiara, she told herself. Stop trying to be a moralist and just run.

"Stop! We're the police!" boomed a voice behind them. Kiara turned to see a huge man pointing a gun right at her head. "Stop and surrender!"

Luna bawled even harder as she quickened her pace. "No! I don't want to go to jail! I don't want to go to jail!!"

This is it, Kiara thought, wanting to cry herself. This is where it all comes down to. This is where it ends. She closed her eyes against the tears, preparing to receive the bullet in the head when –

"Stop it, Akagi! Don't shoot, damn it!"

The huge man turned around.

Taking advantage of the police officer's distraction, Pit pulled out a gun from his jacket and fired bullet after bullet. Most missed the officer, but when one caught him at the thigh, he collapsed to the ground. Pit didn't stop shooting.

"Stop it, you bastard!" Kiara screamed at Pit, watching the officer writhe in pain with horror. "That's enough! You'll kill him!"

Pit glared at her. "That's the whole point, isn't it?" He continued to shoot.

When another bullet hit the officer over the shoulder, Kiara closed her eyes again to avoid the sight. "Stop it!" She screamed hysterically. No more deaths. Enough. No more deaths. "Stop it!!"

All five swiveled their heads to give her seething glares. "SHUT UP!"

Then all five faces turned ashen-pale as they stared past her shoulder. Exhausted both physically and mentally, Kiara turned around to see what it was. Her breath clogged in her throat.

Mitsui was running after them, and he too had a gun poised for her head. "Akagi's hurt," he was yelling into a black walkie talkie. "Get a damn ambulance here." When he saw her, however, his eyes widened and he almost tripped, his own face turning colourless.

Kiara's eyes watered as both guilt and humiliation seeped into her. What did you think anyway? She kidded herself. That it'll last forever? You knew from the start this is how it's going to end. You even prepared yourself for it, didn't you?

She watched as Mitsui's eyes darkened, as a look of utter betrayal crossed his face, amazed at the devastating effect that look had on her.

Maybe you didn't prepare enough.

Pit took out his gun again, snorting nervously as he struggled to lock on the target.

Kiara automatically reached out for his arm. "Don't shoot him!"

Annoyed, Pit slapped Kiara with both hand and gun. She staggered against the attack, her head reeling due to contact with flesh and steel. Kiara dropped limply into Luna's arms, nearing unconsciousness. "She's changed!" Pit said gruffly, once again targeting his gun. "Get rid of her!"

Luna braced Kiara's weight against her own. "No," she disagreed. "She could be useful."

"Useful, my butt!" Pit grunted. "Remind me to kill her once we get out of this mess." He cursed viciously. "Damn, this police guy doesn't know how to give up!" He started to quicken his run. "Quick! Let's get out of here!"

They turned around a corner and disappeared under a long-forgotten underground tunnel. When Mitsui arrived, the place was silent and empty.

Getting into a little bit of action now, aren't we? *nothingtodo gives Mistui a sympathetic pat and goes off for another burger at McD*