CHAPTER SIX: Instant Karma

Youji and Aya made their way through the crowds and simply slaughtered any Unagi members that stood in their way.

After finally reaching the outside of the festival grounds, they stopped to catch their breath.

"Where are Omi and Ken?" Youji was the first to ask. Aya looked at him, and then back into the hell they just escaped.

"I don't know, " Aya said, quietly. "Hopefully, they also got the message from those girls."

Youji cracked a smile and said, "see, Aya, they're not so bad. If it hadn't been for them, we would never know about Unagi planting bombs. In fact, you're lucky I found you and let you know!"

Aya grunted, "I have yet to see any explos."

Aya was cut off by the first explosion. Several more followed, and Aya and Youji stood watching in awe as people near the brunt of the blasts were tossed into the air like dolls, and the festival fell to pieces.

After it was all over, Youji said, "I hope like hell that Omi and Ken got out of there." And, in a whisper to himself, "and that Makoto, too."

* * *

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" chanted Omi as the girls led him off the festival grounds.

Yuko giggled at him to try and lighten the mood, "You're such a baby! One would think you'd never been shot before, you big scary assassin, you."

Omi grinned and said, "actually, I haven't. I've been stabbed, punched, kicked, poisoned, kidnapped, and everything else.but never shot."

"Well," said Leela, "there's a first time for everything."

"I just wish I knew that my friends were OK", Omi said with a sigh.

"I'm sure they are, " Maki tried to assure him again. "But right now we have to worry about YOU being OK.'

With that, they walked in silence to their car, where they loaded up Omi and rushed him to the hospital.

* * *

"I can't wait any longer," Youji said, determined. "I'm going to look for Ken and Omi."

Aya shook his head. "No, you can't. This place is about to be crawling with police who won't think twice about questioning two heavily armed men in trenchcoats. Let's go."

"But." Youji began to protest, but Aya held up a hand.

"Trust me," Aya said. "I'm also concerned about them, but they can take care of themselves. Come on."

Wanting to protest further but knowing it would do no good, Youji gave one last look at the ruins of the natsu matsuri, and then followed Aya to their car.

* * *

Ken woke up with a splitting headache and a bright light in his face.

"Good morning, sunshine!" said an overly enthusiastic nurse. Ken moaned.

"That's a pretty nasty bump you have on your head, there", the nurse said, walking over to check Ken's vital signs. Reaching up, Ken felt gauze and bandages wrapped around his head.

"What happened?" he asked the nurse.

With a sigh, she said, "you got hit by some flying debris during that horrible explosion at the festival. The police found you. You're really lucky you didn't get shot during that whole mess! Oh, and the police are gonna come back and question you later. They wanna know about some weird weapon you had on you at the time. But don't fret! I'll be back later."

With that, Ken let out another groan and flopped down on his pillow. "Ow!"

* * *

"You were lucky," the nurse told Omi. "You were far enough away from your attacker so the bullet wouldn't have done any serious damage. Actually, all we had to do after the bullet was removed was to give you your stitches and run a few tests. You're so lucky to have made it through that horrible scene."

"He doesn't have to stay in the hospital?" Makoto asked, looking concerned.

"He should be all right. Unless you'd like us to keep him overnight for observation," the nurse replied.

Omi shook his head, "No, I'm sure you need my bed for someone else. I'm all right."

The nurse patted Omi's hand, then addressing the girls, "Are you his sisters?"

"His friends," Yuko answered after a few seconds hesitation.

The nurse smiled, "You're lucky you have friends like this looking out for you."

Omi looked behind him at the four girls whose faces were stained with blood and tears, the girls who had saved his life, the girls who, if the order came, he might one day have to kill. Finally, he said, "You're right. I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for them."

The nurse smiled and handed Omi a pair of crutches, "Have a good night. You can pick up your pain medication from the pharmacist and we'll call you tomorrow with your test results."

"Thank you," called Maki as the nurse left.

* * *

Youji was pacing the flower shop in a huff. Aya sat on the couch with his legs crossed and head down.

"Where the hell could they BE?!" Youji kept yelling every few minutes. Aya had stopped bothering to answer him an hour ago.

A few minutes passed, and Youji was about to yell out his question again when the flower shop door opened. In stepped Ken. His head was wrapped in bandages, and he was wearing his brown leather jacket over a hospital gown, and his legs were bare except for his brown boots. And even those were half un-tied.

Youji gawked at him. "What the hell happened to you?" he asked. Ken limped dramatically into the shop and brushed past Youji without answering. Aya stood from the couch and Ken flopped down on it. "Ow", he said.

After a few moments of silence, Ken finally said, "I woke up in a hospital. They said I had clunked my head and was unconscious. I.I had to leave because the police were gonna come back sometime and ask me about the weapon they confiscated from me at the scene. Those are questions I'd rather not answer, so I split."

Aya nodded. Ken looked around the room and then asked, "where's Omi? Is he upstairs? And.do you guys happen to know if those girls made it out all right?"

Youji shrugged and said, "no word from Omi. No word from those girls, either. We've been watching their shop, but the lights are still off and no one has been in or out."

Ken sat up quickly. "Ow," he said again, and then continued, "aren't you guys the least bit worried?! They could all be laying dead at the festival somewhere!" With that, Ken raised himself off the couch, and seemed about ready to become a one-man vigilante with the intent of finding Omi, and, Youji assumed, that Maki girl.

"Sit down!" Aya bellowed, stopping Ken in his tracks.

"No one is going anywhere," Aya continued. "we're going to go to bed, get some much needed rest, and then come at this fresh in the morning."

For once, Ken was too tired to argue.

* * *

At about four o'clock in the morning, Makoto parked the car beside the pet shop. Omi was asleep beside her in the front seat and Maki and Leela were asleep in the back, leaning against each other. Yuko had stared out the window silently since they left the hospital. Until just then, actually, when her gaze turned to the flower shop across the street.

"What should we do with him?" Makoto whispered to her.

"He's exhausted. And Weiss doesn't even seem to be home," Yuko replied quietly. "Omi can just stay with us for tonight or at least until we find out if the rest of them got out okay."

Makoto nodded and gently shook Omi awake. "We're home," she told him.

Leela sat up suddenly. Maki's head drooped forward until it hit her knees and startled her awake. "Ow!" she cried. "What'd you do that for?"

The girls got out of the car and fetched Omi's crutches from the trunk.

"Um...," Omi said, groggily, rubbing his eyes. "Shouldn't I go home?"

"Don't worry about it. You can stay with us tonight," Makoto said.

"You're exhausted and, for Christ's sake, you were shot and, if we take you home now...you might not be able to get a good night's sleep," added Yuko, handing him the crutches.

"They're right," said Leela. "Aya and the others are going to have a fit if they're there. We'll be able to handle all this better in the morning."

Omi stood up shakily with the help of his crutches. It occured to him just what a mess Katzen, not to mention Weiss, was in.

"Come on, Omi!" Maki said with a yawn, opening the backdoor for him. "It's late!"

Omi hobbled in as fast as he could, followed by the other girls.

"You'll take my bed tonight," Yuko told him. "I'll sleep on the couch."

"But, Yuko-san." Omi tried to protest, but Yuko held up a hand to silence him.

"I won't take 'no' for an answer," Yuko said with a smile, "and it's just Yuko, OK?" Omi nodded and smiled.

"This way," Makoto said, placing a hand gently on Omi's back to guide him. "Over here is Yuko's room, and over here is the bathroom. As soon as you wake up tomorrow, we'll take you home."

Omi shuddered a bit. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked. "Maybe I should just go alone. Aya might be."

"Who cares about what Aya thinks?" Yuko said.

"Well, he's our leader." Omi began again, but Leela broke in with, "that's enough about this tonight! Everyone go to bed!"

Everyone obliged.