Author's note: *is too busy singing to write anything here*

Disclaimers: Is this really necessary? I highly doubt that anything's changed since my last disclaimer.

~*~*~

            I pressed the button to go up to the twelfth floor. The elevator doors closed and I leaned back and closed my eyes. I had to pause for a moment and calm down. I was so mad that, quite honestly, I couldn't see straight. Seeing those bruises and cuts on Rikku tore my heart in half. She didn't deserve this. And I had to make sure Ryo knew that.

--------------------

"Back off, I'll take you on.

Headstrong to take on anyone

I know that you were wrong

And this is not where you belong."

~Headstrong

Trapt

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            The elevator doors opened and Auron stepped out, taking a long, hard look down the hallway before him. With his fists clenched by his side, the guardian stalked down to the hotel room where his prey awaited.

            "1256 . . . 1258 . . . 1260 . . . 1262!" he twisted the doorknob and flung the door open. The room was dark, the curtains were shut to block out any sunlight. The room was in disarray with chairs toppled, the bed comforter wrinkled and the carpet beside the bed held tiny drops of blood.

            Auron cautiously made his way to the next room and peered inside. There sat Ryo on another bed, his head hung low and his hair covering his eyes. When Auron wandered in, Ryo slowly brought his gaze up and smirked. His neck was covered with dry blood and his arm looked like it was punctured with Rikku's nails.

            "I knew she'd send you," he whispered, rising to his feet and swaying slightly. "I thought maybe she'd send that Auron guy, but she sends her little pretty-boy friend. It's not like it matters. I'll kill both of you and get my girl back. She can't escape me. She loves me and she'll come crawling back, begging for forgiveness."

            Auron's eyes flickered. "Liar. She wants nothing more to do with you. They're calling the cops right now. But it's not like it matters. I'll have disposed of you by then," he mocked, crossing his arms and raising his chin slightly.

            The guardian could have sworn he saw a look of worry on Ryo's face but it disappeared too quickly to confirm that. Ryo brought his hand to his neck and wiped away some of the blood, laughing. "That girl isn't too bad of a fighter. If she would have only listened to me when I told her not to go back to Auron, none of this would have happened. She's such an idiot."

            "Shut up!" Auron shouted. "Rikku's not an idiot. She's more than you'll ever be! She's kind, smart, funny, and not to mention strong. She doesn't deserve the likes of you! Like I said when we first met, she doesn't love you."

            As he said this, Ryo had begun to swing his fist at Auron's face, yet Auron leaned backwards to avoid the attack. Auron smirked. "I really shouldn't be fighting you. I'd only be stooping to your level. But, since this does involve Rikku, I guess I can make an exception," he reasoned, grasping the back of Ryo's head and slamming it into his knee.

            Ryo recovered quickly and threw Auron to the ground. Before the guardian could get to his feet, he was pushed back down with the toe of Ryo's shoe. Ryo smirked and stepped hard on his chest, causing a few cracks to be heard. Auron screamed in agony knowing full-well that Ryo had managed to crack a few of his ribs.

            "Bastard . . . ." he hissed.

            "I know. I've heard that from all my ex-girlfriends. But they didn't have their ex-boyfriends to come after me. It looks like Rikku really is special."

            Auron rolled out from under Ryo's foot and kicked him near the ankles, causing him to collapse. He pounced on Ryo, grabbing him around the collar and shaking him violently. "How could you? You're sick! You should die! How could you?!" he repeated over and over, his breaths much more shallow and raspy due to his ribs. "You said you loved her!"

            "And you don't think I really did?" Ryo cried out in exasperation. Auron discontinued shaking him yet held him still by the collar. "I wasn't lying when I said I loved her. But I'm not about to let her get away with some things. And if that meant I had to beat her senseless . . . well . . ." he closed his eyes and grinned, "So be it."

            The guardian narrowed his eyes. "You sound like you enjoy hurting her," he muttered and started to punch and slap him. "Did she beg for you to stop? Did she cry? Did she take it without a word?" he bellowed and dropped Ryo. He stood up and kicked Ryo in the side before pinning Ryo down with his foot. Ryo reached into his pant pocket and withdrew a pocket knife. He flicked the knife open and sliced Auron across the leg. When Auron didn't let up, Ryo resorted to stabbing the knife into his leg.

            Auron pulled away and quickly jerked the knife from his leg. He looked up just in time as Ryo brought a large object over his head and dropped it, causing Auron to see stars. However, he lashed out blindly with the knife still in his hand. He opened one eye and saw the blurry figure of Ryo trying to avoid his attacks. Auron brought the knife over his head and brought it down on Ryo, snapping his eyes open when he heard him screech.

            The knife was embedded in the back of his shoulder and would be quite hard to get out alone. He collapsed to his knees in front of a desk and scowled at Auron, one eye shut. "Damn you!"

            Auron knelt before the man. "You brought it upon yourself," he said and reached out to remove the knife.

            Ryo wriggled from Auron's hold of him, pulled the drawer in the desk open and retrieved a gun. He aimed it at Auron and began to laugh. "This is a turn of events, isn't it? I always knew this would come in handy. As a matter of fact, if worse came to worse, I was going to use it on Rikku if she told me that she was going back to Auron. Then she could have been with him permanently in the Farplane where they rightfully belong!"

            "You're crazy . . . look . . . just let me get the knife from your-."

            "No! Stay away or I'll shoot! Don't think I won't. I've got nothing to lose anyway."

            "Ryo . . . just-."

            "You don't think I'm being serious do you, pretty-boy? If you value your life, you'd be wise to stay right there."

            Auron kept quiet this time yet still stared at Ryo with hatred and fear. He winced in pain as he took in a deep breath, trying hard not to move too much. Ryo looked ready to pass out. His clothes were slowly becoming soaked with blood and his eyes were becoming dim. Sometimes he'd slouch over but snap back up as if trying to desperately stay awake. Auron knew that, if not in five minutes, Ryo would soon be in the Farplane.

            "You know . . . it's funny . . . . How one minute . . . . Your only wish is to die . . . . Because you've caused so much pain . . . . And the next . . . . You want to live . . . because you want . . . . To repent . . . for any pain . . . . You've caused," Ryo chuckled to himself.

            "You're not going to die. You can't. You've gotta get arrested by the police first or I won't be satisfied with how this turned out."

            "You won't . . . . be satisfied?" Ryo looked up angrily. "You know . . . . pretty boy . . . . I really shouldn't leave . . . . Just yet . . . ." Ryo raised the gun and aimed at Auron's chest. "Here's a parting gift . . . ."

            The door flung open and Rikku appeared in the doorway. "Auron!!" she screamed.

            The loud sound of a single gunshot echoed in the otherwise silent hotel. Time seemed to go into slow-motion. Auron looked up at Rikku, his hand clutched over his chest. He coughed up blood and reached his other hand out for the Al-Bhed girl. "Rikku . . ."

            She ran to his side and removed his hand from his chest and stifled a sob at the bullet wound. "Oh Yevon . . ."

            He looked at her and weakly took her hand which was still on his chest. "I don't . . . feel . . . anything anymore . . ."

            Both tore their gazes away from each other as they heard another gunshot from the other side of the room. Ryo smirked, brought the gun away from his chest and lifted his head to meet the couples' gaze. "Are you happy now?" he asked. His face went blank and he collapsed onto the ground, dead.

~*~*~

Author's note: One more chapter. *sigh* I didn't like how this chapter came out. I'm not too great with fight/action scenes so this one was really difficult. *looks at Ryo* Oh no! Don't think you can pull that trick on me! *kicks him* You need to be alive! My lovely reviewers still need to take a whack at you!

Ryo: This can't be good . . .

Uh, duh! ^^ Anyway, again, I'm really sorry if this chapter didn't live up to your expectations. I'm not about to rewrite it, though. Maybe the next chapter may be good. It's going to be a songfic chapter to the song that inspired it all! Evanescence's 'My Last Breath'!

Review Replies:

AFTERMATH: Chaotic Wind: Yes . . . little Ryo-poo knows he could get arrested which is why I've decided to harbor him under one condition. And that's to get mercilessly beat up by me reviewers! ^^ And I stand by what you said. I OFFICIALLY declare Ryo an abusive lover and Rikku in a troubled relationship. But that's not possible anymore because Ryo's dead. (I don't know whether to put ^.^ or -_-')

Kingster0517: Hehe, I was just thinking that same thing when I read your review. I got about halfway through with this chapter when I realized . . . I don't know how it's gonna end! I'm still confused about it, but I think I know what to do.

Black Jackal: Teehee!! I get a Coelacanth! *shows her muses Scythe Mokodoma, Seifer Almasy and (I hesitate to put this) Ryo* Hey guys! Look! I can now officially boss you around with . . . THIS! *holds it up*

Scythe: Great, you just had to give her a Co . . Coel . . . La . . . a whatever!

Seifer: As if I don't have enough to worry about . . . SeeD exams . . . which I'll probably fail . . .

Ryo: Oh! Lemme touch it! *gets eaten*

All Reviewers: NO! WE HAVE TO KILL HIM!

Oops, sorry! *makes the coelacanth spit him out* *pets the coelacanth* You can eat him when everyone's done . . . split with the sharks, alright? ^^

Masta Ace: Well . . . Ryo got a gun . . . does that count? *hmm* Guess not . . . it turned out the total opposite of what you wanted! How strange is that? ^. ^ But he got a knife, so that's got to count for something!

Auron's Biggest Fan: She found out . . . But couldn't she have just found out at the beginning of the story? It would have made things a lot more easier and the story would have ended at the third chapter. . . . wait . . . the story would have ended at the third chapter . . . I like that she found out now. Made for a better story. *Teehee*

Ruki the Sake Fairy: No! Thou shall not yell at Rikku! Thou shall kill thy original character, Ryo!! I like to talk like olden time peoples . . . thou, thy, thee, shant, shall, shalt . . . whatever! ^_^

Cool-Kitsune: *retrieves Ryo* Must save . . . for . . . surprise . . . WHY MUST YOU BE SO UNLOVEABLE?! *smacks Ryo* *sees Kitsune leaving* NO! U stay here! *sits Kitsune in a chair* STAY!

Aidrianna: Of course! I promised you get to hit him first. BUT! You can't have him just yet. I'm waiting until the end. You'll see . . . it's gonna be fun! *evil glare at Ryo*

Auron is my man: Now we have a coelacanth to feed him to! AND THE ANGER AND RAGE OF MY REVIEWERS! *high five*

Rinny Leonheart / Rikku: I know . . . but it's not like this chapter was any nicer. *starts to sob* AURIE-POO GOT SHOT! *pause* Do you think we can heal him with an X-potion? Maybe even an elixir?

MeowMix: OH! GIMME A PIXIE STIX! *snatches a pixie stix and eats it* Yay!!! *tilts head* My story tastes like cake? Is that a good thing?

Did you know I've been on Fanfiction.net for a year now? *does a happy dance* I shall throw myself a party! *throws confetti in the air*