Hmm. I think I might stop with these daily updates for a while. I still have plenty of story, but perhaps they're a *cough* bit *end cough* too frequent? Oh well… it won't be a long time before I post the next chapter, so don't worry! (As if you were going to anyway *wink*)

Wow… 180 reviews as of now! That is damn well unbelievable! I can't believe one of my fics has got that many reviews! Thankyou so much for helping me get this far, I can't thank you enough. Although, that doesn't mean you can bag Ryu. (Don't ask me where the heck that came from, but… you can't) Why? I still have the war-hammer, you see…

This update might be the second in a day for you. It's the second in a day for me *big sweatdrop… I thought I had stopped doing that!* Oh well… (I like my 'oh well') I guess I haven't. Wolf, I owe you a thankyou too, but… you weren't just doing that to make me feel better (putting Ryu before Hayate) were you? WHY DOES EVERYONE LIKE HAYATE BETTER, DAMMIT? WHAT'S SO GOOD ABOUT HIM??!?! (To save Hayate-loving rants, that was a rhetorical question)

Long notes. Finish them by saying whatever console you own, buy Soul Calibur II! Very, very cool game! (One of the characters has one of Hayabusa's back attacks! O.O) But, if you like fighting games (and I'm guessing you all do) then SCII is a MUST-HAVE. I only got it today and I'm loving it already (even though I suck at it)

Anyway, before you guys die of boredom, I'll leave you to the chapter. Enjoy!

*

"Are you coming to help me with the maths?" he asked in what he hoped was an offhanded way as they walked home.

Ryu shook his head. "Sorry, not tonight. I would like to-"

"-You're insane…" he neatly added.

"-but I can't, not tonight, anyway. Perhaps another night," his friend sounded tired. "Sorry,"

He sighed. "Stop apologising. It's okay, really,"

"Sorry… I suppose I should shut up, huh?"

"Uh huh. You took the words right out of my mouth,"

They walked in silence for a moment, before it was broken abruptly, by his friend, much to his amazement. However, the statement wasn't directed at him.

"Ayane, I thought you knew better,"

His eyes flicked sharply from the path to the seat that his friend was looking at; to his half sister who was now trying to sheepishly crush her cigarette on the concrete.

"…Ayane!" he managed to get out. She smoked? I never knew! Gods, father would have her head if he found out, and… what is she thinking? That's disgusting, anyway!

"Don't look at me like that," she instantly snapped. "I needed a ciggie. What are you gonna do about it, anyway?"

"Smoking gives you cancer and lung disease," he retorted. "What are you trying to do, commit passive suicide or something?"

"If I wanted your goddamn medical opinion, then I'd freaking well ask for it!" she yelled.

The rage that he had stifled since their last argument instantly flared up again. "Well, whether you want it or not you're damn well getting it! Father would absolutely murder you if he found out that you were smoking, burning your brain cells away like this!"

"As if I give a shit what he thinks!" she roared.

Ryu, having tuned out and drifted off, jerked back to reality with Ayane's shouting. Now what's going on? He thought to himself, trying to tune into the conversation.

"What are you two arguing about now?" he asked, voice soft. Seemingly too soft. They continued yelling, drowning him out.

"You arsehole, Hayate!" she cried. "Mind your own business!"

"Your idiocy is my business!" Hayate yelled.

Never mind the fact that they were yelling loudly enough to wake the dead. Fury was blazing through her veins as she raised a hand to punch that stupid face of his right in.

That was, before she was interrupted by a voice far louder then either she or Hayate could muster.

"Why don't you both just shut the hell up and stop this pointless argument?!"

"You shut up, wanker!" she retorted to whoever was in the bushes. "Now it's time for me to tell you to mind your own business!"

Said 'wanker' came out of the bushes and her eyes narrowed. "Especially you. I'm gonna break every bloody bone in your body and snap off your dick and roast it!"

"Who's that?" Hayate questioned, not to her.

She was over there before anyone could blink, clawing wildly at him, attacking every exposed piece of flesh she could. If fury had been blazing through her before, then this was maximum rage. She couldn't stop herself from wanting to rip off his skull and spill his blood.

"Whoa, whoa. What's going on here, Miss Ayane?"

She should have guessed. If that dickhead was around, then Ken would be too.

"Get this bastard away from me before I cut off his dick and feed it to the birds,"

"As you wish," Ken smiled at her briefly, but the smile rapidly faded as hazel eyes settled on his son. "You should be at home. What are you doing, loitering around here making a nuisance of yourself like this?"

She wasn't catching everything, so fixated was her gaze on Raidou. He was nursing some scratches, and, she noted with extreme satisfaction, a bloody hole in his hand where she had managed to gouge her fingernail in.

"You little bitch," he hissed as he caught her looking. "I could get you arrested by the police,"

"And you'd be coming with me, dickhead. I'd make sure of it,"

He didn't know how to respond to his father's question. "I was just on my way home, when we ran into Ayane. Why?"

"You are supposed to be home," the malice in his father's voice was enough to make him instantly wary. "And you aren't. Trying to cause trouble again? Trying to get yourself killed?"

Even Ayane and Raidou had stopped by this stage and were watching. He resisted the urge to run, swallowed as he felt bile rise in his throat.

"If I had wanted to do that, there are many more efficient ways,"

"Like me beating the shit out of you!"

He didn't have time to react. His father was simply too fast. The fist connected with the side of his head, making him stumble backwards but not fall. I have to stand up to him this time. Even if it's only this time. Even if I don't win…

But he couldn't do a lot as he caught a glimpse of Raidou sneaking up on his side. Okay. Talk about iniquitous… great…

"Nuh uh, baby. You're mine,"

The slight movement from Raidou hadn't gone unawares. She lunged at him, and with three solid kicks sent him flying into a park bench, smashing it as he fell heavily to the ground.

"You… you!" he stuttered out furiously.

She smirked. "Yup, me, bitch. Keep your dirty paws off him and go for me instead. Or you too afraid to lose against a girl?"

He got to his feet and ran across to her, punching her in the gut before she could react. The breath was knocked out of her as she fell to the ground, landing heavily on her arse. After a few moments of gasping for air, she jumped back to her feet.

"Don't go for him. Go for me. One on one is fair. And it gives me an excuse to whip you,"

"You're nothing but a stupid, good-for-nothing little shit. If I had known just what sort of a child you were going to be, I would have made sure that I never parented such a sorry excuse for a child. I'm sorry that I helped in letting such a burden enter the world,"

He could only watch on in amazement. Sure, he had known for a long time that Ryu's home situation wasn't the best, but this… this was beyond sheer arguments from time to time that every family had. This… this was hatred. Pure and simple.

He wanted to jump in, and help like Ayane was, bashing the absolute hell out of the other guy that had tried to attack his friend from the side. But he couldn't. He was absolutely numb.

Ryu… why didn't you ever tell me? Didn't you trust me?

"I'm sorry too," his friend's voice was so soft, so… fragile.

What for?! He wanted to scream. For having such a horrible father? Why?

"You're going to be sorry after I've finished with you,"

The sound of metal cutting through the air alerted him.

What the hell… Ryu's dad carries a knife? Why? To chop his son up into pieces?

He managed to unstopper his mouth for a second. A split second.

"Ryu, for god's sake, get out of the way!"

His friend didn't need telling twice, dropping to the ground like a stone, before rolling backwards, the blade passing harmlessly above his head.

God. God! What can I do? What can we do? There has to be something…

He felt movement beside him as Ayane walked up beside him. She had a rapidly swelling eye, but still her usual defiant expression.

"That other dick is out of it. What are you just standing here for?"

"Shit!"

The word had come out of his mouth before he could stop it as crimson blood spurted out of a slash on his friend's arm.

"For god's sake, do something!"

There was a blur beside him as Ayane lunged into the fray, emerging after a brief scuffle with the knife. She threw it down into the grass and he grasped it, holding it gingerly, but determined to not let it out of his hands. Meanwhile, his half sister and best friend had started working together, elbowing the man in the chest before sending him flying to the ground, Ayane jumping over him and pinning him onto the ground with her rear while Ryu was crushing his own father's fingers with his feet.

"Call the police, you stupid shit!"

He couldn't think. It was almost in a state of dreams that he pulled out his phone, dialled, hung up, heard the sirens approach.

"Alright. What's going on here?"

"Just stop him!" he yelled desperately, pointing to Ryu's father, who had succeeded in pushing the two off and was now squaring up.

A few minutes later, it was all done. He had no idea how it was done so quickly, but both Raidou and Ryu's father were handcuffed. However…

"You two are going to have to come to the station as well. Especially you, punk. You have a lot of explaining to do,"

Ryu shook his head defiantly, almost desperately. "No,"

"You were bashing the crap out of some guy. Of course you have explaining to do, idiot. Get him and detain him," A blonde, young, rather pretty woman.

"No!" his friend's voice was oddly forlorn, yet sudden and abrupt.

"Ryu, just shut up and do it!" he hissed.

He started as a hand grabbed his shirt and jerked him forward, closer to his friend's face.

"Don't you tell me what to do, Hayate. The last time we were both associated with the police was when Irene died, remember? When you killed her,"

When you killed her. The words echoed through his head, those dreaded words he had spent sleepless nights hearing in his head. "No. You said I didn't kill her,"

"I was being nice. You murdered her. If you hadn't been driving that night then she would have been alive. You murdered her, even though you loved her too,"

He would have said it sometime! He tried to desperately convince himself. But he couldn't. Because deep down, that speck of doubt lingered, and it was because of that doubt that he couldn't argue with what Ryu was saying, even though his friend was clearly not in his usual state of mind.

"Shut up and get in there, punk," Both Ayane and Ryu were pushed into the car, he being the only one getting in there without putting up a fight. He couldn't fight. He was completely numb. I didn't kill her, I didn't, I didn't…

But now, he couldn't convince himself that it was true. And it hurt so badly to hear those words from the person he considered his best friend. He still did. He couldn't blame Ryu for speaking the truth.

Irene… I'm so sorry. I did kill you, after all…

Everything was spinning. "You are right, after all," he whispered faintly, before everything went black and he teetered, before falling into the blissful world of unconsciousness.

*